Dec 18, 2018
Piloting Your Life: In-Flight Entertainment (Traditions are Anchors in a Chaotic World) (Dec 18, 2018)
Welcome Back My Tradition-Filled Passengers:
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas (or so the Christmas carol I am listening to is saying). Since our kids are older and we have opted to make charitable donations to four charities in lieu of gifts for friends and family, Christmas isn’t quite like what it used to be. There are a few presents under the tree but gone are the days of bikes and scooters and other magical gifts for the kids on Christmas morning.
We got the tree and decorated the house the day after Thanksgiving and I’ve loved having the multi-colored Christmas tree lights on all day, every day as I work from the living room. My daughter Rei and I baked four different types of cookies and made two types of fudge last weekend and have been enjoying them ever since. Over the weekend we got crafty and assembled/decorated gingerbread houses after going to Michael’s, Lucky’s, Hasset Hardware, and Rite-Aid to find kits (ended up getting Hershey chocolate cookie kits at Rite-Aid as everyone else was out) and then Key Market to get more candy for the decorations. I really enjoyed spending time with Rei on both projects before she went back to hiding in her room. Our son Adam (age 17) is often a reluctant participant, choosing to hide in his room playing video games and avoiding family responsibilities.
The kids don’t need any ‘thing’ nor do they want anything special and Zeke and I certainly don’t need anything either. This means that we are being creative with experiences and time as a family both leading up to Christmas and on Christmas day (and, yes, more forced family fun over the holiday break). My son Adam wanted to celebrate our Jewish ancestry (thank you, 23andMe…I am 6.5% Ashkenazi Jew) and we lit candles on our menorah each night of Hanukah which was quite lovely despite starting out as somewhat of a family joke (apologies to those who celebrate!). We came together each evening to light the candles, talk to each other, and then Zeke and I gave the kids a small gift. We may have a new tradition and I quite like it.
As we are non-religious people who lack discipline, we have very few traditions in our family but the four of us have created a few over the years and Rei is a stickler for remaining faithful to them. Adam may not appreciate them now (and I am not sure Zeke cares either) but one day he might, as traditions provide an anchor in an otherwise chaotic world and life. I appreciate Rei’s dedication to traditions and look forward to making sure she is in the holiday spirit and makes the most of the holiday season because on the 26th, we will perform one of our family traditions that I hold most dear…the de-Christmasification process!
Enjoy the season and your favorite holiday traditions. Sending all of you much love, peace and joy this holiday season.
In-Flight Entertainment (End of Year Bubbly Bonus)
We decided to wrap up 2018 with a glass of bubbly. I sat down with my producer Jacqueline Steenhuis to talk about appreciating our value, electric scooters, the changing economy and impact on startup investing, and what to expect from Piloting Your Life in 2019. Enjoy the conversation!
