Celebrating, Even When It's Different & Difficult
This past weekend was Rosh HaShanah, a celebration of the Jewish New year.
It’s usually celebrated with the community in large groups at the synagogue, with lunches and dinners with friends and family members, with hugs, kisses, songs, and blessings for a healthy and happy new year. It’s a happy, touchy, not-socially-distanced holiday! This year it did not look the same and it was difficult to make it feel the same.
It took me a few weeks of hemming and hawing to get on the ‘Celebrate, Even If It’s Different & Difficult’ train. By now, you know that my parents, in-laws, childhood friends are a border away, and that it’s been a year since we visited ‘home’. We miss the comforts, hugs, kisses, and tastes of home, especially during holidays!
In the weeks leading up to holiday, my kids started asking:
How are we celebrating?
Are we going to synagogue?
Are we going to make them zoom again?
Can we each bake a honey and apple cake?
Who are we having over?
What are we going to do?
… My husband and I had the same questions for each other, and honestly until the Tuesday afternoon before the Friday night start of the holiday, I still was not sure how invested I was willing to let myself be in this ‘familiar but not the same’ holiday celebration. I am so thankful and grateful that I managed to push through the sadness and loss that I felt for the holiday, because on that Tuesday afternoon I decided that we would CELEBRATE! We must! We can’t miss an opportunity to find and create joy! This is they very message that I want my kids to remember always, for Holidays, Birthdays and any and every occasion.
After deciding to bring meaning to the holiday with the traditional cooking and ‘hoopla’ that every holiday commands, in my opinion, I spent the next few days cooking and decorating the house with the kids’ crafts from previous years. I knew no one would be in the house to see these decorations, but it would help us remember that a holiday was approaching and that we were going to Invite Joy and Bring the FUN! to our home!
We filled the holiday with socially distanced meetups with friends, who were also missing the familiar comforts of the holiday. Together, and with active intention, we brought joy to the holiday. We celebrated, even when it was different & difficult! It is this choice that I invite you to follow, choose to celebrate holidays and birthdays in new ways so that you to can Bring the FUN! to these occasions. If you need help with Bringing the FUN!, Party with ME! is available to help you!
