“At the heart of every tradition is a meaningful family experience.” – Unknown
I’d be willing to bet that you have a handful of holiday traditions you’re excited about every year. Maybe it’s piling in a car with your close friends to drive around looking at neighbors’ extravagant light displays. Or perhaps you use your grandmother’s cookie recipe to make a warm batch of treats every Christmas Eve. Or maybe you get excited to give your kiddos new pajama sets and enjoy watching a beloved Christmas movie together.
Traditions are a special thing. They represent the holidays they accompany, yes, but also so much more. Traditions can provide a sense of stability, strengthen community bonds, and create long-lasting memories.
There are seemingly endless traditions when it comes to the Christmas season. Putting up a tree, decorating the house, singing Christmas carols, writing letters to Santa, exchanging gifts, and “ugly sweater” competitions, just to name a few. But what if you want to create a tradition unique to your family? One that your kids will remember fondly as adults and want to recreate with their own families one day?
While partaking in established holiday traditions can be a fun way to celebrate the season, creating your own gives you the chance to root the tradition in your family’s values and tailor it to what you enjoy most about the holiday. Below are three tips to come up with unique traditions that your family will look forward to each year.
Consider What Matters Most
What is it about the holidays that matter most to you and your family? Is it the chance to spend quality time together, the uplifting atmosphere, religious reasons? Whatever you find most compelling about holidays, have your traditions to reflect that reason. If giving back is an important part of Christmas cheer to you, then find ways for your family to serve the community together. If nostalgia and thinking back on past holidays fill your heart, then capture each year’s festivities and compile the photos in a special memory book.
Don’t Over-Complicate It
Creating a new tradition can be as simple as you want it to be. Try taking a popular tradition and tweaking it to better fit your family. For example, making and decorating gingerbread houses is a fun seasonal activity, but it leaves you with a house made of candy that just sits there for a month and is eventually tossed out. A twist to this tradition could be to make and decorate gingerbread cookies rather than constructing a candy house. Then choose someone you know who is going through a hard time, and have your family write them encouraging notes. Gift the person the gingerbread and notes, turning this tradition into a sweet time for connection.
Embrace Spontaneity and Silliness
Some traditions are born out of intention, and some come from silly things your kids do. Don’t be afraid of traditions not going to plan; instead, find the humor in spontaneity and go with the flow. You may find that a disrupted tradition becomes more meaningful than the original idea.
Whatever way you choose to incorporate traditions into your holiday plans, don’t underestimate the impact they can have on your family’s joy, memories, and lasting legacy. Take a chance this year and start something special that will serve your family for years to come.
