| The Season is Upon Us |
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| Have you already heard the Christmas carols? |
By Patrick McGuire
Consultant to the VIRTUS® Programs
 Thanksgiving is once again upon us, and in these trying economic times, perhaps we are returning to giving thanks for God’s great gifts like family, friends, health, and faith. But along with our gratitude comes a somewhat intrusive alteration in lifestyle that can only be imposed upon us by the beginning of the holiday gift-giving season. It is time to start wondering when the supermarket will start looping Christmas carols through its P.A. system even as they are marking down leftover Halloween candy. It’s time to start hiding the retail flyers in the Sunday newspaper from children keen on discovering ever-more-extravagant ideas for their Santa lists. And, it is time to take a moment or two to make sure we all keep ourselves safe during the pressures of the season’s hustle and bustle.
Of course, for many families, the first test of their holiday challenge mettle is the road trip to the relatives for Thanksgiving dinner. As in most journeys, the basic rules of safety apply, but in the twenty-first century, some new wrinkles have been added to the mix. For example, for every state that has a new law regarding the use of cell phones while driving, there are likely tens of thousands of motorists ignoring it. Please do not be one of them, especially if you family is with you in the car. Let one of your passengers handle the digital communications duties, even if it is your phone ringing. And, whatever movie is playing on the portable DVD player, make sure it is enthralling to anyone but the driver.
Once you’ve arrived at your destination, do enjoy your dinner and your day.
And now? It is time to navigate through the busiest shopping day of the year!
For those of you who dabble in this adventure, make sure your kids know the rules and how to follow your plan before you venture forth into the retail throng. For the smaller kids plan on keeping them with you; keep them in your direct line of sight or keep a hand on them. Small children are practically invisible in large crowds and are hence easily injured by tired, blundering adults loaded down with sleighs-full of holiday bargains. Small children can easily be swept up in crowds and become separated from their families. At that point, everyone becomes frantic. The closer you keep them, the safer they are.
For the older kids? You know… the ones where a little autonomy goes a long way worry-wise? Make sure they know the plan. Set the schedule. Set the meeting places. Set the check in times. (Perhaps, cell phones can actually be as handy as they are supposed to be.) And most importantly, review the back-up plan just in case things go awry. If someone cannot be reached or is not where they were supposed to be, what happens? Who is called and who goes where? Each family has to work the details out for themselves, of course. Just be sure that everyone knows the same information. And once they do….
Have a great Thanksgiving weekend!
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| Last Week's Poll
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Does your family have an established emergency plan?
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Yes
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50.18%
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No
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49.82%
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Total Votes: 1909
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