Page 2 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News
Page 3 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News Table of Contents 04 | It’s time to Celebrate 06 | Shop Local 12 | Baby’s First Christmas A Gentle Guide for Families Navigating the Hoilday Madness Magic 16 | The Family Christmas Party 26 | Mom, I’m Coming Home 32 | Something Has Changed with Christmas...Something is not the Same 34 | Friends are the Family You Choose 38 | Holiday Celebrations in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
Page 4 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News Continued -- It’s time to CELEBRATE! In 2012, Lincoln Daily News published its first Home for the Holidays online magazine. Since that time, we have brought you a wide variety of articles, written by our stringers and staff and all related to making the holiday season the best it can be. We continue that tradition this year with the 2025 edition of Home for the Holidays. When we started the magazine, we tried to make it about the joyous reunions we all experience during the holiday season, namely at Thanksgiving and Christmas. And it implied the gathering of family members together in one place for a fun event filled with food, family stories, games, music, and much more. This year we’re diving deeper into those reunions by looking more at what constitutes family. Some of us are blessed with large families and the gathering at the dinner table on Thanksgiving and/or Christmas includes multiple generations, children, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and sometimes if we’re lucky great-grandparents and greatgrandchildren. But it doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes families are small, and the table is set for only a few. Sometimes, we’re isolated from family for reasons beyond our control, sickness and foul weather are the first to come to mind. But there are also those empty nesters whose children have moved to points unknown and they are unable to come home, and the parents are unable to go to them. Sometimes, it is an older generation that is living in a care facility, and the children find that at the holiday season, they no longer have a “home” to go to, and it is time for them to start making their own traditions. And there are those occasions where empty nesters have chosen to downsize from the larger family home, and all the sudden it is a question of “where are we going to put them all!” Some of us just don’t have family, and so a big “family” gathering takes on a new meaning. Perhaps that family is going to be close friends, church family, or co-workers in a similar situation. There are also those “first time” scenarios. The first time you and your new spouse, significant other or life partner must figure out how to divide the holiday season into two or more family gatherings. Also, how do you prepare your partner for what lies ahead? Do you try to clue them in or just leave them to find it all out for themselves (think Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon in Four Christmases)? Another first, the new baby. First of all, remember that the minute that baby is brought into the party, it is no longer about the
Page 5 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News holiday. It is all about the baby! Be prepared for your child to become the hot potato in the room, passed from person to person while the parents are completely ignored. And, finally, some of our family members are in the military and the odds that they are going to get to come home for the holidays are slim to none. In this year’s edition of Home for the Holidays, we want to drive home with each of our stories that the word “family” may take on different meanings for different folks, but whatever constitutes your family, we want you to have the best holiday season ever! We’re going to leave you with a separate thought, because it often weighs heavy on our heart. It seems that each year Christmas comes earlier and earlier. Oh, the date of the actual observance doesn’t change, it’s just that we start seeing signs of Christmas earlier. This year the “pre-Black Friday Black Friday” sales started before Halloween! The end result: Thanksgiving gets buried in the catacombs of our minds, and we drag it back out on the fourth Thursday of November, then bury it again at midnight when we head out for the real Black Friday followed by Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Christmas decorating, work parties, school and church programs, and so much more. It seems a little ironic that in our country we often celebrate our freedom to choose our own lifestyles from our work habits and political positions to choice of worship practices without thinking of how we got here. Thanksgiving is the foundation of that freedom. Pilgrims came to America to escape religious tyranny. It was their spunk and bravado that became the inspiration for a new country where people can be what they want to be without being told what they have to be. So, we ask you this year when you drag out that Thanksgiving holiday and gather your personal family, regardless of its makeup, around your table… take a moment. Whether you pray or toast or just give a little speech, you have that choice, and Thanksgiving is the foundation of that right to choose. Offer up a few words of gratitude for who we are as a people and how we got here. Then pass the turkey and enjoy what we believe should be the first day of the holiday season. Bless you one and all! Nila Smith With Karen Castelein and the LDN Staff and Stringers
Page 6 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News SHOP LOCAL Rather than going online or leaving town to do your holiday shopping this year, consider what local businesses have to offer. One good reason for shopping in local brick and mortar stores is that you are contributing to the local economy. Sources show with every dollar you spend at a local business, about 70 cents will remain local. In big box stores, for every dollar spent only about 30 cents will stay in the area. For every dollar spent shopping online, only about one cent stays local. Fortunately, in this area, there are many local businesses you can support while finding good deals. Lincoln Land Communications Inc. Lincoln Land Communications Inc. is located 1326 North Kickapoo Street in Lincoln and owned by Jake and Bridgett Bennett. If you are looking for gift ideas, they sell Blaupunkt car stereos, dash cams, back-up cameras and LED lighting. Additionally, they have business phone systems, car audio and sound systems for businesses, churches and organizations. Hours at Lincoln Land Communications are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Page 7 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News Bee’s Floral and Landscaping Bee’s Floral and Landscaping is located at 1302 Illinois Route 10 in Lincoln and run by Lorie Paige. Some of the Christmas gift ideas she recommended are Christmas cactus, Christmas Amarillys and live centerpieces. The store also has a variety of Christmas wreaths and other Christmas décor like wooden Christmas trees surrounded by greenery. Hours at Bee’s Floral and Landscaping are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Ink & Imprint Books Ink & Imprint Books is located at 125 North Kickapoo in Lincoln and owned by Julie Bates. As you look for gifts, Bates has a variety of books for both adults and children, but there is so much more. For stocking stuffers, she suggests Christmasy bookmarks or booklights. Other popular items are watercolor paints books, felt finger puppets, candles made by her daughter Emma, mugs, glasses, t-shirts and puzzles. The “learn to crochet” kits are something else Bates said people like. For a surprise, consider buying a blind date with a book, which are books gift wrapped in paper that provide hints about their content. Hours at Ink & Imprint Books are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bates will also be participating in Small Business Saturday, November 29 and Retail Therapy Downtown on Saturday, December 6.
