Holiday preparation can be overwhelming at times. Let's keep in the spirit of the happy holiday season. How do you celebrate your holidays... Christmas??? Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights??? Kwanza???

I celebrate Christmas and for us, this is family time. We get together on Christmas Eve and enjoy each others company. This year, it will be at Nana & Papa's house since we need to be able to get Papa (My husband) around in his wheelchair. If I am lucky, I may alsi be celebrating this Christmas in our new house if the closing goes as pre-scheduled !

We usually sing, drink eggnog and eat a lot !!! Just before midnight (Getting earlier each year since we have little ones: 2yo, 4yo and 7.), we distribute all the gifts and open them together. After that, everyone goes back to their own homes with the expectation that Santa will be coming with toys for the kids !

Christmas day brings with it more food and celebrating. I hope this year to get to a real Christmas mass and not just be watcing on TV as we did during COVID.

So however you celebrate your holidays, ENJOY, BE MERRY and SPREAD the HOLIDAY LOVE TO ALL ! :heart_eyes:

Happy Holidays Pat.

I too enjoy celebrating Christmas with family and friends. It is my favorite holiday of the year. We pray that we will be able to safely gather this year. May you all have a Merry Christmas/Holiday season, and a Happy and Health New Year.

Pearline

We celebrate Hanukkah in our home. Although Hanukkah is not a major religious holiday in Judaism, we recognize that it represents freedom from oppression for Jews.
During the Festival of Lights we light the menorah every evening after sundown and recite
a traditional prayer. Latkes and apple sauce are always included throughout the 8 days!

My family celebrate Epiphany on January 6. This is a time through giving to say thank you. Prior to Covi-19, we would 1. adopt a family and gave gifts from their wish list and a basket of food. 2. Adopted class in a local school, provided an educational program about the purpose and gave each student an appropriate gift and a pizza party. 3. Gave gifts to a senior center residents and 4. host a dinner party which included a program about the purpose and guests were offered an opportunity to share their epiphany as well as engage in networking.

We try to take cruises with family members from Florida, Georgia and New York. The pandemic situation put a “Monkey Wrench” in our plans. Now we just Face Time or Zoom. It is not so bad. We get to see and talk to all including the young kids.

Glennie,
I agree the zoom offer family members the opportunity to engage from wherever they may be. Further, I enjoy my family monthly zoom meetings during the COVID-19 Pandemic and maybe we will consider having our Epiphany celebration via zoom next year.

I retired from Supervision in an Acute Care Hospital 6 years ago after more than 50 years as a working RN. I recall many years working the 11-7 AM shift and doing Santa Claus stuff before I went to work and making our daughters wait until Mommy got home. I fell asleep watching them open their presents. Then to church and later that day we would go to Grandma's for a big feast with other cousins and Uncles.
Times have changed. Our daughters are now grown, Grandma is dead and now that is me. In more recent days when only working per diem I would work at least a part of Christmas so that younger nurses could be home with their children and families. I would have a big dinner on Christmas Eve with whatever family members could attend. We would open gifts and spread joy. Grandchildren were sometimes working but we always tried to be together.
Last year Covid threw everything out the window. We did have a celebration with some family members a few days after Christmas in my driveway. Our older daughter brought a portable fire pit. The other daughter brought blankets, electric warmers and chairs. No food- masks for everyone. We were lucky the weather held up for us. It was fun but I miss the old celebrations. I'm even reluctant to go to Mass because they don't wear masks. We will get together somehow, by individual visits, Zoom or in someones driveway or garage in order to keep the spirit, Peace and Joy of Christmas alive.