Reaching Out for the Holiday Season

Written by Katherine Tuesday, 25 November 2008 08:21

Tonight I am attending a pre-Thanksgiving potluck hosted by a friend and her partner who happen to be child-free. Every year they reach out to friends and neighbors who may not have anywhere to go for the holiday and provide a great place to gather for good food and conversation. Extending family to mean friends and even strangers who may become new friends is a great step in building a more communal way of celebrating.

This got me to thinking….for those of us without the “Hallmark” greeting card family gathering…the holidays can be a real downer. If you notice around this time of year the advertisers inundate us with the overly sentimental picture of the ideal holiday. Creating this myth in my mind sure goes a long way in making the standard too unrealistic to live up to. No wonder depression is so high during the holidays.


For this Holiday Season I challenge each of us to maybe reach out and include someone into your “family” circle. I think that is one thing that the child free have an opportunity to do. Build an expanded family of friends and build a community of support. It is my heart-felt wish that each of my new friends at The Childfree Life have an opportunity to make one new friend this year and to strengthen the friendships already in place.


The other thing on my mind is that we are in a rough economic time. The holidays, in my opinion, became too commercial in the first place. Sharing a meal where everyone contributes and playing games or having great conversations can be a great way to have a wonderful time without having to spend al lot of money. Enjoying a great experience has value. Including someone in the group who might be alone has value. Sending cards and emails to friends we have not contacted in a while has value.


For those of you not in the USA…I realize that you do not celebrate the American Thanksgiving. But in the spirit of friendship I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving anyway. It is great that we have built and international family of sorts here on this site. It is an internet family I truly value!!!

 

 

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