By Jim Palmer
I love getting together with family for Christmas. It is great to see everyone and feast together. But if you’re like me, family gatherings don’t look or feel the same as they did in our younger years. Gatherings don’t typically resemble a Norman Rockwell painting. And while not all the changes are bad, I have talked to enough people who miss the Christmases of 30+ years ago to know that not everyone is enjoying Christmas like they used to.
For many families, Christmas get-togethers can be dominated by phones, sporting events, TV, and more devices. All these factors contribute to fewer conversations/connections between family members and less overall enjoyment/Christmas cheer. The weeks leading up to Christmas don’t help. Many (including me) find themselves stressed by the hustle and bustle end of the season, and can get swept up into to-do lists and the commercial side of Christmas. The true meaning of Christmas seems to get lost in the shuffle. And by the time Christmas comes, there can be exhaustion and let down. For those hosting the Christmas gathering, any remaining energy tends to go toward the food with little thought to what can be done after the tables are cleared and the dishes are cleaned.
A few years ago, my family started looking at ways to reshape our Christmas gatherings to make them more fulfilling for all generations. We brainstormed ideas, looked on the internet for more ideas, and came up with a few things we could do to bring our family closer together during the holidays and cut back on the phones/TV. The last few gatherings, we have tried to plan ahead and add a few fun activities to each Christmas... and it has helped. I feel like we have some new life/energy at our most recent get-togethers (and less phone use for both kids and adults).
I know we aren’t the only family that has experienced these challenges, so I’m including some of the ideas that we came up with, along with some ideas I have heard from friends (or found online). If your Christmas gatherings have lost some of their sparkle, maybe there is something on this list that resonates with you.
• Make ornaments. You can make ornaments out of paper, wood, fabric, felt or just about anything. Not only is it fun to do, you can put your creations right on the tree when they are made. And the ornaments can be put up each year to bring back the memories of making them.
• Bake a signature treat. Lots of people enjoy baking and just about everyone loves to eat a freshly baked cookie or treat. And its a great way to bring together generations -- people age 3 to age 103 can help out in the kitchen. Want to take it to the next level? Make it a baking challenge among family members.
• Make a holiday playlist. Have a few teens or young adults in the family? Ask them to form a family playlist of favorite Christmas songs. They could go around and ask for everyone’s input and get the playlist formed in minutes. And then you have a great mix of Christmas tunes to play throughout the day.
• Read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to the kiddos on Christmas Eve. Great tradition for that grandpa, grandma or special aunt or uncle. And the kids will love it.
• Look at Christmas lights. Christmas often means people are traveling from different communities. This is a great opportunity for the host to show off their community and the best lighted houses in the area. Get everyone to pile into a few cars and go for a cruise.
• Watch a Christmas movie together... and spice it up with a themed food item. Watching “Polar Express?” Why not serve up some hot chocolate and cookies when they serve them in the movie? How about serving pizza during “Home Alone” or hot fudge sundaes for “Home Alone 2.”And for “Elf,” whip up a batch of spaghetti and meatballs (and keep the syrup handy).
• Teach a new skill. Do you like to crochet, sew, scrapbook, carve, paint, or make jewelry? Set aside an hour in the day to teach interested family member something that has given you joy. The only way to pass on skills to new generations is to introduce them to it. This is as good a time as any.
• Find a good board game or deck of cards. Many of the games that you played 30-60 years ago can still be enjoyed today. And your kids or grandkids might have some new games to introduce to the family. Games are a great way to bring people together for some good clean entertainment... and often end in some big laughs and fun memories.
• Make it musical. Have a musical family? A great tradition could be singing Christmas carols together as a family.
• Make family Christmas cards/letters. Do you have family members who are not able to join you on Christmas. Get your family together to make hand-made Christmas cards, and have everyone sign them. Then send them out in the mail (or digitally) to those who are not able to join you this year.
• Go outside. Although sometimes the weather can prevent enjoyable outside time, often times the weather is good enough to do something like ice skating, sledding, skiing or even just a walk around the block. If the snow is right, making a snowman and building a snow fort is always popular. And after a couple hours in the snow, make sure you have that hot chocolate ready to go when the red-cheeked kiddos return.
• Bring back some oldies but goodies. Build a gingerbread house. Make paper snowflakes. String popcorn garland. The classics are just as fun as they have always been... and they will bring back great memories for the older generations.
These are just some ideas, but if you like one or two, why not give them a try? And if they work, or if you have other ideas that have worked well, I would love to hear about it. Activities like these can often turn into traditions, and everyone loves a good family tradition. A couple tips -- Plan ahead and be intentional on those plans. If it is a big change from the norm, you might need to give your family a heads up. Want to have more activities to do but don’t want to do it? Recruit other family members to head the “fun committee.” Finally, remember that there may be some hits and some duds along the way, but you will find that even the duds can result in great Christmas family memories. Merry Christmas!