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Natural Awakenings Twin Cities

Natural Awakenings Twin Cities Magazine - December 2020 Issue

 



Featuring:  Creating Community & Connection and Spending Locally

Letter from the Publisher

Candi Broeffle
Publisher

No matter what holiday you celebrate this season, it seems they all focus on spending time with family and friends. With COVID-19 numbers continuing to rise, this year’s holiday season promises to be unlike any we have experienced in the past, with our leaders asking us to spend time with just those closest to us and limiting our interactions to keep the most vulnerable among us safe. Though this is hard on all of us, it is something I am willing to do. It is important to me that all those I love are as healthy as possible, but I also feel the pain and disappointment of not being together as we have in the past.

We recently celebrated the birth of our first grandchild—a baby girl named Frances Estella. We are truly blessed to welcome this tiny peanut into our family and I am looking forward to many years of birthday parties, Easter egg hunts and Christmas gifts unwrapped. But this year will be different. This year, her first Christmas, we may not be able to be together in person. This leaves me wondering how we can make this Christmas especially memorable.

Perhaps I will write her a book about the first year of her life. It is so easy to self-publish and print on-demand that this could be a fun idea for many of you as well. What if you gathered all the stories of your family this year—the beautiful moments, the difficult challenges and the funny situations you each had—and put them all together as a story your family could remember for generations? You could include photos and handmade art and perhaps your favorite sayings.

Many of us are having online gatherings using platforms like Zoom or Google Meet. Record these get togethers and save them to a private family YouTube channel or Facebook group. Bring the kids together for a family game night or karaoke. Having the ability to look back on these moments and hear the voices and laughter of our loved ones will be invaluable.

Maybe we cannot sit down and eat with our elderly loved ones, but who says we can’t all show up to sing carols on their front lawn (socially distanced, of course). We can stuff their mailboxes with loving notes, beautiful cards and handmade treats. We can fill their yards with snowmen and light the pathways with luminaries. The laughter, sights and sounds of their loved ones will fill their hearts with joy.

For so many years, we have been busy with work, school, activities and then the pressures of the holiday that we didn’t have time to really enjoy each other and the peacefulness more readily felt this time of year. This year could be the perfect time to gather some blankets, make a thermos of apple cider or hot chocolate, and pack the family in the car to see the holiday lights. Throw in some holiday music and sing at the top of your lungs—it is sure to incite some laughter!

This year has been unlike any other in most of our histories and sharing it from a personal perspective will be the most cherished keepsake.

Many blessings to you and your family.

 
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