Page 8 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News Abe’s Caramel Corn Abe's Caramel Corn, now owned by Michael Simonson, is located at 117 North Kickapoo in Lincoln. If you are looking for Christmas ideas, the store has a variety of items such as popcorn tins, gift baskets, stuffed animals, huggable warmies, children’s books, board games, throws, jellies, jams and mugs. There are also many flavors of bagged popcorn, candies, cutting boards, wooden bowls, salsa, dips, bread mixes, coffee and festive necklaces. Hours at Abe’s Caramel Corn are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Debbie’s Downtown Floral Debbie’s Downtown Floral, owned by Deb Theobald, is located at 123 South Kickapoo Street in Lincoln. As you think about Christmas, she has many different items such as nativity sets, Christmas ornaments, wreaths, tabletop Christmas trees, unique Christmas tree toppers, stockings, Santas and live and artificial centerpieces. In addition, there are snow globes, candles, vases, gnomes, angels, owls and birds. Hours at Debbie’s Downtown Floral are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Page 9 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News The Overstock Outlet The Overstock Outlet, located at 129 South Kickapoo is owned by Brian and Marshawn Stevens. If you are looking for Christmas ideas, the store has a great variety of toys, games, dolls, giant coloring books, action figures and books. Their Christmas décor includes trees and ornaments. Other items you can find there are clothing, baskets, bedding and lots of kitchen items like coffee pots, pots, pans, dishes and utensils. Everything in the store is a fraction of the price you will find at big box stores. Hours are The Overstock Outlet are Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sherwin Williams Sherwin Williams, located at 523 Pulaski Street in Lincoln, is managed by Kelly Olthoff. Christmas gift ideas include sweatshirts, heavy duty work gloves, magnetic stud finders, the Pivit Ladder Tool and expandable telescopic ladders as well as stocking stuffers like heavy duty phone cords. If you are doing home projects, it is also a good place to buy paints, stains, paintbrushes, rollers, roller trays, roller covers, prep tools, spray equipment, backpack paint sprayers, tarps and gloves. Sherwin Williams is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Page 10 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News RP Lumber RP Lumber, located at 530 Woodlawn Road in Lincoln, is managed by Travis Summer. As you shop for gifts, consider their heated vests, heated jackets, heated hoodies and tool sets. Other items you can find include lumber, power tools, hand tools, fasteners, bolts, hardware, paints, stains, ladders, shelving, decks, flooring, siding, Moen faucets and Larson and Anderson doors and windows. There are lawn and garden, electrical, plumbing and cleaning supply sections in the store. RP Lumber is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. AP Thrift Haus AP Thrift Haus, located at 1400 Woodlawn Road, Suite C. is owned by Amanda Pollice. Pollice said a Toby Burch purse is a great gift idea. It is one of several nice purses she has at the thrift boutique, which has women’s high end clothing at lower prices. Pollice’s business, which opened in November 2024, also has sweater, blouses, jackets, skirts, dresses, jeans, pants and shoes. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Pollice said she will be doing a pie giveaway. AP Thrift Haus is open Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Page 11 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News 4CL Mower Shop 4CL Mower Shop, located at 711 Hickox Drive in Lincoln, is owned by Andy Evers. As a possible gift idea, Chance Wiener suggested the 10-inch Bad Boy pole saw. The shop also has chainsaws, blowers and a large variety of riding mowers, push mowers and compact tractors. Their equipment is made by Bad Boy, Husqvarna and Grasshopper. 4CL Mowers is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. We have offered up ten great places to shop this season for a variety of items without having to go far. Remember, by shopping local, you are supporting your friends and neighbors in the community, so share the joy by helping them have a happy Christmas season, too. Angela Reiners
Page 12 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News Baby’s First Christmas: A Gentle Guide for Families Navigating the Holiday Madness Magic A baby’s first Christmas is one of those milestones that almost every family imagines long before it’s real. In the weeks leading up to it, parents picture soft red pajamas, quiet mornings by the tree, and maybe a photo worthy of sending to every relative they’ve ever known. But when the day actually arrives, it rarely plays out like the dreamy commercials—at least not without a little planning, a lot of patience, and a willingness to let go of the “perfect” version. Families who have been through it before often talk about their baby's first Christmas as a beautiful blur: equal parts joy, exhaustion, tenderness, and tiny bursts of unexpected magic. The holiday is no longer about the perfect party or the prettiest tree—it becomes about creating a bubble where the parent and baby can feel safe, supported, and comfortable. For many mothers, especially first-time moms, the most important piece of advice is almost counterintuitive: be firm. Holidays bring people together, but they also bring expectations, well-meaning relatives who want to hold the baby, take photos, pass them around, or feed them things the parent might not be ready for. It’s natural for people to be excited about a new little one, but moms should remember to emphasize the importance of protecting their baby’s space. Saying “no” is not rude; it’s responsible. Declining a request for a photo or asking someone to first wash their hands before holding the baby is not impolite, it is security. This can be made easier for others by letting people know before the gathering of what, and what not, you feel comfortable with. Brainstorming and deciding what you feel comfortable with is the first step to getting together a game plan. It doesn’t need to be complicated. It can be as simple as choosing a set time to leave, deciding who handles certain conversations with relatives, or agreeing on a signal that means “the baby needs a break.” for a quiet exit. This
