Christmas Glitches: Turn Them Into Family Treasures

Photo image Annie Spratt No matter how well we plan, most of us have some loose ends to tie up Christmas Eve day, just before going to church or having the family gather at our home. The present that was ordered early and then delayed remains in question. Will it arrive in time? The fruit tray reserved at the grocery store. Will it be there when we arrive to pick it up? Probably more worrisome for caregivers is how their aging loved ones will make it through the family events. Will Dad be sleepy from his medications or agitated from all of the excitement? Will Mom’s touchy stomach allow her to eat her favorite foods or will you spend the evening wondering if you need to make her a nutritional shake to drink while everyone else eats?  Will Aunty throw a tantrum over the fact that no one made white chocolate fudge this year and, well, Christmas isn’t Christmas without white chocolate fudge? We can plan ourselves silly, but the unexpected will always occur. The only remedy for this is to not take ourselves or our plans too seriously. Life throws curveballs, but many of them aren’t that huge if we don’t exaggerate their importance. Humor rather than irritation can save the day Is it really that important if the order for the fruit try got lost and you end up just grabbing a fresh pineapple? Will the world end if the intended recipient of the errant package opens a box that contains a bag of cookies and an IOU for the gift that will arrive late? As for the elder issu...
Source: Minding Our Elders - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Source Type: blogs