Shine Principle #5: Realize the Impact of Little Things.

Tonight my family and I will enjoy a favorite family ritual: Shamrock Shakes.  Milk, vanilla or mint ice cream, green dye, McDonald's straws (key!) and, if you're feeling really festive, green cups.  

This family ritual is an adaptation of one of my most fond childhood memories.  I'm not Irish, but I grew up in New York in a neighborhood heavily populated with Irish and Italian families.  The McDonald's on the corner of Northern Boulevard in Douglaston, New York served Shamrock Shakes only one day a year - St. Patrick's Day.  The thick green shakes could barely be sipped through McDonald's infamous straws.  Since McDonald's was on my walk home from school, each St. Patrick's Day my mother gave me enough money to treat myself and a friend to green shakes.  I think at the time they were something like $0.75 each.  A small gesture, but one that I remember vividly.

Realize the Impact of Little Things.

Richard and I started dating in January 1999.  By March I had met his son Ricky, who at the time was five years old (finally... a child on whom I could impose all my favorite childhood shenanigans).  I was intent on introducing the Beeny boys to my Shamrock Shake ritual, but was soon disappointed to learn that Texans didn't "do-up" St. Patrick's Day in the same way New Yorkers did.  High and low I searched for a McDonald's in Texas that would be willing to stand out and shine by serving green shakes!  

Notta one.

We improvised.  I bought all the fixins and, for the very first time, made our very own homemade Shamrock Shakes.  Eleven years later and with two additional boys, the favorite part of this family ritual is deciding who gets to pour the green dye into the blender.  Richard and I are tout moderation, but Ricky, Matthew, and Jack think it's fun to see how green they can get the shake - and, in turn, turn their tongues.

Shamrock Shakes are a simple gesture.  They don't take a long time, cost a lot of money, or require batteries.  The real fun is embedded in the simplicity of counting the days until Shamrock Shake Day, turning our ice cream green, and believing that drinking from a McDonald's straw magically makes our shakes taste better. 

Realize the Impact of Little Things.

I'm a fan of the Shamrock Shake, so I'm not in the market for a new family ritual.  But, if I was, I would have a hard time resisting my favorite St. Patrick's find from last year - Leprechaun Traps!  All you need is a cardboard box and some craft supplies.  Kids use their imaginations to develop a gadget they think is mostly likely to trap leprechauns who are sneaking around in the wee hours of the morning.  I did a post about it last year.  Take a look...

Here's a sneak peak:

Italian, Mexican, German, Chinese, Japanese, or Irish, people from any nationality can take a little time out today to have fun with family and friends.  Visit us in the Forum labeled, Today's Post and tell us what you've got planned.  

Shining off until tomorrow...