hospitality

How to make celebrations fun

January 26, 2021 by Kristin Leave a Comment

We’ve got Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day coming up soon, plus my kids recently had Spirit Week at school. And there are always birthdays and anniversaries to remember. It’s no secret, I love celebrating people and dates, but sometimes it’s hard to know how much to do. Truthfully, my kids don’t need elaborate celebrations to make memories.

The good news is that there are lots of ways that you can make any occasion special. The key is taking some time to think about how to make certain days more memorable. Below are some tips to do just that.

Theme your day

A great way to make special occasions and events more enjoyable and memorable is to theme your day. We love some themed birthday parties around here. You could theme any holiday or anniversary based on what you and your people enjoy. Themes can help you come up with activities, foods, and party favors.

We’ve had sports, character, hobby, and food themed birthday parties around here for our kids. We even got creative when everyone was quarantining this spring and our family had three birthdays in two weeks.

Incorporate dressing up

To break up the monotony of January, my kids’ school had Spirit Week recently. For Be Sweet Day, Ben dressed up like a Sour Patch Kid. One day Cate matched one of her best friends for Twin Day and Ben matched three other boys in his fifth-grade class who have the same navy sweatshirt jacket. Then they wore Ja Morant jerseys – one from Murray State and one represented the Memphis Grizzlies – for Favorite Sports Team Day.

Dressing up to match a theme or incorporating costumes add extra fun to whatever day you’re choosing to celebrate. After all these days in comfy clothes, even dressing up in fancier clothes may be a good way to mark an occasion. I loved the coordinated pajamas we were gifted before Christmas. Of course, I may like matching more than my kids do at this point. Perhaps you could get matching t-shirts for the whole family from a toddler St Patrick’s day shirt to something similar for the teenager.

Create your own family traditions

One thing I love about traditions is how we’ll celebrate certain occasions is already decided for me. Sure, we tweak the details, but we know we are having three other families over in early November to celebrate Friendsgiving as a prelude to Thanksgiving. I know that my kids and husband will pick what dinner they want me to make on their birthdays, and we’ll likely eat out to celebrate mine. We typically celebrate Memorial Day weekend at the lake with my siblings and their families and then spend Fourth of July with my husband’s extended family.

Of course, sometimes the reality is traditions change. We used to love hosting a Birthday Party for Jesus with friends and even one year as a communitywide event. That hasn’t happened in a few years, but it could again one day.

Traditions don’t have to be complicated. My husband writes me letters for Christmas and my birthday that I save in a binder. I write letters on my blog to my kids on their birthdays. (Read them there: Cate. Ben. Rachel.)

More than eighteen years into marriage and more than thirteen years into parenthood, traditions make our celebrations more fun. Decide once how you’ll celebrate any given day and then fill in the details. Get creative and remember your celebrations don’t have to look like what others choose to do.

How do you make celebrating any given occasion more fun?

How to plan a cozy family night

January 20, 2021 by Kristin 1 Comment

In any given year, January can be a tough time with dark nights and dreary weather. Throw in a global pandemic that has restricted many of our normal activities, and, well, you have the perfect recipe for a gloomy month. Instead, let’s embrace what my husband calls “an attitude of gratitude.”

My kids know I don’t like them to complain about being bored. Rather I want them to enjoy our space, their toys, and each other. Likewise, I want to see our extra time at home this winter while we’re staying warm and avoiding the coronavirus as time to unwind, take care of ourselves, and reconnect with one another without some of the usual daily pressures.

This winter isn’t a normal winter, but that’s how seasons work. There are rhythms even when circumstances change. I remind myself of this often during these short days that have me longing for summer.

“God has made each season beautiful and appropriate in its own time. Yes, spring, summer, fall, and winter repeat, but each winter looks different than the one before because God is transforming me. I’m not the same this year as I was as a child or even just last year. There can be similarities and traditions from one year to the next, but the details change from one season to the next, from one year to the next. That’s both wonderful and terrifying. …
Nothing in this life stays the same. That almost seems like a threat, but really it’s a promise too. Traditions anchor us, but our God won’t leave us where we were in the winter by the time springs starts blooming new life.”
– From my book “Bringing Home More Than Groceries: Stories of Gathering & Nourishing People”

Let’s look at a few ways to plan the ultimate cozy night in – with your family, whoever else lives under your roof, who you’re quarantining with, or a larger social circle once the pandemic passes.

Curl up with a good book

Okay, so, I miss having a fire place, but y’all know I always want a good book!

Apparently when speaking of happiness, relaxation, and self-care, some people use the Danish word ‘hygge’ as it encapsulates those feelings and activities. I associate comfort with being snuggled up the couch we love, wrapped in a soft blanket, a kid cuddled in close, and a book that I can’t put down.

I tend to prefer actual books, but Kindles and other devices sure are handy. Take a look at Troypoint for some of the best sites to download books or stream your favorite shows, movies, or music. Of course, if you’re looking for some recommended reads, I’ve got y’all covered there too.

