I am a big fan of holidays and I know that thinking ahead about what we want to do is a key ingredient to making the holidays meaningful and memorable.
What will holidays 2021 be like?
Thanksgiving
It looks like Thanksgiving 2021 will be a rather low key affair--we'll celebrate at home with a few friends and family. I'll miss the larger family gathering, but that just didn't work out for us this year given our family's needs and desires at this time. The good news is that we'll likely get to sit at the table whereas most years there are too many of us to fit at the table--I'll like that. We'll also likely fit in a nice hike to start or finish the day. To prep, there's a lot of housework to do.
Christmas
We have a number of Christmas traditions that we'll continue.
Sister weekend
My sister and I have started a sister weekend tradition during the holidays--it's a time to enjoy the decorations and some good time together with each other and our husbands. I really like this tradition.
Santa party
A 60+ year tradition on one side of my family is the Santa party. It's a pot-luck in a church hall where Santa makes a visit. My favorite part of that party is seeing the little children sit on Santa's lap.
Women's brunch
I'm hosting a women's brunch for friends and family members. It's a chance to celebrate our connections and spread the holiday cheer.
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve continues to morph and change--I'll reach out to family members to see how they would like to plan this year's celebration.
Christmas
We'll continue a few long held celebratory traditions with family members.
Gifts
Mostly we'll choose gifts of experiences and appreciation. Rather than lots of useless objects, we'll likely make our gifts experience-related. And for the many who have helped us this year, we'll create gifts of appreciation. I'll likely make a few homemade gifts too.
Decorations
We have a box of of decorations we'll retrieve from the attic and place around the house.
Camaraderie and care
We'll find ways to connect with one another in meaningful ways.
The holidays will be simple, healthy, caring this year--I'm looking forward to that.