INSPIRASUNS

We’ve passed the first of November now and you can feel the shift in the air of everyone thinking about Christmas. This year more than usual it’s got me thinking about traditions. I didn’t have many of these growing up, but we did develop many with our kids, and now even our grandkids.

For years, (like 20 or so), before moving to FL, we hosted the Rally of the Clan for Thanksgiving. This used to be held at my hubs family farm until his folks passed away. Anyway, this was a major event and grew to about 35 people, we invited friends as well who did not have family nearby. They all became family to us. We’d arrange our house with tables stretched from one end to the other, and let the kids make the seating chart, I had fun trying different recipes every year. This event was absolutely one of my favorites. Father was so in the midst of us, as we caught up on family happenings, shared remember when’s, laughed, and even had some time singing around the piano 🙂 .

Christmas with our kids was also a big deal. We planned things for almost every weekend in December. Heading to the tree farm with friends and their kids, cutting down our own trees for the longest time, and stopping at our favorite pizza place after. Weekend shopping trips in Chicago as we saw the lights on Michigan Avenue, hit the big Woodfield Mall, and had dinner at Shaw’s Crab House. Christmas Eve day was spent with my siblings and family, as we shared a brunch and gifts for all the kids. We always took our kids, even when they were young, to the Midnight Mass, afterwards was the most beautiful reception, and our kids always ate way too much. Of course Christmas day we stretched out as we opened presents one at a time, by age of course. We enjoyed our Swedish Tea Roll with coffee and then released the kids to play with the latest treasures.

Since moving to FL we’ve started to make new traditions. I mentioned our Christmas Market at our church in a few weeks, we’ll be there to help raise funds for our outreach to the community. Thanksgiving day we’ll join friends and serve lunch at Youth Haven a shelter, no, a home for abused and neglected children and teens in SW Florida. God has brought some amazing people to this place to help these youth and we are fortunate to spend a day with them. Christmas this year might just see the start of a new tradition, heading back up north for a mini Rally of the Clan of sorts with our nephew’s sweet family and our kids.

As we start the holiday season, I hope you have time to enjoy traditions. Make time to bring some back if you can, or start some new, ones that perhaps include helping those less fortunate. Father calls us to continue to help others, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. That is the most loving tradition of all.

Enjoy your coffee and I hope you take a moment to remember your favorite traditions as you start today. Have a great day friends!

1 John 3:18
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.