Page 13 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News kind of preparation eases stress and avoids the pressure of making decisions on the spot. Hosts play a quiet but powerful role in helping the day run smoothly. When families gather for Christmas, everything feels busier, louder, more chaotic. Having a baby in the mix amplifies that. The best hosts are the ones who anticipate needs without making a show of it. Something as simple as making the mother’s plate or offering to hold the baby, after asking, can be the difference between a stressful day and a peaceful one. A quiet room is another core piece of advice. Babies become overstimulated easily. They’re absorbing everything: lights, sounds, voices, new smells, new faces. In the middle of the celebration, having a designated spot— whether it’s a guest bedroom or just a cozy dark corner—gives the parent a place to feed, change, or soothe the baby away from the bustle. It becomes a small sanctuary inside a full house. Retreating to that space for even five minutes can reset the entire day. Then there’s the baby’s experience itself, which rarely lines up with the plans the grown-ups create. Babies don’t care about holiday schedules, family traditions, or the timing of the gift exchange. They don’t know they’re supposed to smile for the camera, or that Grandma bought them a very specific outfit for a very specific photo. They’re simply responding to how they feel in the moment— hungry, sleepy, curious, overstimulated, or completely captivated by things no adult would expect. One of the biggest truths new parents learn is that babies love wrapping paper more than the gifts inside. Shiny, crinkly, noisy textures are infinitely more interesting than a stuffed animal or a board book. Letting the baby play with the wrapping paper is not only harmless, but also part of the magic. They explore the world through their senses, and Christmas gives them plenty to work with. Parents laugh later about the photos: a baby ignoring a brand-new toy while happily entranced by a scrap of glittery paper. It’s part of the charm of the first holiday season. Another note for success is that parents shouldn’t force moments that aren’t working. If the baby fusses during the present-opening, many moms simply open the gifts for them while the baby relaxes nearby. If the baby is uncomfortable with someone holding them, it’s okay—even necessary—to take them back. The baby won’t remember the day, but they will feel the stress of being pushed too far. A calm Christmas, even if it looks a little messy or unscripted, is far better than one spent
Page 14 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News trying to meet everyone else’s expectations. Beyond the basics, parents offer layers of small wisdom collected from holiday seasons past. Some suggest dressing the baby in comfortable, soft outfits first and saving the fancy holiday clothes for a quick photo later—babies often tolerate cozy fabrics far more than elaborate, scratchy ones. Others suggest packing more than one outfit, because Christmas is a day of spills, accidents, and unexpected messes. A backup pair of pajamas has saved more than one holiday photo session. There are also tiny tricks that make the day easier: bringing a familiar blanket or toy to soothe the baby in an unfamiliar environment, feeding them before arriving to minimize stress, and keeping a carrier close so the baby has a safe place to rest. Even choosing where to sit matters, seasoned parents often place themselves near the edge of the room so they can step away quickly if needed. Families should also encourage new parents to remember themselves. A baby’s first Christmas often turns into a marathon, and the mother’s needs can easily slip to the background. If a trusted family member offers to hold the baby so the parent can take a break, many say it’s worth accepting for at least a few minutes. The holiday will feel brighter when the parent feels supported. There’s also something to be said about letting go of the picture-perfect version of the day. It’s natural to imagine the Instagram-worthy moments—matching pajamas, carefully wrapped gifts, a spotless room, smiling relatives, a baby giggling on command. But parents who’ve lived through that first Christmas often insist that the real beauty lies in the imperfect moments instead: a baby yawning in someone’s arms, a present halfunwrapped, a quiet feeding in a dim hallway, a mid-morning nap that forces the whole house to pause. These become the memories that matter more than anything posed or polished. Some families create small traditions just for the baby, knowing the child won’t remember this year but hoping the routine will root itself over time. A special ornament, a bedtime book, a photo in front of the tree, a handprint craft, or even a short walk outside in the cold December air—these simple gestures become threads that weave into childhood memories later. Parents often look back and appreciate that they started these rituals early, even when
