Search Results for: blog blending holiday traditions

Traditions Part 2

When families try to make traditions for their kids it can be extremely difficult to mix traditions that both parents grew up with, with ones that they would like to have for their new family. At our house there are two holidays that we always have at our house and they are Easter and Thanksgiving. On both days we all take part in making the holiday dinner. For Thanksgiving we do something a little different. I started this one when my sister and I were grown up and she had her own children. I started taking the kids to the … Continue reading →

Tackling Multiple Holiday Get-togethers

There was a time when holidays became an exercise in stress rather than a time to enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy getting together with family and friends, but the running between different homes while also hosting part of the holiday in my own home left me exhausted. It was just too much. It was also way too much food, feeling obligated to eat at every stop, and ending up stuffed and miserable. There is a better way. While our engagements are now fewer in number, we still have to do a bit of juggling. It helps when … Continue reading →

Celebrating with Food – Traditions at Christmas

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about creating holiday traditions and celebrating with our spouses. We’ve talked about blending traditions from our families and starting our own with our new families. Often those traditions include celebrating with a great feast or some kind of meal on the Christmas holidays. Our family often celebrates with a roast beef, others celebrate with a ham or a turkey and still others celebrate with lasagna. The food may or may not have meanings or it may simply represent bringing your family back together or bring to mind those shared meals of your youth. … Continue reading →

Do You have Issues with Holiday Greetings?

The War on Christmas is what many people have labeled the fairly recent phenomenon of actively attempting to strip Christ from Christmas. Over the past few years, there has been any obvious shift, yet many people claim that this is the stuff of paranoid Christian minds and that this “war” is non-existent. While you might not see it as a war, and you are certainly entitled to your opinion, no one can honestly say that things haven’t changed. Last year, some retailers even went so far as to forbid their employees from saying Merry Christmas. Their advertising schemes included the … Continue reading →

Celebrating Your First Holiday Season Together?

It’s the holidays and for most of us, that launched officially just one week ago on Black Friday when the retail stores launched their massive sales blitz hoping to lure millions of customers in the door to purchase their items and more. Many houses in our neighborhood already have their decorations up and I have to admit, we only have about half of ours out there. Our Christmas tree will likely go up this weekend and my daughter is already excited about decorating it. This is the eleventh Christmas my husband and I are spending together and every year feels … Continue reading →

Happy Holidays: Welcome to December

Good morning and welcome to Friday, December 1st, there are just 24 shopping days left until Christmas. I’ve always wanted to write that for some reason and well, there you go, I’ve achieved a goal for myself in just a few keystrokes of typing. This month, we celebrate our first anniversary here at Families.com, last month we celebrated our 1000th post and much, much more. Our Holiday Plans This month we’re all going to be busy, we’re all making holiday plans, some of us are traveling, some of us are staying home – some of us celebrate with Santa Claus … Continue reading →

Family Traditions: A Day to Give Thanks

Tomorrow is the day we will officially celebrate Thanksgiving and for the last decade or so, I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving with my husband, family and friends, but growing up – my parents were British and they didn’t make a big deal out of the Thanksgiving holiday. For my grandmother’s part, she believed that it was a nice enough holiday but that we should be thankful all year long and not just on one particular day. Over the last decade, I’ve developed a few of my own Thanksgiving traditions and embraced the traditions of my husband’s families. For their part, the holiday … Continue reading →

Can You Survive? Stepfamily Holiday Stress

I don’t really care for the term stepfamily. I prefer blended family, even though I’m not usually given to politically correct terminology. The point is that stepfamilies or blended families can encounter some unique challenges, especially during the holidays. Time can be at a premium, especially when not only ex-spouses, but also ex-in laws, as well as your own family members hope to spend more time with your children. This can often lead to stressful and uncomfortable situations. It may also lead to resentment for your spouse. It is important to make sure that you try to keep everyone’s feelings … Continue reading →

The Marriage Blog Week in Review October 28-November 3rd

Last Week’s New Jersey Supreme Court ruling played a major ripple effect on our articles for this week and even as we got ready for Halloween and recovered from it, the November elections and vote loomed ahead. Several states will make their decisions on new marriage laws, politicians and more. If that were not enough for you, we have the holidays looming ahead of us and that can have a dramatic impact on our marriages and our family lives. So without further ado, here is our Marriage Blog week in review: Saturday, October 28 In Marriage in the News: I … Continue reading →

Holidays: It’s all about Planning

If you want to make sure the holidays go smoothly, it helps to get as much done as possible ahead of time. Whatever you can do now, don’t put off until later. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, take a deep breath. These tips will help you get your game plan down: Make a List and Check it Twice That may sound like Christmas, but it’s also smart for other holidays. Make a list for everything and look over it and update it often. Cross off each item that you have completed so … Continue reading →