Holidays are the perfect time to reach out to family and friends and catch up with what’s happening in their lives; To celebrate each other and appreciate the joy that they bring to our lives. Glittering parties, laidback lunches and cosy dinners are just some of the ways we try to come closer to the people we love and care about.
However, sometimes in the fray of connecting and reconnecting with friends and extended family, we forget to connect with people closest to us; our immediate family.
It's true that we spend all our time with our family. However, most days we are all just trying to meet the requirements of the routine. Our conversations are often brief and regarding quotidian matters.
Holidays give us time to be free, spend quality time with each other and a chance to rediscover the people we love the most. We uncover how each one of us is changing, subtly but surely, and how we must find new and better ways to bond with each other.
During the recent Christmas holidays, we avoided the rush of meeting extended family and friends, and the four of us went on a trip together. We had a lot of fun and found a way to get to know and appreciate each other's new quirks and inclinations.
We learnt that my elder daughter was developing a taste for the classics that my husband and I loved at some point. We steered her towards other songs in the same genre that were rhythmic and provided deeper insight into life and living. As the car manoeuvred the twists and turns we all crooned to her favourite songs. The poignant moment was not lost on us that our little daughter was now a young adult.
We also realised that while trying to get a point across, metaphors and anecdotes worked well with our younger daughter and that she had a rather philosophical bent of mind. Her unique perspective and rather dry sense of humour made her an interesting companion. We noted that what we saw as impudence was just her unconventional way of expressing herself. You’ve got to love a child that makes you see the world in a totally new light and makes you laugh!
While bickering over what to eat, we realised how much we needed my husband’s rather pragmatic and well-negotiated resolutions. With his detail-oriented ways, he has a way of ensuring that each one felt that they were getting what they wanted or needed. This holiday we got a chance to look at each other with new eyes and fall in love again with what we saw.
We are all entitled to happy holidays and by all means, look at the world around us with glittering eyes but also at the possible hidden gems right under our noses.