MeInMaine Blog

Tag: christmas in maine family traditions

  • Covering More Ground With Right Thinking.

    It is always about quality of life.

    Getting the most out of it. Not missing the magic moments of the little things happening around you. That combine for the bigger take away of a good life. You are in it for the long haul right? Not lazy, not just expecting things to fall in your lap I am sensing.

    So right thinking, how to keep out of the ruts, the set backs, the slide to the dark side.

    BB8 NewStar Wars Droid.
    Rolling Around, Keep Moving To Avoid Bogging Down This Christmas Season. Advice For Droids, All Of Us.

    ( Did you like the new rolling ball droid BB-8 in Star Wars movie? Wonder if the idea came from someone using a Dyson dirt sucker during a break, mental block in script writing?)

    We’ve blog posted on stinking thinking before. Let’s weigh in with Irish author Emmet Fox. See what he brings to the table. Has to serve up this morning for food for thought.

    Fox born in Ireland, educated in England and died young in France in 1951.

    “There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer;
    No disease that enough love will not heal;
    No door that enough love will not open;
    No gulf that enough love will not bridge;
    No wall that enough love will not throw down;
    No sin that enough love will not redeem. . .

    It makes no difference how deeply seated may be the trouble, how hopeless the outlook, how muddled the tangle, how great the mistake–a sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all. . . if only you could love enough, you would be the happiest and most powerful being in the world.”

    Emmet Fox

    Changing the channel is easy when something not to your fancy is served up over the airwaves.

    Maine Lake Living Is Pure, Simple, Real.
    Playing With The Beagle, Chuck And Return Beagle Style.

    But what about doing the same with your thinking? What rolls around in your head and heart, down next to your soul?

    Fox reminds

    “You must not under any pretense allow your mind to dwell
    on any thought that is not positive, constructive, optimistic, kind.”

    Consider other approaches, positive ones and see the end result you want. Then push toward that goal rather than hands thrown in the air in despair. Which is defined as the complete loss of hope.

    Isn’t Christmas the season of hope? Even with timber of a Hello Kitty, non offensive Christmas tree three decade long classroom display?

    Maine Farmer To Farmer MOFGA Meeting.
    The Joy Of Young Children, Youth To Make Life, Holidays Bright.

    Bangor Maine math teacher Catherine Gordon says it “sucks the joy of out of season”.

    When you are unhappy, isn’t it easier to find fault around you beyond what you are fixated on at the time?

    Maybe when we think more about others in need the stick pulls back on its own. Lifting us out of being offended round the clock dead zone.

    Hey, considering it all joy takes lots of fortitude.

    But who you socialize with, listen to has a big good or negative impact on our thinking. The filter, lens we use to steer our life. To consider the options in the choices on how we think.

    Start your day, end it with counting your blessings helps.

    Boost your self confidence, raise your self esteem. The overly sensitive, those with low self esteem frequently get their feelings hurt.

    You would think all that negativity would cease fire, experience a healthy truce over the Christmas season. For everyone. That thinking back to a childhood of dancing sugar plums and sounds of boisterous reindeer rooftop hooves would suspend all that. If you had that as a child. If you had kids around to re-create that magic again.

    But Christmas is also a reminder of lost ones that you enjoyed celebrating it with years ago. Good memories should sooth and create inner peace. Are you braced for holiday happiness? Why people get depressed at Christmas.

    Maine Dogs Bond.
    The Pets Socialize As Their Owners Do The Same On A Maine Open Deck. Chill.

    A study finds that families who focus on buying and receiving gifts report more stress and less satisfaction during the holiday season. The secret to a happy Christmas involves darkening the door of a local house of worship. Easy does it, not over the top zealous but with moderation. To have yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

    Thinking about all the veterans overseas, serving to protect and away from loved ones this Christmas.

    You will be home next year. The loss this year of a loved one makes some just wish the holiday would fast forward and be done already. Safe traveling to and fro for those on the road to get home for Christmas celebrations. Comfort for those spending the holiday in a hospital, medical facility.

    Share the sights, smells, sounds of your Christmas past.

    Teach children the joy of traditions that should be past down, not forgotten.

