Do Something Together this Holiday

Happy holidays to those reading this blog. It is that time of year where families are generally more able to spend some quality time together. A rarity, in many circumstances, because parents and guardians are often so inundated with their professional lives to devote more meaningful time to their children. This is not to say there is a lack of desire to spend quality time with one's family, but when the opportunity does presents itself, such as over a holiday break from school and work, perhaps parents and guardians are at somewhat of a loss for things to do with their children. How is it remedied? Well, perusing the internet and scrolling on mobile devices, of course! Hardly a group activity of sentimental or experiential value.

Bad technological habits among youth (and adults) have formed strongly over the past couple of decades, and appear to be maintaining their consuming pace. While there is plenty of research to speak to the dangers of technology dependence, the question becomes who is willing to hear it? Or, do something about it? The fact is, we all depend upon technology for so much in modern life, how can it be reduced to a remotely healthy level? I recognize this fact as I am sitting, typing this blog post on my laptop!

Let us not forget that humans and our social cultures have existed for far longer than our technology obsessions have. What did people used to do when the world seemed to move more slowly? Around the holidays, people might have done crafty or creative projects, decorated their homes, done jigsaw puzzles, played other board games, watched a movie, cooked extravagant meals, gone for group walks, among many other things. Think for a moment: how many of these things are truly dependent upon a holiday? My point is that we tend to make excuses for not taking time to do things with our families on a regular basis. The same is true for activities like music making.

At some point in time, it was much more common for someone to sit at the family piano and plunk out some tunes to sing along with, while the rest of the family would join by singing and/or playing another instrument. For anyone reading this, have you had these kinds of experiences? How about anyone you know? Parents? Grandparents? Do you provide them for your children? Of course, this helps to develop some performance ability and other intrinsically musical skills, but also serves as a meaningful experience to be cherished forever- an activity worth putting the phone down to participate in.

So this holiday season, sing some carols, hymns, pop tunes, whatever appeals to you and your family. Pick up an instrument, if that is comfortable, and play along. Encourage the children to hold these experiences close to their heart and hopefully do the same with their children in the future. Who knows, you may just find that making music with the family will become a regular activity to balance out all of that screen time.

My best wishes of peace and love to all :)