Holiday Traditions

Posted by: Margy

Family holiday traditions are important because they communicate values, build unity, and create meaningful memories. Traditions and rituals become complicated as families change due to marriages, divorces, moves, deaths and births. It might be impossible to make everyone in the family happy when planning holiday traditions but there are some strategies for minimizing conflict and maximizing togetherness.

• Plan ahead. The more complicated the family, the more time and effort you may need for planning. Decisions that are left to the last minute could lead to disappointment or anger. When plans are made and communicated to others in advance, people have a chance to get used to and accept the decisions.
• Be flexible and make sacrifices. You can combine, modify or let go of old traditions in order to keep peace in the family.
• Stay positive. Don’t get pulled into the negativity of “guilt trips,” bickering, accusations or threats. Stay positive, patient and calm when communicating with family members.
• Be creative and democratic. If you have a relatively cooperative family, try getting them together for a holiday-solutions brainstorming session.
• Keep your expectations in check. Expecting things to be perfect leads to disappointment and fatigue. You are celebrating the holidays with unique individuals who make up your family. Embrace their uniqueness instead of resisting it.

But, most importantly, remember to enjoy the holidays! And, from all of us, we wish you and yours a happy, healthy, joyful  and stress-free (as possible!) holiday season!