Once upon a time, in the days of my childhood, when I lived in a village seated in the heart of Hessen in Germany, I experienced the best Christmas ever. I was just a young child, equipped only with awe, wonder and the ability to make memories. The span of one year seemed eternal and the closer Christmas came, the slower time crawled along. Finally Christmas Eve had arrived, – but there was no unwrapping of gifts, devouring of delicious cookies, lighting of the candles on the tree (yes, they were real candles on a real tree) without having first visited a number of less fortunate families in the village. According to my grandmother, the lonely, elderly and heartbroken had to be called upon and Christmas blessings had to be shared before the family celebration could begin. For the first time I was entrusted to accompany my grandmother and help carry off the treats and goodie bags I so desired for myself. Stomping madly through the snow, following my grandmother with hands fisted tightly in anger, I suddenly found myself in the midst of a cloud of feathery-light snow flakes sailing elegantly through the air, landing quietly in their very own spot. The world and all in it had turned silent. Illuminated by the silver moonlight, applauded by shiny stars and complimented by sparkling ice crystals everywhere, the sky generously surrendered snow flurries. A sense of peace and joy came over me. My wise grandmother must have felt it too. She turned around, set her bags on the frosty ground, put my hands into hers and glanced at me with a soft smile. I was no longer angry or sad. I was full of love and delight. Since then, many Christmas Eves have come and gone but this is the one I will always cherish the most. It truly was the best Christmas ever, and I don’t remember a single present I most certainly received later that evening, way back when ……

Still today, I love to remember the feeling of serenity, tranquility and the complete happiness of this moment. In fact, this feeling has become the heart of my values, the essence of my relationship with my family and children and the foundation of my work with children and their families. I am forever grateful to Anna, my grandmother and early teacher. But the greatest teacher of all, Nature, or as I like to call her, Mother Nature, provided the lesson.

Here is what busy parents can do to invite Mother Nature in for the holidays:

1. Collect free Christmas tree branches from tree vendors and allow children to decorate them according to their ideas, taste and desires.

2. Collect a number of twigs with children and use holiday ribbons to tie them together to form a large mobile to hang from the ceiling. Use additional ribbon to hang cards and wish lists from the mobile.

3. Fill a variety of plastic containers with water and place in freezer. Create your very own family ice sculpture and allow the children to observe and interpret the melting process.

You will enjoy these activities if you are present in the moment, present with your child, respectful and non-judgmental of the words, feelings and ideas expressed. Your comments may only describe what you see your child doing, not what you think your child is creating or should do.
Remember that all beginnings are humble, even the tiniest contributor or contribution matters a great deal!

Happy Holiday Season!