by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come; Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is….) Books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and www.patlambchristianauthor.com
Train up a child…
A Christmas Dinner to Remember
I remember when our children were small how I would work so hard in the kitchen to create a “picture book” Christmas dinner. I admit there were times when I harbored a little resentment because it seemed like the rest of the family was off in the family room or someplace else having fun while I was doing all the work! Nevertheless, I wanted that perfect Christmas dinner, so I kept going. By the time it was on the table, I was usually so tired that I hated to think of all the dishes that needed to be cleaned after everyone finished enjoying the food.
There is a better way! It was not until the children were grown with children of their own that I learned of it. It is too bad I didn’t think of it before, but like so many others, I was so steeped in a not-so-good tradition that I didn’t think outside the box.
When our oldest grandson was in the eighth grade, I received a call from him. “Nana”, he said, “would you e-mail me your punch recipe?” Our daughter had planned their Christmas dinner and each person had chosen what he or she could do. Dylan had chosen to make the punch. LeAndra had chosen to make the green bean casserole. (LeAndra was in the sixth grade.) I later received a call from my daughter asking me to make my “really good dressing” for the turkey. Her dad was asked later to cook the turkey. Her husband made a pumpkin roll and a pumpkin pie. I made a couple of other pies. Our daughter took care of the bread, potatoes, seeing that the table was set properly, and other small chores. We all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner at her house and no one person was over worked. After the meal, the children did the dishes. The afternoon was spent playing board games together.
There are many benefits to planning family get-togethers this way. Besides the fact that no one person feels martyred, the children are feeling important for the contributions they are making. They are learning to cook and plan. Each person involved is learning teamwork. Self-evaluation is taking place as each decides what he or she can or can’t do. Family tradition is being formed
A key to making this method work is to accept the contributions of each person without negative criticism. If the green bean casserole isn’t just perfect, who cares? It is more important to praise the child for effort made than to eat a perfect casserole. The praise will last far longer than the casserole! Another point to remember is to fit the task to the capability of the person. Even a toddler can carry silver to the table or lay napkins on the table. It is important that every person possible contribute to the dinner.
As we enjoy our Christmas dinner this year, let us each give thanks for the food and the people, (not the person), who prepared it. It is so good that we have such a bountiful supply of food available to us and the freedom to enjoy the celebration of our holidays. Let us remember our troops who are fighting to preserve that freedom. Most of all, let us be grateful for the greatest gift, Jesus, our Saviour!