Page 15 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News the baby was too young to fully participate. One tradition that could be started is letting babies pick a Christmas ornament for their tree. This is an easy and fun thing for babies to do while out shopping. Let your baby look at ornaments for sale at your local store and (carefully) hold up different ornaments to see which one they seem to like the best. Ultimately, a baby's first Christmas is not about the gift exchange or the matching outfits or the timeline of events. It’s about creating a gentle, warm space where the parent and child feel supported and cherished. Families who have lived through it often reflect that the holiday becomes more meaningful when everyone around them—hosts, relatives, friends—approaches the day with patience, kindness, and realistic expectations. When the day winds down, the tree lights will still be twinkling, the wrapping paper will still be scattered, and the baby will likely be asleep long before anyone else. But what lingers is the sense of peace—knowing that even amid the noise and excitement of the holidays, the baby was protected, the parents were supported, and the memories were real and gentle and good. It might not look like the movies, but it will be theirs. And as the years unfold and the child grows, that first Christmas becomes a quiet reminder of how much love surrounded their earliest days. Sophia Larimore
Page 16 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News He looked at her. All she was doing was putting her shoes on, but he loved her all the more. This was his favorite holiday of the year, and he was always glad to be able to celebrate with his family, quirks and all. It had been many years since he was home for Christmas. Attending college on the other side of the country meant traveling was rare. Now that he was back living within driving distance of his family, he was able to celebrate the holiday with them and his lovely new wife. Claire looked up from tying her second shoe and saw David staring at her. “What are you looking at me like that for?” Claire asked. “I just love you,” David replied, “and I’m super excited for you to get to meet the whole family. Technically you met them at the wedding a few months ago, but now you’re going to get to really meet them.” “I’m also really excited,” she said, putting on her best fake smile. Her mother told her that getting a minor in theater was a waste of money. What did she know? “Did you grab the meat and cheese tray?” “I got it in the car just a couple of minutes The Family Christmas Party A work of truth inspired fiction ago. I got all the presents packed. I think that’s everything.” The young couple started out the door when David stopped. “Wait! I forgot something.” He ran back into the house, rummaging through the half empty box of Christmas decorations, pulling out a red and white Santa hat. David placed it upon his head with the corniest grin. “Ready!” ---- She looked at him. She envied his excitement, feeling the ever-growing dread in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t know how a family Christmas party worked. She didn’t know how any family party worked. Her family was extremely fragmented, and her parents didn’t talk to any of her aunts and uncles growing up. Most of her family she knew only by name, and the names her dad would call them on the phone. With every minute she sat in the passenger seat of this car, her anxiety grew. All the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’ were flowing through her head. What if the family didn’t like her? What
Page 17 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News if she said the wrong thing? What if she made someone mad? What should she talk about? David reached his hand over, placing it on Claire’s knee, snapping her out of it. “I know my family is going to love you. You have nothing to worry about.” Did he know what she was thinking? She had tried so hard to keep her reservations hidden. Ruining the holiday for David was the absolute last thing she wanted. “I-” she hesitated, second guessing herself for just a moment. “I’m just really nervous. You know I never had any family parties growing up. Heck, most of my family didn’t even come to the wedding. I’m just afraid that I am going to screw this up and ruin it for you.” “You can’t screw this up for me, because everything is going to be fine and you’re going to have a great time. I’ll tell you what. How about I tell you about my family, so you know what to expect?” “That might make me feel a bit better,” she said after a moment of consideration. “Okay, so my parents are going to be there, and they really like you. Sarah is also going to be there. You get along really well with her.” It was true, David’s sister became the sister Claire never had when she and David were still dating in college. One of the perks of siblings attending the same college. “Now my grandma is going to be the toughest nut to crack,” David continued. “She’s a really good judge of character and doesn’t mince words. You’ll know instantly if she likes you or not.” Claire tensed up at the thought of the matriarch not liking her. “Oh, but she is going to love you,” David quickly added. “The next toughest person is going to be my Uncle Mike. He’s… a little different. He can sometimes rub people the wrong way but never realizes it. If he does, just write it off as Uncle Mike being Uncle Mike. Now my cousin Natalie is a handful as well. She-” David paused, thinking of the best way to say this, “likes to pre-game before most family holidays. She will be in a great mood, so there's no way you could get on her bad side. “My Aunt Lizzie is also going to be there with her four kids. She got divorced after she and her ex had their last child. Her kids are really rowdy, but grandma keeps them in line pretty well.” David continued describing his family, and Claire started to feel a little better. She was still nervous, but now it felt less like a lion’s den. ---- David had to park half a block down. His family’s cars were lined up and down the street. He grabbed the presents, and Claire grabbed the tray. David felt the excitement surging through his body with every step as they walked up to Grandma’s door. He noticed Claire reaching for the doorbell.
