Ah, the Christmas season – twinkle lights, scented pinecones,
and family gatherings. This is my favorite time of year – sitting quietly at
home, watching the colorful lights on my Christmas tree, sipping a warm
beverage, and listening to the soulful sounds of the Temptations Christmas.
Suddenly, I’m snatched/jerked from that relaxing state and begin to dash around
the house in preparation for a visit from family.
At my family Christmas gatherings there is often turkey, tinsel,
and total chaos. The turkey was juicy, my aunt and uncle gobbled it up right
away (they were also the ones who cooked it). The tinsel was decoratively
thrown into one section of my Christmas tree, thanks to my younger niece and
nephews who wanted to help. This was the foundation that our chaotic meal was
built upon.
Here's how our afternoon unfolded:
Sibling Shenanigans
Do you remember running around your yard or the school gym,
playing tag with your friends? Well, that was the scene of my living room and
dining room on that frigid Saturday afternoon of our family dinner. The younger
kids were running from room to room chasing each other. They were snagging
candy canes from the Christmas tree and grabbing Hershey’s kisses from a candy
dish.
Every family member joined in the fun. My brother and
I have this thing we do that stems from
a cartoon from the 1970’s called Super Friends. We like to imitate the
Wonder Twins; We bump fists with each other and say, “Wonder Twins,
activate.” We are not twins, nor can we transform into anything, but it was a
good excuse to be silly.
Holiday Karaoke
Our version of holiday karaoke was a finish the lyrics
activity. As I was planning this activity, I shared it with my mom and she
said, “We’re going to have to write things down, are we back in school?” So, I
tweaked the activity a little to make it more fun and less like work.
Each team had to complete the lyrics to the songs listed on
their sheets (all had the same songs). My adult niece was the most competitive.
She and her family completed the sheet, then rushed over to hand it to me. She
said, “I’ll put my name on my sheet, so you can identify the winner easily.”
I smiled and handed
it back to her saying, “the game is not over yet,”
To be crowned the winner, the team had to sing their answers…and
boy, did they sing…off-key, loudly, and with animation. Yes, Team Norma was the
winner.
Below are a couple of the songs we used, see if you can
finish the lyrics:
1.
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…
2.
Dashing through the snow…
3.
Rudolph the Red nose reindeer….
Did you just sing the lyrics to each one of those songs? It’s
okay, it’s hard not to.
Photo Fiasco
You can’t have a holiday gathering without having proof that you survived the chaos. Well, you could, but where’s the fun is that? There was no need to stress over striking the perfect pose with our crew. They posed, and I continuously clicked the photo button. I like to use the phrase one of the kids in my Sunday school class once said, “you get what you get, and don’t have a fit.”
And that was the simple philosophy I used when planning this
year’s gathering, “you get what you get, and don’t have a fit.” I had to remind
myself not to stress over trying to make my house perfect for my guests; it was
clean and welcoming. Our purpose was to come together for fellowship and fun.
Wishing you and your family a season filled with joy and a prosperous new year.
