It’s Party Time!

As we come into the holiday season, we all get excited for the family gatherings and work parties, etc. It seems the winter holidays get all the fun! That’s not fair. What happened to St. Patrick’s day and Ground Hog day?! I was raised in a family where our chairs at the table were decorated for our birthdays, we ate green eggs, green milk, and whatever else my mother could color green with food coloring on St. Patrick’s day, and everything pink on Valentine’s day. We may have been broke, but we never missed even the little holidays. You don’t need big gifts and gatherings to enjoy celebrating as a family.

My husband turned 30 today, and thanks to one of my brothers for a great idea, we spent the majority of the day and evening making cars out of cardboard boxes to have our own drive-in movie theater in the living room. The kids had a ball and we loved making the cars together. It was a wonderful time to bond as a family and spend some time together. We finished it off with a great movie and cupcakes!

Life is about the journey, so why not celebrate along the way! Create lasting memories for your children to write about someday. They won’t remember 20 years from now what gift you got them on what birthday, but if you do something creative and memorable - that can even be free - they will remember it. Memories and traditions are what help children feel connected to their families. Here are some simple ideas:

• Have a gingerbread making contest during the holidays. Break in to two teams, boys vs. girls, and have a dollar limit as to what they can spend on their candy. Head off to the grocery store and have a time limit for completion. Invite one of your neighbors over to judge them.
• Make a batch of cupcakes or cookies and deliver them to all the veterans you know on Memorial Day. For those who don’t live close, give them a call to thank them for their service.
• Start an annual 4th of July barbecue for friends and neighbors. Rotate houses or simply host it yourself.
• Purchase some baby trees and plant them as a family on Arbor Day.
• Gather some paper sacks and construction paper to make Pilgrim and Native American costumes. Re-enact the first Thanksgiving dinner.

Be creative and encourage your children to plan what they want to do on all the holidays of the year. Remember you are creating memories.