Page 18 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News “You don’t need to do that,” he said, “just go inside.” Claire looked at him with some skepticism. “I’d open the door, but my hands are a little full.” Claire grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open. A gust of warm air burst from the doorway, warming Claire’s face from exposure to the bitter air outside. “David!” she heard yelled from within. A short, brown-haired girl came running forth. Claire instantly recognized her as David’s cousin Natalie. David had to quickly set down the stack of gifts he was carrying before she enveloped David in a bear hug. She turned toward Claire. “And Claire!” she screeched, giving her an equally enthusiastic hug. For someone so small, she had the strength of someone twice her size. “It’s so good to see you! Oh my gosh! Claire, you look beautiful!” she said, with only a small hint of a slur to her words. “We are so excited to see you! Come on, I am going to introduce you to the family.” She grabbed Claire’s hand and whisked her further into the house. “Wait,” Claire said, “I have to put this down,” holding the meat and cheese tray. “Oh, I’ll take care of that for you,” Natalie replied, taking the tray and walking off. “Quick,” Claire heard a voice from behind her say, “while she’s distracted.” Claire turned around to see Sarah, who also grabbed her by the hand and dragged her away. “Natalie can be a lot. Sorry about that. Anyway, it’s so good to see you!” she said, giving Claire a welcoming hug. Claire returned the hug. “It’s great to see you too.” Sarah looked at Claire with a puzzled expression. “What’s wrong?” In all the confusion, Claire realized that she had let her mask slip. “If David said something that upset you, I swear I’ll kick his-” “No!” Claire quickly exclaimed, reaching out and putting her hands on Sarah’s shoulders. “David has been great.” She paused again. Those darn pauses. “I just… I’ve never been to a family party before. I’m afraid I’ll make a bad impression.” “Bad impression?” Sarah exclaimed. “You’re great. Everyone loves you. Look, I will take you around and introduce you to everyone. Let’s say hi to Mom and Dad first. You already know them.” Claire followed Sarah over to her in-laws. “Claire!” Mom said excitedly, getting up from the couch and walking over, followed closely behind by Dad. She hugged her in-laws, feeling better that there were some friendly faces who she already had a good rapport with. “How are you, dear? How was the drive?” Mom asked. “It was good. Not too long considering the weather the last few days,” Claire responded. “Did you get a lot of snow up by you?” Dad asked. “A good amount, but David has been keeping things shoveled.” “I’m taking Claire to meet the rest of the family,” Sarah said.
Page 19 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News “Don’t you think you should let David do that?” Mom asked Sarah. “I don’t mind,” David said, having caught up after placing the presents beneath the tree. “All three of us can go. The more the merrier!” ---- The next half hour was filled with introductions to people Claire vaguely remembered from the wedding, and plenty of conversation. Uncle Mike was about what she’d expected. While he was a bit strange, Claire could see he had a good heart. Aunt Lizzie and her kids were a lot, but the kids were excited to have someone new to show their toys to. She also got to have another nice, long conversation with Natalie, but Sarah pulled her away again after some time. All the while, Claire was anxiously waiting to meet Grandma, but she seemed nowhere to be found. “Alright,” Sarah said, “the last one you need to meet is Grandma.” Claire felt renewed anxiety. This was it. If Grandma didn’t like her, it would all be over. She needed to be as normal as possible. Remember, she thought to herself, traditional values. The trio walked into the kitchen where a little old lady with curly gray hair was pulling a pumpkin pie out of the oven. “Hi Grandma,” David said lightly, trying to get her attention. Grandma turned toward the group, lighting up at the sight of her grandson. “David,” she exclaimed, taking off her oven mitts and coming over to give David a hug.
Page 20 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News “Grandma, you remember Claire?” he said, gesturing toward her. “Of course, I remember your wife,” Grandma said exasperatedly. “How could I forget such a lovely bride?” Grandma moved on to Claire, giving her a hug. Claire started to relax. She was actually making a good impression on everyone. “Can you believe that Claire has never been to a family holiday party?” Sarah asked. Claire’s entire body tensed up. Why would she say that? Grandma would have to know that something was up with her family. She looked at David and saw an equally panicked look on his face. Her anxiety became dread in an instant. Sarah, seeing the looks on both of their faces, realized that she probably should not have said that. The look on Grandma’s face was one of shock, only serving to deepen Claire’s dread. Suddenly, Claire felt her hand taken into two smaller, more frail ones. She looked up from the floor where she felt her eyes would rest for eternity. The look on Grandma’s face was no longer of shock, but one of genuine concern. “You’ve never celebrated a family holiday?” she asked. Claire shook her head, still too frightened to speak. “This just won’t do,” she said, walking past Claire. “Come with me, dear.” Now the look of shock had jumped to David’s face. Unsure of what to do, Claire did as Grandma told her. Grandma walked into the living room and looked back at Claire, who had been trailing a few feet behind. “Come here, dear,” Grandma said, waving Claire over. “Gregory,” she said to David’s father, “go get the good champagne and glasses.” Claire walked up next to Grandma, who took Claire’s hand in hers once more. “Everyone,” Grandma started, “I was just told that this is Claire’s first family Christmas party.” As she said this, Dad was walking around the room handing out nice glasses while David followed behind, filling each with just a bit of champagne. Claire felt her face burning with embarrassment. “She is a member of our family now, and I want to make a toast to commemorate our newest addition and welcome her to the family.” Dad handed a glass to Claire and David filled it, a goofy smile on his face. His smile was enough to make her smile just a little bit too. Once Grandma had her glass and champagne, she raised her glass in the air. “To Claire, a wonderful addition to a wonderful family.” Everyone else raised their glasses, and some (Natalie) cheered. Grandma gave her another hug, as did everyone else in the room. Claire felt the dread fall from her shoulders as a single tear rolled down her cheek. This really was a wonderful family, and she was happy to be a part of it. Matt Boutcher
