Black Feather Forward #3

Black Feather Blog

Black Feather Forward #3

Tracy Borup

Dec 17, 2019

Merry Christmas from the GOTA Podcast!

Christmas Time

“Frosted window panes, candles gleaming inside, painted candy canes on the tree…….” I LOVE Christmas time, the music, the colors, the hustle and bustle and the friends and family time! I have spent countless hours putting together playlists (yes, lists!) of my favorite holiday music. We have spent days decorating our home. (More about that later) We attend Christmas programs, parties and light shows. We watch all our favorite Christmas movies. We celebrate birthdays! We love December!

Wearing out the Werewolves

Our heroes are battling it out at the Temple of Desna known as The Stairs of the Moon. Werewolves run rampant and continuously threaten the lives of our dear Black Feather Few. What they lack in martial prowess, they make up for in the sheer number of individuals they have in their packs. Who will win and walk away and who will be worn and wasted? Listen to our latest episode to find out.

Making Memories

Traditions abound in our family and help create the memories that make this time of year so special and memorable.

Waking up very early on Christmas day is a tradition that has been modified to waking up at a reasonable hour as everyone grew older. When Tyler was little he used to open AND PLAY WITH all his Christmas presents and then very carefully rewrap them. His parents had no idea until he finally matured. Well, maybe not matured, but got married to a wife who ratted him out!

But his family added a wonderful tradition to our family’s by hosting a gingerbread house building party. Spencer always enacts the killing of Santa Claus either in our outside of his house. That’s what a GM does when he can’t kill off his players fast enough!

One of our favorite traditions is “following the string”. We borrowed this one from my grandparents. A tag attached to a string is hidden near the Christmas tree with a family members name on it. They follow wherever the string leads which always ends up at a hidden present. Once the present is “found” a new tag is read from the string and the next family member is off on their hunt. The patriarch of the family, Ken, has put his own spin on this tradition that includes reading out the name in his loudest voice and cheering at full volume when the recipient gets his present. These are usually the most unique or special; presents and conclude the unwrapping portion of the day.

Ken always uses his grandmother’s recipe to make homemade “piggy nose” rolls.

Ken and I have collected nativity decorations and ornaments since our first Christmas together. After 31 years we have quite the collection. Last year we counted over 300! That’s why it takes days to set up. It takes everyone to help get it all up!

Not Always Holly or Jolly

Despite what I’ve just shared, our family really understands that the holidays can be hard. Ken is a funeral director and our family has had to move or delay our celebrations so that he can care for families who have lost loved ones at Christmas. Ken’s father passed away 3 years ago right before Halloween. All of us miss him, but really feel the loss at Christmas. You see, he and Emily, Tyler’s wife and our daughter and sister was especially close to her “Papa”. She was born on Christmas day and his birthday was on December 20th. He was determined that her birthday would not get lost in all the Christmas merry making. They celebrated their birthdays together every year. They even called each other when we moved away to make sure each was having a great day.

Emily has a hard time at Christmas now as she has an empty space in her heart when she doesn’t get to hear him wish her a happy birthday anymore. Several of the members in our family deal with depression and anxiety daily. Holiday expectations can cause these mental issues to blow up and get out of hand. We have all learned to take a step back when we feel overwhelmed. Let some things go because no one will remember whether the present was wrapped or given in a store bag. Make a choice to skip a party or event or activity and people will understand. Take a break and do something you want to do that helps you unwind and relax.

If you or a loved one is having difficulty at this time, we hope these organizations and the resources they provide will help you in some way.

Presenting a Present

Our friend and podcast fan, Brian Lane, sent us a wonderful present for Christmas. Pathways of the Receivers is an adventure that took three years to complete! His RPG group has such an incredible story that he decided to turn it into a novel. We are all taking turns to read it and will give you our book review in a month or two. I can’t wait until I can get my hands on it! That might just be the thing I need to take a break from holiday hassles!

Brightest Wishes

All of us at Gathering Of The Ages Podcast want to thank you for being the most patient and wonderful supporters we could ever have wished for! We know that we can get taken over by the gelatinous cubes in life and miss a few deadlines here and there. We can’t believe we have loyal fans and friends who realize and understand that this podcast is a labor of love and not a job for us. We have always viewed this project as a way to stay close as a family, have fun playing a great game by a super company, and an outlet for creativity and a way to deal with the mental illness we face.

We would love to hear what makes your Christmas so special for you and your family or friends. We may even share a few ideas on the podcast. We would like to know what do you do to cope with holiday stress? We would love to add to our tips and maybe learn something new that will help us too.

Thank you for letting us into your lives and hearts. Have the very Merriest of Christmas’ and a brilliant New Year!

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