Holiday Habits

Here we go again.  Crazy weather.  Ice last night.  Rain this morning, with the forecast for it to be heavy during the day, and perhaps as much as 3 inches.  Before it turns to snow.  Which is forecast to be heavy.  Along with blustery winds and perhaps blizzard-like conditions.

With all this crazy weather, it must be a holiday and time for the family to get together!  I was sitting here thinking about that this morning.  For the last several holiday gatherings, the weather has been lousy.  And usually involved some white stuff!  In fact, one Christmas (about 3 years ago, I think) it snowed so much that people stayed longer than they had planned, and weren't even sure they could get down the mountain on the day they left!  Thankfully, everyone made it home safely.

I guess crazy weather is one of our holiday habits.  Although snow for Thanksgiving is a bit unusual in this part of the world.  Yes, I live in the mountains.  But these are southern mountains!

All this has me thinking about holiday habits.  I'm sure your family has them as well.  Things that are always part of a particular holiday celebration.

Football has always been part of our Thanksgiving Day.  Years ago, when we celebrated Thanksgiving with my parents, our boys would be out in the afternoon playing football under the pecan trees.  These days (and especially if it's snowing!), the football will be watched on TV.  Or maybe played on a video game.

We eat turkey.  And sweet potatoes.  And pumpkin pie.  We watch parades on television.  We nap.  All that is part of our Thanksgiving Day.

I've noticed lots of other holiday habits as well.  People listing their thanks on Facebook.  A lot of blog posts about being thankful.  Many people have begun keeping gratitude journals.

Sadly, the thankful attitude doesn't seem to extend much beyond that.  There's not much evidence of grateful hearts walking through the mall.  Or on the highway.  Or in the grocery store.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if gratitude became more than just a "holiday thing"?  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all lived every day with an "attitude of gratitude"?  Wouldn't it be wonderful if gratitude became a lifestyle?  Not just something to do on Thanksgiving.


"It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness at night."                   (Psalm 92:1-2 ESV)