Order a takeout

My mother-in-law has been recovering from a quadruple bypass heart surgery at our house for the past couple of weeks. That’s added some extra logistic details to our life, but it’s also prompted our great community of friends to feed us! I’ve barely cooked this month, which has been nice. I enjoy cooking, but a break has been welcomed for my shrinking mental capacity. Plus we just learned Murray Eats delivers food from restaurants to our porch. We live seven miles from town, so we didn’t think we could have pizza – much less Cracker Barrel – delivered to us.

Yes, COVID-19 has interrupted eating out plans, but so many of our local restaurants have upped their carry-out game. So take a break, and order dinner in. Perhaps even enjoy it on some paper plates!

When our friends are feeding us, I will get back to recruiting my oldest daughter to help me in the kitchen. I do cherish that time together making memories and meals.

Have a sleepover

We don’t really do sleepovers outside our house for various reasons that have nothing to do with a cozy night in. With Peggy recovering from her open heart surgery here, we’ve had to play musical bedrooms. Cate moved to Rachel’s room and Rachel has a spare twin mattress in our back living room. Seeing Rachel set up with her stuffed animals, favorite blankets, and unicorn sleep mask reminds me of how cozy and fun it can be for kids to vary their sleeping situations.

Dig out some fairy lights, sweet and salty snacks, and tell your kids all about your own sleepover experiences – or at least the parts you want them to know about!

Play board games

Y’all know we love games around here! We’ve been playing a lot of Monopoly Junior and Othello recently, but ask me next week and we’re likely to have other boxes sitting on our dining room table. Of course, I have a list of all our family favorites, if you’re looking for some at-home entertainment and competition.

*****

This is the fourth in a series about why hospitality matters in every season. (October. November. December.) And, yes, hospitality happens right in your home with your people. Learn more about this and get some free resources on the “Bringing Home More than Groceries” page.

Hospitality at the holidays

December 7, 2020 by Kristin Leave a Comment

This is the third in a series about why hospitality matters in every season.

I saw a stranger on Twitter say she didn’t think she would send Christmas cards this year because she didn’t have much news to share with her friends. Here at the end of what’s been a weird year full of social distancing, I actually swing the other way than the Twitter stranger: If there ever was a year to send Christmas cards, 2020 is it. People need good cheer to show up wherever they can get it.

Of course, Christmas cards aren’t the only way to love on your people. In a season of giving when many are distanced from each other, we can get creative with loving each other across the miles.

In my book, “Bringing Home More Than Groceries,” my friend Christen Price shared some ways her family was still connection with others even during a year that forced distanced between them:

Car Caravans. A friend recently turned eight and couldn’t have a birthday party. So what did we do? We all made “Happy Birthday” signs and hopped in our cars to caravan to her house. We had a parade of people driving through her circular drive singing happy birthday and her mother said it was the best gift to her precious eight-year-old heart.
Comfort Food. A couple in our small group both work in the medical field as a doctor and a nurse. They informed us of the risks of the virus and were on the front lines wearing masks while treating patients as they enter the hospital. When they got home, all they desired was a hot shower and comfort food to ease them of their daily anxiety. Our small group rotated dropping meals for them at their back door. We never saw them, but this little taste of hospitality let them know they weren’t alone in the work they were doing.
Computer Chats. My closest group of girlfriends set up Zoom meetings once a week just so we could see one another’s faces. We met in the evenings and we laughed, prayed, and talked about the serious and the silly. While nothing compares to physically being in the same room together, I’m reminded that we can stay connected even when we are apart.

Elsewhere in my book, I share about a dear childhood friend who remains in my life, even though we have only lived in the same town for one year of our adult lives – and that was 18 years ago! Many of these suggestions of connecting across the miles are relevant all year but could be tied up with a bow for the holidays too.

Here are some simple, practical ways to stay connected and close the distance that physically separates loved ones:

Use social media to spark real conversations. Conversations may happen in emails, text messages, phone calls or Facebook messages, but they go deeper than what’s happening on a public profile. Ask questions, swap stories, or continue previous conversations on a personal level. Maintaining long-distance friendships is certainly aided greatly by technology, but you still have to make an investment.
Send care packages and real mail. Yes, do it for Christmas or other special dates. But also do it just because.
Invite them over. Long-distance friends may not be conveniently located in your same town, but you can still invite them over. Get dates on the calendar and make plans. And these days be safe, of course!
If you can’t be there physically, send something. When my father-in-law passed away unexpectedly a decade ago, some out-of-town friends journeyed to our small town to grieve our loss and celebrate his life with us. Others couldn’t be here, which is understandable, but they sent flowers, pictures frames, cards, and texts of prayers. Celebrate happier holiday moments together across the miles too.

May your December be merry as you find creative ways to connect with your people.

*****

Free resource!

I have a pretty (and free!) printable called Hospitality For Any Season for y’all! Hospitality matters regardless of what season you’re living, so I share practical ways to open your heart and home to others. This would make a cute gift for you to share with a friend – just print and frame it!

Download it here!

Of course, “Bringing Home More Than Groceries” is available on Amazon or directly from me. To get an autographed copy directly from me, send $10 (plus $5 is shipping is needed) via PayPal to kristinhilltaylor@gmail.com and I’ll get you a copy delivered to your front porch or mailbox. Or I’m happy to send directly to someone you think would love to receive my book as a gift.