Page 21 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News
Page 22 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News
Page 23 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News
Page 24 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News
Page 25 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News
Page 26 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News MOM I’m Coming Home There are hundreds of variations everywhere you look, the Lifetime movies, television commercials, sitcom skits and even in the movie theaters. But what if this happens to you in your own home? You get that phone call, “I’m coming home for Thanksgiving!” or “We’re all coming home for Christmas!” Most likely you will be excited, who wouldn’t be to have their kid or kids home right where they belong! Your mind goes into overdrive thinking about the decorating, food, gifts, and all the relatives coming over. You miss those days when the house was buzzing, the smells made you consistently hungry and the decorations gave you a warm feeling of nostalgia, comfort, and memories. The weekends in December that you spent baking for others, volunteering, wrapping presents and playing Christmas music. Everything was prepped, the oven was on, the mixer was mixing, and the kids were all around the table laughing and showing their creative side rolling, cutting out, and decorating those sugar cookies, stirring the divinity, melting the chocolates for the buckeyes, haystacks and covered pretzels. The kids sharing, encouraging, helping, and praising each other were as sweet as the truffles you were making and as solid as the ribbon candy hardening. You think back to when the kids had their holiday parties at school and the joy they expressed, picking out that perfect gift for their teacher and classmate. Making your lists and preparing for that special family tradition. Maybe it was popping popcorn and stringing it on the tree, or even going out and spending
Page 27 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News hours in the snow all bundled up picking out that special tree and helping to cut it down and remembering the drive home singing Christmas carols, setting it up in that perfect place, decorating and finishing with a mug of hot chocolate while admiring everyone’s work. The relaxation of wrapping each present with that special paper and getting all those ends cut and folded under exactly right, adding a large matching ribbon with different colored curlicues to match the paper and top it off with a big bow with the name so carefully add on just the perfect tag. Ahh and those smiles on their faces when you’d take them to the mall to see Santa, it was a little hard keeping them occupied while in that long line, but that picture would be worth it! The kids were so adorable, so perfect, they were so polite to each other and everyone else, and their manners were exceptional, so much to be proud of! Oh, the joys of Christmas Eve services and Christmas morning with the excitement, patience, love and gratitude for one another and the season is beyond words… WAIT… Where did that come from, because that definitely was not the typical household that most of us knew of or grew up in! That memory must still be stuck in my head from last year’s binge watching of the Hallmark channel!! The reality is that you are an empty nester and you have already converted one of the kid’s bedrooms into your craft room, have a bunch of magazines you need to go through on the chair and you’ve already cleaned out one of their dresser drawers and part of their closet for quilting material. Not to mention in the family room, which has several puzzle tables up with half worked puzzles, and dad has used one of the kids’ skis and toboggan as an extra table for his wood working projects. Whether you are looking forward to your kid(s) coming home for the holidays or it is something you may be dreading, there are ways that you can take the stress, anxiety, cost, and unnecessary pressure out of the picture and actually enjoy this holiday season, regardless of who shows up at your door. The first step is to think about yourself first! Selfish, did you say? No, no matter the age of your kids you have done your job, raised them the best that you knew at that time and they are adults. Not to mean that they still do not need the support, love and understanding of you, the parent, but that they need to realize that the holidays are for everyone, not just for them anymore. Here are some tips on how you
Page 28 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News can still love the holidays even though it might not look like the perfect storybook and could tend to follow more like the popular chaotic Christmas movies. • Be Thankful! – Be thankful for what plans your children make and support those decisions. Be grateful that you are able to connect with them in any way, even though they may only spend a few days (or hours) in your company and decide to go back to school, go skiing with the gang or go to the in-laws. Give them space, don’t make them feel guilty for their choices and let them know you enjoy every minute you can spend with them. • Let Go! – Let go of any expectations, traditions, customs and be flexible! You will have to find out what works for most everyone because going forward when you are working with your adult children and their spouses, family and grandkids, every year from now on will be different in trying to accommodate everyone. But don’t let go too much and stand true to your own past and traditions, like church on Christmas Eve, all the while being open to new family members’ traditions. Nothing is sweeter than learning to meld old and new traditions together into the new normal during holidays. Learning how to embrace the past and the making of new traditions is an unbelievably valuable part of growing up, and the start of other muchneeded traditions with your grandchildren. But this doesn’t mean that even though you always had the kids drink their chocolate milk out of Santa cups every Christmas morning, they will want to do it when they are home for college. One day their children might. • Set Expectations! – Okay, I know we just said to let go of any expectations but, you do need to set expectations when it comes to cleaning up after oneself and helping. Don’t be afraid to let the kids know if they are coming home, you expect their help in getting ready for the meal or the house for guests. You will need to ask for specific tasks as soon as possible and do them without nagging, like doing their own laundry while you are cooking or having them help with preparing food and the clean-up. • No Opinions! – So, your kid brings home a friend at the