In this year of COVID, being home takes on a whole new meaning. Being healthy, and being together, becomes a blessing like no other. We have awakened to the expanded possibilities, and beauty, of family time together. We sorrow for families that have experienced loss.
And now, with the holidays around us, it may be time as ask: What do you remember from your childhood holidays?
In most holiday seasons, the spotlight shifts to the presents we will give or receive. But kids, (while craving many presents!), also enjoy old and new traditions of time spent together. As my kids were growing up, we had a tradition of decorating the house with our SnowPeople. These were handmade snowpeople colorfully dressed with feathers and hats and vests.
After the last taste of the Thanksgiving turkey, the excited whisper began to circulate around the table. “Let’s go bust out the SnowPeople!”
The SnowPeople lived in the Santa closet upstairs, aka the holiday closet. We imagined that as we trooped up the stairs, the SnowPeople would begin to whisper excitedly amoungst themselves, “It’s time! They’re coming!”
The closet door would creak open, letting in light that made the dust motes swirl and sparkle, and each child would lift a SnowPerson off of the shelf and take it downstairs to the special place they had designated. We had SnowPeople on the front porch as big as kindergartners, and the little SnowPeople inside with their code names and stories.
The grandkids have continued this tradition, and now each year also make their own SnowPeople out of Model Magic. The stories about each are delightful. As you can see from the attached picture of SnowPeople and the handmade snow people thru the years, they are unique treasures. Just like our kids and grandkids. We like them just the way they are.
This year, we are adding a new story to our traditions, as we make our SnowPeople. Like a Choose Your Own Adventure, kids can add to the story each day. It will be your own family original. And because kids grow and change, the story can be changed up each year, even with the same questions. See our other Blog: Father Snowman is Missing! https://for-kids-sake.com/father-snowman-is-missing-family-storytelling-adventure/
As my kids were growing up, we spent many hours making and icing cookies for neighbors. This year, we will be making SnowPeople cookies, decked out in holiday finery, no doubt with lots and lots of sprinkles.
I don’t have any real childhood recollections of toys I received, except the year I was 5 years old. At the end of Christmas day, after all the gift giving excitement, and much to my parent’s chagrin, I proclaimed how much I loved ‘my very own rubber band.’ I’m sure they were thinking of all of the money & effort they could have saved, instead of the many gifts I received!
I do however have many childhood memories of making cookies, of hot chocolate at story times, holiday books, and of the excitement of looking at holiday lights as a family early on Christmas Eve.
As you make your family traditions this year, time together will be the gift that keeps on giving.
We hope your holidays were restful and restorative, and may 2021 be filled with good health, hope and much happiness.
