Traditions are often staples in families, organizations, and groups. People count on certain things remaining the same. For example, in our family for every birthday, the birthday person chooses the type of birthday cake they want someone to make for them. Or every year, some of the neighbors pool their money together to put on a neighborhood fireworks display for Independence Day. And many companies have a holiday party at the end of the year where you can expect to receive your holiday bonus. These are traditions that we can count on, we just expect them to happen, time and time again, with no end in sight.
But as times change, often those traditions shift as well. Maybe due to time constraints, what used to be a homemade birthday cake is now store-bought. Maybe the kids get older and don’t appreciate all the time, planning, money, and work that goes into the fireworks, so we just stop doing it. Maybe the economy changed those annual monetary bonuses into store gift cards handed out at the December staff meeting.
So, as we approach the holiday season, especially coming out of isolation and lockdowns, we should look at some of our families’ holiday traditions and adjust them to the times and to the people involved. Does everyone still want to dress in matching pajamas for the annual holiday card? Do we all want to have the big Thanksgiving turkey and ALL of the accompanying side dishes? (And does it have to be the same people, or a lone person, preparing this feast?) Do we need to have dad get on that old ladder to put holiday lights along the roofline and Christmas wreaths on every window of the house?
This might be a great time to get the family together and talk about the current traditions and how they can be adjusted to the family’s current personnel and situation. The teen kids that were toddlers when we started making cookies for Santa may now want to start a cookie exchange with their friends. Maybe for New Year’s Eve, instead of staying up and watching the ball drop, we decide we want to host a New Year’s Day brunch for the family. Someone suggested that this year, they may order Chinese food to eat on all day and watch all the Thanksgiving Day football games. What great new traditions can be born this way!
Have you made any adjustments to your family holiday traditions recently? What suggestions do you have?