A Holiday Meal

• Many an old Hollywood movie portrays families and friends gathering around a decorated table, celebrating the holiday together. Gathering together for a large meal brings everyone in close contact, and supports conversation, laughter and joy coupled with good food. To spark interest in the holiday, have a potluck dinner and invite guests to bring a new, holiday-inspired dish they'd like to try out. At the end of the night, take a vote and see whose dish was the overall favorite.
  
  The making of the meal (as well as cleanup afterward) in a crowded kitchen full of people is a pleasant activity that breeds togetherness and holiday cheer.
  
  After-meal activities can include singing or playing music together in a makeshift band, or hosting an impromptu talent show. Story time is also fun--either guests telling stories of their favorite holiday memories, or reading out loud about the history of the holiday from library books. If a grandparent has an actual old record player, breaking that out of the attic and playing holiday records (obtained ahead of time at the thrift store if no one still owns any) can be a blast from the past.
  
  

Active Holiday Traditions

• Each holiday has its traditional activities. Christmas has caroling; Easter has egg hunts; the Fourth of July has fireworks displays; Halloween has trick-or-treating; and Thanksgiving has a big turkey meal.
  
  It's never too late to start a new tradition, however. For Christmas, try decorating chicken eggs. This intricate art involves blowing the yolk out of a pinhole in the egg, cutting the eggshell open and decorating the outside and inside of the egg. For Easter, try making homemade chocolate eggs (see link in Resources). For the Fourth of July, draw a flag on a white T-shirt with red and blue permanent markers, or make a flag banner by assembling red, white and blue flags out of colored construction paper and hanging them across a doorway on a long piece of yarn. For Halloween, make scary insect or spider crackers out of peanut butter and pretzel pieces (see link in Resources). On Thanksgiving, a memorable game is to give each guest an index card with the name of someone else at the gathering (make sure there is a card for everyone there). Each person should write five things he likes about the person on the card, and then slip that card secretly to the person during the meal. Instant thankfulness is the result.
  
  

Time Out for Fun

• Because many people get time off from work on a holiday, they can relax and focus on family and friends. Aside from the actual holiday hoopla and celebration, activities can draw the family closer and let them enjoy free time spent together. It can be refreshing to do the things you haven't had time for in your normal life. Try ice skating, visiting museums (especially with holiday-related exhibits), golfing, bowling, going horseback riding, sightseeing (take a night ride to look at Christmas decorations, and don't forget the hot chocolate), camping, picnicking or hiking, depending on the season.