Relationship

3 ways to invite peace into your life this holiday season

Uh-oh, it’s almost vacation time again! For some, just the thought makes them shudder like a January blizzard. It is the stress, the expectation and the worry if everything is not so.

This year I invite you to bring Peace in your holiday season! And I have three ideas on how to achieve this.

The first idea is simply to announce, before the season begins, that you would like everyone to consider bringing peace to the holidays. Peace can be many things… it can be old traditions and new ones… it can be asking people to say nice things to each other… it can be giving a little more than last year.

Idea two is about remembering the good things at the holidays, not just today but yesterday, and wishing to take the good things with you for tomorrow and beyond. People just try to get through the holidays… dreading them, wishing they’d hurry up and be done with it. But then in a year or ten or more, what can you look back on? What memories can you share with the loved ones of tomorrow?

Idea three is about bringing old traditions and merging them with new ones. Personally, I love thinking about our old family traditions. When I do, I have the opportunity to reunite with my lost family members, like my mother, father, and grandparents. It also gives me the opportunity to share memories with my nieces and nephews.

One of the things we had always loved to do growing up was cook together. Mom loved to cook, especially during the holidays. She had cooked for the family and also for the church. And when I get the chance to cook with my niece, it’s a beautiful memory from the past, as well as a new memory for the future.

Another memory I had from the past was sitting at the Thanksgiving table. One year we just started going around the table and getting everyone to say something they were thankful for. It had been new that year and an old tradition ever since!

Some of our old traditions had faded or changed. When Mom was alive, she would collect baskets to distribute to the less fortunate in church. It had been a wonderful feeling; giving to others. Although, when Mom got sick, the tradition had faded. We make up for it by giving monetary donations to the church instead.

Probably the best memories of the past and present are the times when our family members come together to share food, songs, laughter, and memories. There really is no greater peace for the holidays than giving, sharing and being with the family.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *