I wanted our three hours to be absolutely perfect, but that didn’t happen.

Abby woke during the night with a stomach bug. She and I were up several times. Bill’s ex-wife brought Scott and Missy an hour late. They were grouchy. Abby opened gifts with us, then went back to bed. When we sat down to brunch, I was exhausted.

Abby’s dad didn’t believe my text message that she was sick until he saw her. “You’ll feel better when you open gifts at our house,” he said. She sighed, hugged me, and left. I wanted her to stay and worried she would throw up in her dad’s car (he would yell and make her feel worse).

And so it went.

Blended families have a tough road to travel. The holidays make their lives even more complicated: Who goes to which parent’s (or grandparent’s) house when? When will the family be together? Will everyone get along?

One way to bring everyone together is to start new traditions, whether it’s having an Advent wreath or taking food and toys to families in need. New traditions help strengthen fragile bonds. And, even more so, praying for and encouraging blended families helps strengthen them. Whom can you reach out and help this Christmas and next year?