What Will Your Holidays Be Like?

The turkey was put in the oven to cook this morning, so it is the official start of the 2025 holidays! As the day progresses, I will work on  my Southern dressing with sausage, the new vegetable dish I am trying composed of Brussel sprouts, spaghetti squash, pumpkin seeds and maple syrup which looks very festive and yummy. This list doesn’t even include the mountain of appetizers we have planned!

 I am also setting the table, thinking of each person who will be here and thinking of all the households, families and friends who will be getting together not just tomorrow, but also for the next month into the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. People who are usually far apart will be for a short time, in proximity. People who have views and values that are opposites will be sitting elbow to elbow. How will it go?

As I prepare for the holidays by decorating and cooking, I am also preparing my mind, heart, and tongue as I decide what is most important on these special days. Although we have differing experiences and opinions, we are human and loved by the same God. In the past years, much of the media has done its level best to keep us angry at each other for one reason or the other. Whether it is politics, lifestyle choices, or faith, we can all meet at the table with our combined and mutual lives and offer grace and listen constructively to each other. It only takes one word to disagree and “make our voice heard!” at the expense of another, or one word to encourage someone who has had a terrible year and is really struggling. Your understanding and very words could be gamechangers for someone else, for good or bad. You choose.

Having a good exchange of information is a wonderful place to begin because I have friends and family that I dearly love on both sides of the aisle. Although I value what they think and I know what I believe, no topic is a hill to die on and the person and our relationship is paramount. As we all know, life is short and unpredictable and we don’t know who might be missing at our table next year. Let’s be thankful for our time together and our blessings and be grateful that we have a Heavenly Father who has all the answers and understands us all.