How to have a Happy New Year
We had a good Thanksgiving. Some years lately it’s been us and sister-in-law Lorene since my brother’s passing in January 2019. That’s good, but better was also having Brother and Sister-in-law Randy and Nancy with us as well. (Randy is Keith’s brother who lives on the home farm that has been in the family for over 100 years.)
We all contributed to the meal, though Nancy pretty much got food on the table and cleaned up. Big thanks there. We ate and talked and enjoyed. We also shared what we were most thankful for this year.
We went into the Christmas season with grateful hearts. One tradition has sprung up in the last few years. Keith and I, sometimes Lorene comes as well, meet my sister Karin, who comes north from McPherson Kansas, to York.
We move family gifts from one car to the other. We get to spend time together and eliminate high postage costs. We’ve done this often enough the employees of The Kitchen where we eat see us and have a table ready when we go inside for lunch.
This year was our daughter’s husband Kurt’s folks year to have them for Christmas, which meant we had Christmas early here in Kearney with Kurt, Cassie and their two kids, our grandkids Ezekiel and Ellery, and our son’s youngest, our granddaughter Tori, whom Kurt and Cassie picked up in Lincoln.
We bought a brand new Christmas tree with all sorts of color light combinations and brand new ornaments to start a tradition of having Christmas here with our family instead of at Cassie and family’s home in Papillon. (More difficult for us to travel now.)
It is a season of joy, but not because of presents, trees and lights. The season is about joy because we remember with church programs and Nativity scenes that the season is about Christ Jesus who came, lived, died and rose again to bring us hope and life as we worship and follow Him.
What better way to enter a new year than with the love and joy of Christmas still in our hearts and with our actions, reaching out to lift up others as well. Thanksgiving started us on the right path. Let us carry a spirit of thanksgiving gratitude and Christmas joy on into the new year.
Happy New Year!
© 2015 Carolyn R Scheidies
Published Kearney Hub 12/20/2025
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