last minute that doesn’t seem to know what a belt or comb is and has more metal in his head than your car sitting outside! Or your daughter has a new ink on her arm, or your son-in-law’s parenting style is much less strict than when you raised your kids. What do you do? You bite a hole in your cheek if you must, but you do not say a word. Don’t play the “I didn’t raise you this way!” game. Your kids are adults, have developed their own likes and dislikes and your only job is to keep quiet and enjoy just loving your children and grandchildren. Now that you are in the right mental frame to deal with your kid(s), you still have some work to do. Write down everything you want to do from cleaning, shopping, cooking, and decorating, then cut that list in half and throw away the other list. You will want everything perfect but your kids will not care. Often it is said that it’s not enjoyable unless it is perfect for you. We’re not saying to drop all the cleaning, cooking, or decorating, just cut back. • Consider only doing two desserts instead of four or buy pre-made frozen ones from a bakery, buy some candy for the candy dishes instead of spending days doing various kinds of sweets. • Keep your menu down to one large meat
Page 29 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News where you can get 2-3 meals out of it, one or two carbs, one veggie and one fruit and consider buying premade rolls. • Consider buying premade meals that you heat up or go out to dinner. With the premade meals done for you, you can still add that favorite family heirloom dish without the stress of cooking everything else. Simply turn on the oven, insert, and heat. • If you have some additional weeks for planning, ask friends or relatives to come over and help pre-cook part of the meal and use your freezer so that all you have to do is pull out, thaw and heat. This will add to your joy of being with the kids by reducing the time of prep while the kid(s) are there. • If you really feel like you need to use grandma’s china, just because you always have, then use it. But maybe only use the plates for dinner or just the smaller plates for the desserts and fill in with the nice plastic serving utensils and the easy to heat/serve foil ware. This will cut down on cleaning up and save you from having to spend the next two days loading and unloading the dishwasher long after everyone is gone. And by all means, DO NOT wash the plasticware. Give yourself a little grace and have your recycled trash cans ready and give back to the earth that way! This will give you more quality time with your kid(s) and lessen the stress on you. Yes, it may cost more money in the long run, but did you consider all the time it will take away from your kids? • So now the elephant in the room! Gifts!! If you have not had this conversation with your spouse and kids, it’s not too late. You need to set boundaries in an open conversation with
Page 30 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News your kids. If your kids are coming home for the holidays, chances are they are adults or students. It’s time to get out the decisionmaking skills and get to work. Most people will stop giving gifts when the kids move out, but are they still in college? Are they working full time, but struggling a little bit, are they married and doing well? All this is good to take into consideration, but if you have more than one child you still need to treat them equally. Set a goal of a monetary amount and a timeline and involve your children. Do you pay for books for the school year, pay for 2 months rent, pay for a monthly bill, give a gift card for groceries, pay for a year’s worth of oil changes, or give a gas or a meat locker gift card? By concentrating on gifts that would help the kid or family all year long, you can still be equal but cater to each child and their situation. • If you are talking about an adult child and family, day passes to a theme park, tickets for a family movie and popcorn, new games for family game nights, coupon for haircuts for a year or help the parents out by picking out a larger gift for all the kids such as yard playset or trampoline. The different possibilities are endless, but the most important is to communicate with your adult children about what would help the family the best and put parameters in place going forward for all the kids and grandkids. Because as you grow older and your funds are reduced, having this in place and having the ability to discuss it each year will reduce your stress level. • Do all your normal cleaning of the house or hire someone like a cleaning service for a few hours, a teenager, neighbor, grandchild, or friend to help with the cleaning. Cut out polishing the silver and use plastic wear (it has come a long way in recent years). Cut out cleaning your room or rooms that no one will go into like the basement and extra bedrooms. • Decorating brings back a lot of memories for you and your kid(s) and is a great way to introduce your grandkids to old stories and family traditions. However, cutting back
Page 31 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News on some decorations is acceptable. Some households just decorate with a tree and its lights. Others decorate outside, inside, and even have candy canes and bows on the kitchen cabinet handles and a Santa face on the toilet. If you have a ton of decorations, don’t put them all up this year, put them in another plastic tub and rotate them next year. There are some staple items from grandma or the first Christmas holiday gift that you feel you have to put out, just reduce some of the extra work and time of going overboard. Long gone are the days when your kids were really cute all dressed up in Christmas outfits with patent leather shoes, shiny bows, smiles on their faces when they saw the house lit up with decorations, and the tree full of ornaments from years past. Keep remembering that when your kids come home, they are toggling between wanting to be the child they used to be, wanting you to be the parent you used to be and the adult that they are becoming or have been. So just embrace and enjoy every moment and holiday you can by setting realistic boundaries, don’t sweat the small stuff and remember nothing, nor anyone, is ever perfect. JA Hodgdon-Ruppel Sources: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/ letting-go-of-holiday-expectations/ https://northernvirginiamag.com/ family/2023/12/07/how-to-survive-collegekids-coming-home-for-the-holidays/ https://www.pamelahenkelman.com/articles/ managing-holiday-expectations-with-adultchildren-tips-for-a-joyful-holiday-season