    Hoping you have a memorable Christmas and Happy New Year faithful blog post readers.

    It is all about as a man thinketh. James Allen had the right idea.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

    207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |

    MOOERS REALTY 69 North Street Houlton Maine 04730

  • Christmas, New Years Tag Team Holidays Good And Sad Mixture.

    Christmas Fudge, Cookies, Cakes, Breads, Part Of What My Kids Miss From Nana.
    Christmas Is Bitter Sweet When You Are Reminded How Much Someone Like A Parent, Other Family Member Or Friend Put In To The Spirit Of Christmas, Holidays.

    Holidays like Christmas and New Years shine brighter or darker depending on your life stage and outlook perspective.

    If you have little ones to gift shop for, cook for you get caught up with the ho ho ho spirit of the Christmas season. Helping write letters to Santa. Leaving out cookies and milk, an encouraging note for last minute brownie points for the big guy in red velvet and fur with the boisterous flying reindeers.

    While witnessing a child’s excitement and wide eyed wonder it is impossible to not remember your parents, grandparents, other older family members, neighbors and school teachers having a hand at creating the same Christmas magic for you.

    Growing up in a small Maine town, everyone is very inter-connected.

    Wired pretty much with the same family values, traditions, holiday rituals. Sitting a few pews over during the church Christmas pageant. One by one lighting candles around a balsam fir richly decorated sanctuary while sinking tried and tested, old favorite Christmas songs. Out in front of their Maine homes stringing up Christmas lights to add to the twinkle of the season. Making more of an effort for any kids in the small town audience. Or to rekindle the spirit of past Christmas of their own in the decorating process inside and out of their houses.

    The coconut covered bon bons, peanut brittle, divinity fudge, pin wheel date filled and frosted sugar cookies my mom would love to make during the weeks leading up to Christmas were special. Banana breads, other passed down holiday food recipes for sweets carefully prepared, wrapped up with festive trimmings. And delivered one by one in care package fashion. My secretary at work says she misses “Nana’s” Christmas goodies. My kids, I do too.

    Where son number one works at A Basin Colorado ski area winters, he says an eighty something year old couple swish swish down his mountain.

    And the lady half of the couple creates the same vintage, style holiday survival, enhancement packages of sweets. And each lift operator, mountain resort worker gets their own box to enjoy. It reminds him of Nana even though she has been gone for years. This year’s box will help salve, bag balm the bitter sweet feelings the much appreciated goodies evoke. He is looking forward to that woman’s smile, love and attention. That may be coming again to brighten another Christmas away from home town Maine.

    In Maine snow flakes come in different sizes. Delivered in different speeds and amounts. In December when slowly drifting bigger, lighter flakes fall under warm, glowing street lights I think of my Dad’s father. Laying in Madigan Hospital run slowly dying of throat cancer. And my brothers’ nightly visits up the big front granite steps. A parent holding my hand as a small child.The room smelling of Cepacol and his hacking, labored breathing making me feel helpless, uncomfortable. Not how I remembered Grampy with a dress hat, tie, sweater and love of playing checkers.

    Worrying if Grampy was going to witness another visit from Santa or not.

    Seeing others cousins, family members with long faces and not talking much.  It was my first introduction to death, which we were taught with routine visits to the graveyard to plant headstone flowers is part of life. Reminded to celebrate life, family and days with blue skies, bright sunshine and perfect health. That don’t happen every day in Maine, any where forever.

    Embrace the happy memories of Christmas.

    Make New Year’s resolutions that involve others, less of your own wishes, desires, gains. Reach out and mend strained or broken relationships. Have yourself a holly jolly Christmas, Happy New Year this year. Ring the Salvation Army fund raising kettle bell with a friend, or family member.

    Without fan fare, do whatever you can to brighten the Christmas of someone you know with a son or daughter away. A missing parent lost too close to the holiday this year. Or with family overseas in the military and gone. Pass on the trappings, experiences of Christmas pass to those around you. For ideas on how to enhance their own.

