Ensure Our Seniors Are Thought Of This Christmas: Celebrate and Honor Their Presence

Each family has its unique holiday traditions, particularly in many Black homes where music fills the air early on—think Stevie Wonder’s “Someday at Christmas” or the Temptations’ “Silent Night.” There’s often that one enthusiastic cousin who always takes the lead despite no official assignment. Before dawn, kitchens buzz with activity, and the infamous “children’s table” persists, holding even grown adults who are fully independent yet find themselves crammed beneath a folding table, attempting to blend in.While families laugh about it, a concerning shift occurs when the adult table becomes increasingly exclusive, not to the younger crowd but towards the older generations who helped establish these traditions. This gradual oversight manifests in subtle ways: conversations bypass them, and assumptions arise surrounding their engagement. Meanwhile, as many of us recount cherished family stories, elders should not be singled out for repetition. After all, none of us can predict how many more holidays together await us.