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Holiday Visitors

By: J Gardener

By the time children are a few years old, the holiday season, for most families, isn't nearly as hectic as it used to be. After going through a few Christmases, every family develops its own traditions and its own way of celebrating. Children and adults find comfort in the routine that evolves in the family's holiday observance, especially when approaching a time as busy as the Christmas season.

For most people, it's a bustling time of year, with extra parties and gatherings, a lot of shopping, and more cooking and eating than the rest of the year combined. So it's comforting for families to have their regular schedules for activities like decorating, caroling, or volunteer duties. The traditions that grow, each year, within a family, become the stuff of lasting memories.

Every so often, though, a wrench can be thrown into a family's plans. Uncle Bob from Sacramento calls, in early December, to announce that he and Aunt Sally, who haven't seen the kids in three years, will be popping in for a visit, this Christmas. Because, after all, Christmas is about family, right?

It might be welcome news, to some, that long-distance relatives are coming to visit, during the busiest time of the year. But even if the relatives who are coming are the favorites of everyone in the house, their presence will definitely alter the way the host family spends their Christmas. And that will add stress to the holiday.

But most families, regardless of how busy they are, can't say no, when the call comes from relatives who would like to visit. They just grin and welcome their guests with as much hospitality as they can muster, even though it will mean adjustments they weren't counting on having to make.

If and when relatives invite themselves to celebrate the holidays with you, it's perfectly appropriate to inform them that, while they may be welcome in your home-regardless of what season it is-there are certain activities in which you and your family will partake. Let them know that, while they may have their traditions for celebrating Christmas, your family will observe its own holiday routine, which your relatives are welcome to join.

Christmas visitors, especially family members who may live far away, can make a welcome addition to any family's holiday celebration, as long as the visitors understand that their hosts have unique habits, routines and traditions that have developed, through the years, which help make the holidays as happy as possible.

Article Source: http://www.philvault.com

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