A handy guide on how to create your own Christmas traditions
Published on Fri Dec 10 2021 in Family
Often, we follow certain traditions because we feel like we should be doing them, perhaps because everyone else is doing them, or it’s just the ‘done thing’. Sometimes we continue them because we simply have nothing else to put in its place. We can spend years doing the same thing for Christmas, without even thinking about why we follow the traditions we do.
However, when there are changes in the family structure such as the birth of a baby, a parent passing, or the start of a blended family, it forces us to examine our Christmas traditions. Do they suit everyone and it can make us think about what we want to carry on into the future.
When you feel it’s time to do something different, it can often be a challenge to think of new ideas that work for you and your family, when you have never experienced them. So how do you find new traditions to introduce?
Take the best of the old, leave the rest
There’s no point throwing the baby out with the bath water, so think of any traditions from your past that you do want to carry on, you can cherry pick the best and leave those you are not so fond of behind.
Search the world for ideas
The internet has many, many traditions from around the world, and just because it isn’t your culture, doesn’t mean you can’t adopt a foreign Christmas idea. Whether it be exchanging gifts of books and spending Christmas Eve reading, such is the Icelandic tradition, or eating KFC for Christmas like the Japanese, there’s no reason that you can’t make their tradition yours also.
What do friends do?
One way to find ideas is to ask friends what they do. They could help come up with local activities and suggestions, and the conversation could even spark an invitation to join them in their traditions. If you don’t have wide circle of like-minded friends, or you simply come up with nothing of interest, you can cast your idea catching net wider by asking in online groups such as parenting ones, or even Christmas themed groups.
Take inspiration from non-Christmas celebrations
There’s no reason your Christmas tradition needs to be rooted in Christianity, or even from the commercial holiday season. Perhaps you could take an idea from what those who don’t celebrate Christmas do over this period. Many Jewish people in America have a tradition of attending Chinese restaurants on Christmas Eve, perhaps a good tradition to take on if only for not having to cook and clean up before the big day. Or even take an idea from a non-Christmas time and make it your Christmas thing, such as an Easter-style present hunt on Christmas morning.
Tailor around your family’s likes and interests
Customising traditions around your family’s interests and hobbies is a sure-fire way to ensure everyone is going to enjoy themselves and maybe even continue the tradition. Whatever your family enjoy, whether it be outdoor activities like hiking, going to the beach or camping, or less adventurous such as craft or cooking, you can personalise your Christmas to involve the elements that the whole family enjoy – even if your Christmas looks different to other families.
Keep it achievable for the long term
Finding the right traditions that work for your family can take some time to figure out. For it to become a tradition, it needs to be sustainable year after year. So, before you commit, try it out for fit for a few years, and think about how it will work in the future. A trip to Disneyland each year sounds wonderful at first but consider if it will remain affordable through all stages of life and will your family possibly grow out of it? Or would volunteering at a local charity be more rewarding for everyone?
Traditions are for you
It's important to remember when deciding what Christmas traditions to continue or invent – traditional, or weird and wacky – it doesn’t matter what they are as long as they mean something special to you and your family.
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About Author: Momentum Life is a leading provider of Life insurance and Funeral insurance in New Zealand.
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