Holiday Traditions: Classics and New Traditions

The holiday season isn't only about decking the halls. It's about family, friends, traditions and making memories. Holiday lights, family feasts, road trips, and more make up family traditions carried from year to year. Those old-timey traditions bring stability to our lives, and people are often reluctant to change them, even when life dictates that we have to change something. You can combine old and new traditions to create your own family traditions when life causes major changes.

People like to hold onto traditions because it brings back the nostalgia of when they were kids. Traditions can also hold a lot of memories, including that of lost loved ones. Many families are proud to pass classic traditions down through the generations.

​Many traditional holiday rituals help pass memories from one generation to another, especially if you have something from previous generations, such as Christmas tree decorations or a large dining table that was in your great-grandmother's house. Some of the classic traditions include:

• Decorating Your Home: Putting up lights and other decorations inside and outside your home can help you get into the mood for the holidays. You may have cherished decorations that were handed down through the generations. Some people buy an ornament every year for the tree. If you do that, remember to put the date on the ornament, so future generations can see how old the ornaments are.
• Cooking and Sharing Classic Holiday Recipes: Just as certain decorations are passed down through the generations, recipes are also passed down. Mothers teach their children, who teach their children how to make recipes that have been in the family for years if not generations.
• Family Gatherings: In the 1950s, '60s, '70s, and to some extent, the '80s and '90s, extended families were larger than most are today. There would be several aunts and uncles and all those cousins to play with during family gatherings for the holidays. Families shrunk over the years so that "newer" families might have one or two children instead of the passel of kids they used to have. You can still have family gatherings, but they most likely won't be as large as in years past. 

​With technology comes change. Christmas lights are no longer those super bright, crisp colors. Instead, you have LED lights that look almost pastel in color. You also have different types of decorations. In some families, gone are the days when dad or a relative pulled out the ladder and put lights on the roof. Now, we have digital lightshows.

You can still have a creative Christmas display by combining the new with the old. Hang up wreaths, put Santas and other holiday décor on the porch, and light up the lights, whether you go old-style or have the technology for a fancy light show.

If you are particularly crafty, you can make some of your own decorations to hand down to future generations. Finally, when you have people who are too far away, digital technology allows you to celebrate virtually. 

If you are set on the classic holiday traditions, you can still establish new holiday traditions. Ideas for new holiday traditions include:

• Add games to family gatherings.
• Have an extended family gathering on Christmas Eve, so your family can spend quality time together on Christmas, especially if you like to go to church on Christmas morning.
• Instead of everyone buying gifts for everyone, which can put a strain on pockets and credit cards, create gift-giving games so each person only has to buy one gift. Remember, the season is not about gifts; it's the love of family and friends.
• Discuss whether everyone is sending Christmas cards. That way, when you send out cards but don't receive them in return, you won't feel slighted.
• Watch a Christmas movie or cartoon special every night during the holiday season. This sort of combines a new and old tradition. Kids used to watch holiday specials on network television, including Rudolph, Frosty, Charlie Brown, and more.
• Have the whole family create a new ornament every year. Be sure to date the ornament and write the family member's name on it so you can remember who made what in future years. This is a good way to carry memories from generation to generation. 

It's easy enough to keep up with family traditions as long as the kids are young. However, when they grow up and have families of their own, they're often torn between having the holidays at home or their spouse's family's. Some families go to both places – they just don't overeat at either place. Others might switch holidays – they go to one spouse's family for Thanksgiving and the other spouse's family for Christmas.

Another way to work it out is to have one family have a breakfast or brunch feast and have the other family do a dinner feast so everyone can see everyone on the holidays. This could be a brand-spankin' new tradition your family starts.

Happy Holidays!