Staying Connected Through the Holidays

I probably would have never learned to roast a turkey if it hadn’t been for our move to New York City. It’s one of those things that I learned as a parent from being away from my mother, but the rather simple act of preparing Thanksgiving dinner was significantly more of a rite of passage for me as a woman. I learned that instead of choosing to rely on the knowledge that someone else could do it, I found the strength in myself. That trust was something that I needed for a long time and I’ve been able to apply it in countless ways throughout my adulthood since that time.

My mom is a fabulous cook. She has found peace in the art of preparing meals for her loved ones, and that talent truly comes out on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love spending those holidays with her so much that those few years that we lived in Manhattan and weren’t able to celebrate with her were incredibly challenging. It’s not just the meals though, it’s the celebration of family, which is truly everything to us. This year, we’re taking the kids to the city during Thanksgiving once again because I made it a goal to keep the city alive in the hearts and minds of my children however possible. We’ll watch the parade and play at the playgrounds that they grew up on, and visit the real santa at Macy’s on 34th Street. It will be a string of wonderful memories in the making, however we’ll be without our extended family on the national day of thanks, and that is a high price.

In anticipation of our being gone, the kids collectively decided to make cards on the American Greetings Creatacard app for our family members that we’ll be away from on Thanksgiving. That way, despite my incredible knack for never getting around to putting a card in the actual mail, the cards will make it to our family because the app stamps and sends it for me. Our thoughts will be with them even though we’ll be on the other side of the continent. The great thing is whenever I go into the app, there are at least 5-7 cards already made and ready to be sent by one of the three, so I know they’re using it with their allotted screen time during the week. Jack, Zoe and Beau don’t get along collectively on much, but adding their own touches to cards with the Creatacard app happens to be a way that they’ll all contribute together. Perhaps they know that their time is limited on the iPad, but whatever the case, they’re each able to add their own special touch, with their own talents to the card individually.

As a collector of special greeting cards from loved ones, these ones are especially lovely because of the unique touches the person creating them can put into it. I hope that our family will forgive us for being away during this particular holiday, but the hope is they’ll know we’re thinking of them regardless. We’re making very important memories and learning lessons in our travels that will last a lifetime.

Thank you to American Greetings Creatacard for sponsoring this post, and thank you for reading!