    Everyone in our state is worried, praying for an Orrington Maine mother this year who is suffering the gruesome loss of her three kids and husband in a recent fire. Or directed toward a local man burned in a car accident. In a coma, missing both feet, on a long straight up hill recovery from burns to much of his body lying in a Boston hospital bed. Hoping the good past Christmas memories can sustain and lift up the heavy, broken spirit horror they struggle with that must be causing deep depression. Thick dark clouds over their holiday season. Hoping to just get this year behind them. Prayers for families enduring divorce and the hardship it causes in the split up, highly emotional rift too.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

    207.532.6573
    info@mooersrealty.com

  • Christmas Tinsel, Shiny Wrapped Presents But In Maine Much More.

    Christmas, More Than Presents, Wish Lists, Secret Santas, Egg Nog.
    Repair Broken Families, Reach Out To Kids That Need Your Love, Attention

    Christmas should be more home made and not store bought.

    Easy easy, not getting all anti commercial or trying to sabotage stimulating the economy for retailers this Ho Ho Ho season of green and red.

    But head over heels in debt, mountains of credit card receipts a Christmas bright does not make, right? My Mom from a Maine farm family of eleven. Always reminded her four boys growing up one important word. Moderation.

    Seek out and find, make the perfect gift. The one the loved one on the list really really wants. But put a lot of the holiday time, money, love in to the bigger picture of Christmas. To start with, continue family traditions but around more larger life purposes, meaningful areas. Helping those that know real hunger, kind of a carry over of sharing the Thanksgiving harvest of bountiful food theme should be part of the local Maine celebration.

    Soup kitchens, food pantries, putting on meals for shut ins, the homeless, the lost, tired, depressed and confused are the “others” the church sermons spot light.

    Remembering not home for Christmas, out of country service men and woman, their families with cards, home made goodies.

    Knitting mittens, scarves for those needing them more than you and I. Special attention to reaching out to kids that deserve a Christmas like you provide your own should be a nagging poke in the ribs. Kids deserve to know Christmas, Santa and his flying reindeer are coming to town.

    Making sure where they live is warm, safe, secure and that no one is left shivering, cold, forgotten. Caring for others in your local Maine community without calling attention to yourself in the process. Lots of behind the scene steps taken individually by secret Santas. Are you one every year? Is that the real Christmas that hits home for you, brightening it, providing it for others ?

    And Maine church, civic and service groups amplify individual efforts where the real Christmas treasure is. Your kids are watching, learning about the responsible side of the end of the year holiday. That is more than electronic gagdets, anything requiring batteries, expensive accessories.

    Repairing broken relationships caused by divorce which over fifty percent of us struggle through, endure, weather the best we can.

    Some long long in the past wrong that was not righted. Causing family splits the parents, grandparents if alive would be bring you to task about. Reaching out, again. And again. So others know you care, forgive, and take ownership of your role in the relationship train wreck. Family is everything, the only thing that matters like food and water to survive, to enjoy a rich life experience.

    Too many people get to the point of it’s just easier not to stir up the painful memories.

    But going back and reaching out to loved ones, especially in your family is more hurtful for everyone if you don’t. The wrist lock of mental barb wire will drag you down, continue, not go away.

    Like an embedded poisonous sliver of sharp glass that gets harder to remove as it lodges deeper. Becomes part of you. A daily reminder you can not stuff, bury, cast off, just forget. Like an elephant in the the room that causes all kind of problems. Distracts, derails any of the joy of Christmas that depression, rejection, or just being all alone, thinking no one cares can cause.

    Not fun, warm and fuzzy to talk about, but needing to be brought out in to the holiday lights, ribbon candy, egg nog and peanut brittle hoopla too.

    Don’t choose to get angry, frustrated, or rationalize the way it is that you wished it wasn’t is beyond you. That is not healthy, loving, kind. Casting blame on others when we all have a hand, role in making a mess of life’s events. Repair, reach out, forgive and seek continuation of family relationships. Communication that was once in place but got horrible misplaced.

    Merry Christmas, Happy New Year from the giant staff of the Me In Maine blog.

    Videos of Maine Community Events Maine Photos Discover Northern Maine
    Andrew Mooers, Maine Real Estate Broker – REALTOR
    207.532.6573
    info@mooersrealty.com

  • Christmas In Maine, Not The Better It Is The More You Spend.

    Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer, Part Of Christmas Reruns Not Just Kids Watch.
    Ahhhh Gee.

    The amount of debt you rack up for a Christmas is not how Mainers determine how memorable, how special the holiday season was any given year.

    The dollar amount and number of gifts spread under the real fir or pine holiday tree in Maine with the white angel on top and twinkling lights, tinsel, garland is not the determining factor of how good, memorable the holiday season played out in the final analysis.

    Christmas in Maine is about traditions, family get togethers and usually involves lots of home cook food.

    Delicacies, special recipes passed down from generation to generation. Divinity fudge, peanut butter balls, ribbon candy, chocolate Santas, reindeer sugar cookies with frosting, sprinkles in red and green. Decorations around the inside of the home with items you saved from your childhood house hold.

    The plastic 1963 red and white Santa holding the Christmas bulb to light the room brought out to perform.

    The one with the crack in it from many falls to the floor during family holiday gatherings. Or just years of use as a reminder that reindeer are coming if you’ve been moderately good. Hand knit large stockings with your name on them wait to be filled. Hanging on a fireplace mantel, or draped on a couch back. Old, special, cherished. Whoever pearl one, knit two their pattern long gone, but not forgotten. Part of the Maine Christmas celebration just the same.

    Christmas songs like Up On The House Top Click Click Click, Have A Holly Jolly Christmas with a singing snowman sounding a lot like Burl Eves. Rudolph learning to fly, not treated the best by his fellow reindeer but ending up the hero leading the sleigh team. Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the crew showing right up time to spell out the true meaning of Christmas.

    Linus asking in a strong single voice “Lights please”.

    One elf wanting to be a dentist. Kevin left home alone for Christmas, again.

    Candle light Christmas Eve services. Caroling to shut ins. Decorated houses with outside lights around the small Maine town. Food pantries to make sure others have a brighter Christmas, free of hunger worries. Christmas trees with cards saying take one, “Boy, Nine,” or “Girl, Twelve”. You shop for a few more special people you have never met but reach out to any way at Christmas time. Not for show, or to have anyone else know you are doing it. Christmas is an inside job. It’s secret Santa gifts behind the scenes.

    Christmas is painful for those who lost a loved one this year, or that are reminded annually about who is missing.

    What they enjoyed about Christmas, and making sure others in the family knew the person departed, but not forgotten has its time in the conversation during party platters, peanut brittle sampling.

    The wonderment of small children, so excited about white beard, red suit, reindeer and elves, the North Pole. Writing letters to Santa read over a local radio station. School and Christmas pageants, concerts. In the air of a small Maine town, there is a spirit of Christmas. And it does not mean multiple cart loads of merchandise. It means passing on family traditions. Everything home made, with special meaning.

    The oyster or Maine lobster stew, lasagna, prime rib or whatever is on the menu year after year for Christmas Eve to dine on as you dress up, wear Christmas garb. With children of all ages sharing in the wonderment while new snow usually falls outside. Dusting, laying a blanket of white fluff to play on the next day.

    The large table the Pilgrims would drool over on Christmas Day of ham, turkey, multiple home grown vegetables, canned and preserved goods. To enjoy after the pretty paper has been torn away. More Christmas music, old and new filling the home.

    The right Christmas gift discovered by the person on the written present tag.

    Smiling, laughing, part of a Maine family Christmas celebration. Or invited in to a Maine house hold, church to not be alone at Christmas. That is not a native, but just finds himself, herself seperated from their real home this tail end of December. Or that usually has a house full, but logistics just did not allow it this year. Away in military service, kept away because of stormy weather, lack of resources to make the long trip to “Vacationland”.

    Warmly pulled in, included, welcomed in to a special family knit group to share their special Christmas holiday. And asked what are you doing for New Years? Plans made to include you because nothing is on the social agenda for the end of the year celebration. You are not going to be alone. Or let’s be alone together the plan. Happy Holidays to all our MeInMaine blog post readers.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
    207.532.6573
    info@mooersrealty.com