Granny_Weatherwax Posted November 27, 2021 Share Posted November 27, 2021 Good morning! It's the weekend. I'm sure there are many ways to fill your weekend: catching up on chores, shopping, taking care of family members, getting outdoors and enjoying nature, attending sporting events/concerts/theater. You may be decorating for the next holiday. Today we are grateful for those activities that help fill our lives. What are three seasonal activities for which you are grateful? Action step: Take today to plan one of those activities (esp if you haven't done it in a while). Help another family participate in one of those activities. Reach out to a family member or friend with whom you share a fond memory of one of the activities; take some time to reminisce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted November 27, 2021 Author Share Posted November 27, 2021 Three of my favorite activities this time of year are: -going to one of the cities nearby and driving through the outdoor Christmas Light Display. It has been a wonderful tradition. We usually stop at a local drivethru and eat our dinner on the way. I also read Charles Dickens', A Christmas Tree or The Cricket on The Hearth during the drive (sometimes aloud, sometimes silently) -going to one of the cities (in the other direction) and looking at the indoor Festival of Trees. This is one of my favorite things to do. A couple of years ago DGD danced with her dance class during the festival. -Putting up a Christmas tree, having a fire in the fireplace and watching multiple versions of A Christmas Carol. I always watch the musical, Scrooge, with Albert Finney. I am grateful these activities are perfect for introverts and people with social anxiety. I can attend but not be expected to chat, visit, or participate in any way other than to enjoy myself. Action step: The Festival of Trees ends this weekend. I will plan to go tomorrow. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 27, 2021 Share Posted November 27, 2021 1. We discovered last year, when searching for outdoor, relatively covid-safe activities, that our botanical garden decorates with a huge, tasteful light display throughout their property. We got tickets again this year and will sip hot drinks while we walk and talk and admire the beautiful lights. Hoping for a clear, medium-cold night. 2. When my kids were younger, we spent many hours on the sofa reading Christmas books. That tradition has disappeared in recent years, more due to stressful family dynamics than to having teens. Adding some new books to our collection and working to keep some of the cozy times with my big kids. 3. The WTM holiday card exchange was a new, fun thing in our Christmas season last year and I am participating again. Looking forward to seeing all the unfamiliar return addresses in my mailbox! Action steps: 1. Already bought tickets for us (plus two extra kid tickets so our kids can each bring a friend) to the botanical garden walk. 2. Need to find a new story book or two. Waiting for a thread to start about this! 3. Buying cards Tuesday when I have some time to shop leisurely at a favorite, independent bookstore. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted November 27, 2021 Author Share Posted November 27, 2021 I so enjoyed the card exchange last year. I am grateful I was able to join at the last minute this year. I have been counting the days to when it will be socially acceptable to mail them. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted November 27, 2021 Share Posted November 27, 2021 (edited) 1) Our school year ends the first week in December for the summer holidays and I like to make Christmas decorations as teacher gifts. This year I'm making bead stars like those linked. The music teacher kept her tree branches and rope tree (like this but without the lights) from last year (we gave it to her with candy canes on) and she loves the stars to hang on it that my daughter gave her yesterday. So making the last of the bead stars is my action item. 2) A neighbouring town has a Christmas market starting 11 December. I'll be going to that with a friend. 3) Christmas is in the summer here and many people take their vacations around this time, so we are hoping to meet up with family and friends over the period. Edited November 27, 2021 by Hannah 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 27, 2021 Share Posted November 27, 2021 Three seasonal activities for which I am grateful: Holiday lights! I love how so many families and communities separately contribute to this joy that we can all experience together. Christmas movies! Last year I had to practically force my kids to watch them. This year they are getting a start on me! Travel! I'm not sure when this will happen again, but we love doing it. Depending on many factors, it might happen for us this December. We are preparing for it, but also prepared to be disappointed if it doesn't happen. Action: getting travel documents ready for "if" it works out that we travel next month. Also ordering some Christmas goodies to be delivered to my family, since I might not be here to give them in person. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreamerGirl Posted November 27, 2021 Share Posted November 27, 2021 Three seasonal activities - Lights. We start with Diwali where little lamps of clay are lit and then we progress with holiday lights - Food. I love the cooking, eating part of this time of year. - Friends. We do life with them and yesterday we had a party after lots of precautions and vaccines. It was very different than years past, quite somber actual where in years past it was filled with loud activities, music, laugher, singing, games. But we were all in one huge space, together after a long time and it had it's own joys. My most favorite personal activity is reading by the light of the Christmas tree and sleeping on the floor on Christmas Eve, a tradition I carried right from my childhood home. @Hannah Read about the news from South Africa a bit late. Thinking about you and yours. Prayers and wishes for a safe holiday. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted November 27, 2021 Share Posted November 27, 2021 Thank you @DreamerGirl - the country has been very good about masking in public (day 611 now and we've never let up), sanitizing stations at the door of every shop and restaurant, curfews and so on, so hoping that with the precautions the new variant isn't as transmissible as predicted. Its very disappointing that we can't do international travel though - we've been shut down completely. Heartbreaking for so many people who were hoping to see loved ones again for the holidays. I love Diwali diya lamps - we visited friends who had them all around their back garden for the festival - beautiful! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 Three seasonal activities I'm grateful for: 1. We just did the first one last night! We have cookies and hot chocolate and decorate the Christmas tree with Christmas music playing. We collect ornaments when we travel, so it's fun reminiscing about our trips. We had ds's gf with us this year. She's from Wisconsin, so we had her put our Wisconsin ornament on the tree. 2. Decorating Christmas cookies (this is separate from the tree night) with the kids sometime around when we open our presents, which is rarely on Christmas Day. 3. Dh always did a fun game on New Year's Day for the kids, a scavenger hunt with rhyming clues, an Amazing Race game, etc. He would have prizes for them. The last few years have been harder with Covid and dd living farther away from us, so he did something a little different and whenever we could get together around that time. He's been doing a trivia game about our years before they were born. He figures they'll learn something about us anyway. They compete to see who can get the most right. It's been fun, but not quite the same as when they were younger. Action: I wonder if I could somehow find a family to give a cookie decorating gift basket. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted November 28, 2021 Author Share Posted November 28, 2021 Bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.