{"id":9467,"date":"2019-12-23T22:01:11","date_gmt":"2019-12-24T03:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/?p=9467"},"modified":"2021-01-25T14:00:02","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T19:00:02","slug":"reclaiming-the-family-part-4-celebrating-the-holidays-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2019\/12\/23\/reclaiming-the-family-part-4-celebrating-the-holidays-right\/","title":{"rendered":"Reclaiming the Family \u2013 Part 4 \u2013 Celebrating the Holidays Right"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thanksgiving and Christmas have always been a time when Americans get together with family and give thanks for the good things in their lives.\u00a0 For Christians this is a holy season when they contemplate the beauty of the Holy Family and its Christmas story.\u00a0 But even for non-Christians and even those with no faith there is a recognition by many that this celebration seems to radiate joy and hope to those involved.\u00a0 I can remember a few truly awful human beings who, even if for a short period around the holidays, were noticeably better people because of Christmas.\u00a0 Even scientists have lately come to think that belief in God is organically present in the human mind.\u00a0 And for those of us who were brought up during the happier periods before the Progressives destroyed the culture, the celebration of Thanksgiving and Christmas brings back thoughts and feelings of happiness and a sense of community that even found its way into Hollywood films and television shows of the time.\u00a0 But just because the culture has descended into a depravity that derides or ignores the true spirit of these holidays there\u2019s no reason for us to go along with it.<\/p>\n

Thanksgiving and Christmas are two of the biggest chances to reconnect with your family.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got at least a few days off and the kids and grandkids are off from school.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a chance to talk to the kids about things that are important to you and find out what\u2019s going on in their lives.\u00a0 And for you older folks like me I\u2019m also talking about your grown children and their husbands and wives.\u00a0 Ask them about their kids and what is going on in their lives. \u00a0And if you have the means, ask them if they could use a few bucks or even a hand with some problem they are having.<\/p>\n

And turn off the damn phones and shut off the computers.\u00a0 It won\u2019t kill anybody to lose track of all the nonsense we are plugged into 24\/7\/365.\u00a0 And turn off the television.\u00a0 There\u2019s literally nothing on that won\u2019t damage your brain and soul.\u00a0 The only exception I\u2019ll make is if you will pick a good Christmas movie (preferably black and white) or two to watch with the kids.\u00a0 But once it\u2019s over shut the tv and hide the remote.<\/p>\n

Have some fun things to do together.\u00a0 One of the things we like to do is play cards.\u00a0 The kids play war and Uno and the rest of us play penny ante poker.\u00a0 It\u2019s basically just an excuse to sit around a table together and talk and interact.\u00a0 And, believe it or not, in my family the women even bond over the cooking and doing the dishes.\u00a0 I\u2019m not saying they enjoy the dishes but it\u2019s something they complain about together and provides a stimulating male\/female antagonism that everybody enjoys.\u00a0 But maybe that\u2019s just my family.\u00a0 But at the very least show appreciation for the hard work that went into the dinner and praise it to the sky.\u00a0 That\u2019s a sacred duty.<\/p>\n

Go to a Mass at your church if you\u2019re religious and even if you\u2019re not put on some good Christmas music but please try to avoid any of the current crop of pop celebrities.\u00a0 If you have more than a day off then plan something bigger.\u00a0 If you know of a holiday show or a good play look into it and see if anyone would like to go.\u00a0 Go ice skating or skiing if that\u2019s your thing.\u00a0 Or go for a walk in the country if the weather permits.\u00a0 Just make sure you talk with every single one in your family and make some kind of connection.\u00a0 Make some memories.\u00a0 Sure, you\u2019ll get them their favorite toy or gadget but make it more than that.\u00a0 Tell them what you like about the holidays and find out what would make it more fun for them.<\/p>\n

And something that brings family together is stories about your extended family and the world that used to exist in the better times.\u00a0 Sometimes old photographs and other memorabilia are interesting to the kids and grandkids.\u00a0 Hearing about how their ancestors overcame the difficulties they experienced and how the families pulled together is a good example for the kids and encouraging even for us.\u00a0 Celebrate these great holidays.\u00a0 It\u2019s your privilege and it\u2019s your duty.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thanksgiving and Christmas have always been a time when Americans get together with family and give thanks for the good things in their lives.\u00a0 For<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,818,2860],"tags":[94,83,2093,1511],"class_list":["post-9467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-events","category-ocf","category-reclaiming-the-family","tag-christmas","tag-family","tag-reclaiming-the-family","tag-thanksgiving"],"yoast_head":"\nReclaiming the Family \u2013 Part 4 \u2013 Celebrating the Holidays Right - Orion's Cold Fire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2019\/12\/23\/reclaiming-the-family-part-4-celebrating-the-holidays-right\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reclaiming the Family \u2013 Part 4 \u2013 Celebrating the Holidays Right - 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