Page 32 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News Something Has Changed with Christmas… Something Is Not the Same Christmas. Matching jammies. Kids sneaking out of their rooms to wake each other, then jumping on our bed to get us up. Wrapping paper everywhere. The scent of homemade monkey bread drifting through the house. Some days, I think I would give almost anything to go back to that time. When I look back on Christmases past, I pray that I paused long enough to really enjoy the kids—their excitement, their innocence, even their glorious chaos. I swear, I could’ve placed a giant trash bag right in front of them and still watched paper, bows, and boxes fly into every corner of the room like a festive tornado. I loved wrapping gifts all December long, right up until Christmas Eve when Santa “delivered” gift bags filled with brand-new Christmas jammies for each of them. I loved seeing their little faces after school as they spotted more presents under the tree. They’d bend over each tag, shake every box, try to guess what was inside. It was so much easier to shop for them back then, wasn’t it? They circled toys in the Sears catalog or the Walmart ad—each child using a different colored marker so there was no confusion… as if I didn’t instantly recognize each kid’s handwriting and color choice. And best of all, I always knew all three kids would be home for every moment of the festivities. No schedules, no juggling, no negotiating. Just us. Just Christmas. Then…it happened. They grew up. Honestly, how rude. Suddenly matching pajamas weren’t “cool.” Their Christmas lists shifted from toys to very specific cosmetics or electronics that required research, coupons, and sometimes a prayer. And worst of all, I had to start sharing them—with boyfriends’ families, girlfriends’ families, and new traditions that didn’t include me. Christmas Eve suddenly came with travel plans. Christmas morning came with deadlines. Someone had to be at someone else’s house by noon. Those first few years were rough. I won’t pretend they weren’t. I felt the loss of what Christmas used to be. But then something changed in me. I realized that I was getting to share holidays with some pretty wonderful people too. Our kids and their significant others were making it a priority to be with us, not out of obligation, but because they genuinely wanted to. And I began to recognize that other moms and families were sharing their babies with me as
Page 33 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News well. There’s something incredibly beautiful about that exchange. Our traditions didn’t disappear—they simply transformed. What used to be cookies left out for Santa became late-night board games. The kids stopped sneaking down the hall to wake each other and instead sent group texts: “GET UP, IT’S CHRISTMAS.” The monkey bread still made its appearance, and yes, the wrapping paper still ended up on the floor beside the garbage bag, but somehow, it felt right. It was still Christmas. Just… different. Now we have one married child, one in a long-term relationship (that we pray turns into marriage), and our baby who is out there living her best life in college. God willing, our next chapter will bring grandbabies, and the magic of Christmas through a child’s eyes will once again fill our home. My eyes well up as I type this. When I look back at the blessings and joy our children have brought into our lives, I realize something: Christmas is not a date on the calendar. Christmas is not a schedule. Christmas is a feeling. It’s being together, however and wherever that happens. Lives change. People come and go. Kids grow up. But love—and Christmas—never fails. This year, we’re all going to VEGAS! May God bless you and yours this Christmas season and throughout the year. Lesleigh Bennett
Page 34 2025 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News Friends are the family you choose A friends’ Christmas homecoming has become a staple for many young adults returning to their hometowns for the holidays, offering a chance to reconnect, unwind, and share time away from the seasonal rush. But while these gatherings are beloved, organizing one often proves more challenging than expected. Successful hosting starts long before anyone arrives, and the difference between a cozy night and a chaotic one usually lies in the planning. The first step is simple: start early. A month ahead is ideal, but the earlier the better. December fills up faster than anyone likes to admit. People are traveling, visiting family, or juggling last-minute obligations, and an early plan gives everyone the chance to adjust. Shared calendar apps can save you from endless “wait, what day again?” texts; they allow your friends to see any changes instantly, freeing you from repeating the details over and over like a malfunctioning Christmas toy. Though communication should always be encouraged. Good communication becomes the backbone of the entire event. If you’re uncertain about anything — the time, the food situation, whether someone can bring extra blankets for your cold house, or if pets need to be kept separate — be upfront with your friends. Clear expectations prevent last-minute stress. A simple Google Doc can become a free hub of all information; from the general plan, to the menu, to the carpool situation. It can also be used to write out a “house rules” sheet that can be printed and placed near the entryway. It might feel formal, but it keeps everyone on the same page, and it prevents the same questions from popping up all night. Not every friends’ Christmas homecoming has to happen in the biggest house or the cleanest one — it just needs to happen somewhere that makes sense. The best hosting spot is usually the home with the most available seating, the least fragile furniture, and the person most willing to tidy a bit before and after. Sometimes that’s you, sometimes it’s the friend whose parents are out of town, and sometimes it’s whoever has the comfiest couch. Geography matters too; picking a house central to everyone keeps travel stress low and reduces the number of “Can someone pick me up?” texts. A good host location is less about perfection and more about accessibility, warmth, and a space where everyone feels comfortable dropping their shoulders for the night. One of the biggest hurdles is always the dreaded question of what to do. Asking “What do you want to do?” rarely helps — most people default to “I don’t care,” which offers nothing and stalls every plan. A better approach is to ask what people don’t want. It’s easier for most guests to give a list of dislikes than to brainstorm activities from scratch. Ask which foods people avoid and whether there are allergies or dietary restrictions. Find out which games they want to steer clear of, whether that’s long strategy games, chaotic card games, or anything that feels too competitive. Eliminating the “no” options
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzExODA=