{"id":820062,"date":"2025-01-03T20:45:39","date_gmt":"2025-01-04T02:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.albertleatribune.com\/?p=820062"},"modified":"2025-01-03T15:12:50","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T21:12:50","slug":"april-jeppson-sneaking-away-to-enjoy-some-family-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.albertleatribune.com\/2025\/01\/april-jeppson-sneaking-away-to-enjoy-some-family-time\/","title":{"rendered":"April Jeppson: Sneaking away to enjoy some family time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every Little Thing by April Jeppson<\/strong><\/p>\n

When someone asks how my holiday was, my mind immediately takes me back to the few magical days I spent up north. It wasn\u2019t planned far in advance or meticulously orchestrated, but it turned out to be exactly what I didn\u2019t know I needed. Spending a few nights in the house I grew up in, surrounded by family, felt like slipping into your favorite sweatshirt \u2014 it just fits, and it warms you in all the right ways.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

April Jeppson<\/p><\/div>\n

There\u2019s something about being back in your childhood home that\u2019s both grounding and nostalgic. Walking down the stairs and every creak of the step takes me back 30 years. The scent of cinnamon mixed with the smell of the wood stove instantly takes me back to simpler times, it\u2019s like stepping into a time capsule. But it wasn\u2019t just the place that filled me with gratitude \u2014 it was the people.<\/p>\n

At night we played cards, gathered around the table like when I would visit my grandma as a child. Watching my parents interact with my children is one of my favorite things in all the world. Whether they are cooking together or introducing each other to a TV show they enjoy, it just makes me so happy.<\/p>\n

We had the opportunity to attend an 80th birthday party for my aunt. I saw family and cousins I hadn\u2019t seen in years. Catching up, teasing each other and admiring how \u201cgrown up\u201d we all had become. All while my children roamed the streets of my hometown on a search for the elusive Dairy Queen.<\/p>\n

I know that not everyone has the opportunity to spend time with their family over the holidays. Some people don\u2019t have a family they\u2019d want to spend time with at all, and the weight of that isn\u2019t lost on me. I\u2019ve been gifted with parents that I genuinely enjoy being around. They\u2019re not just my parents \u2014 they\u2019re my friends.<\/p>\n

Each night, we\u2019d sit around the table or the living room and laugh until we cried. Not over anything profound \u2014 usually just some one liner or confusion over what someone said. But those moments of shared joy, where time seems to pause, are what refresh your spirit in ways you didn\u2019t know you needed.<\/p>\n

One night, after everyone had gone to bed, I stood in the living room, soaking in the stillness. I thought about how rare it is to have this kind of connection with family, and how easy it is to take it for granted. The holidays can be a whirlwind of obligations and stress, but those days up north reminded me of what really matters \u2014 being present, listening and laughing.<\/p>\n

Writer Louisa May Alcott once wrote, \u201cStay is a charming word in a friend\u2019s vocabulary.\u201d This holiday, my family\u2019s presence felt like one big \u201cstay\u201d \u2014 an invitation to linger a little longer, laugh a little harder and love a little deeper.<\/p>\n

So, when someone asks me how my holiday was, I\u2019ll tell them it was wonderful. Because it truly was. Not because of fancy meals or elaborate gifts, but because I got to sneak away to the place where it all began and be surrounded by the people who remind me of who I am.<\/p>\n

»Æ¹ÏÊÓƵn April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears every Saturday.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When someone asks how my holiday was, my mind immediately takes me back to the few magical days I spent up north. It wasn\u2019t planned far in advance or meticulously orchestrated, but it turned out to be exactly what I didn\u2019t know I needed. Spending a few nights in the house I grew up in, surrounded by family, felt like slipping into your favorite sweatshirt \u2014 it just fits, and it warms you in all the right ways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":770,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[93,3402,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-820062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-columns","category-every-little-thing","category-opinion"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nApril Jeppson: Sneaking away to enjoy some family time - »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.albertleatribune.com\/2025\/01\/april-jeppson-sneaking-away-to-enjoy-some-family-time\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"April Jeppson: Sneaking away to enjoy some family time - »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When someone asks how my holiday was, my mind immediately takes me back to the few magical days I spent up north. 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