When to be where!

Now I don't normally like to get the cart before the horse but I have learned the benefit of scheduling.

November is now upon us and time to begin thinking about family gatherings .First we have Thanksgiving and soon after comes Christmas.

Do we go to these Grandparents home on Christmas Eve or those?  What about adult children with families of their own.  How do we manage to get together with grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncle and long lost cousins.

Does your family have traditions of where to go and when?  And how about when a new member enters into the family, does it work out with their families schedule?

The last two weeks of December are not only filled with family gatherings but also class parties and cooperate parties. Mission work .Shopping. Cooking. Cleaning. Pictures with Santa, riding around to see Christmas lights and the list goes on. Way too much to pack into a short span of time.

A few years back our family started a tradition of having our gathering either the first or second weekend in December.  By then, Christmas is already in full swing so the spirit is there. We don't normally "go all out" for our party.  Simple foods, gifts, some even handmade, a game, a few toys for the kids and much fellowship with those we don't get together with enough nowadays.

Why did we start this tradition?  Simply because there is entirely too much going on the week of Christmas.  We felt that if we got together early before other gatherings started calling us, we would have a better chance of more family members being available. And guess what, it works!!

If you find it hard to corral the extended family to celebrate Christmas, I encourage you to try making it a bit earlier in the month and see if it works for you. Chances are, it will. Send out your invitations early before the calendar begins to fill up and......

Be Prepared To Bless.

Johnna