Did we just dash from summertime fun to the holiday season in a blink of an eye? Suddenly, the stores are packed with seasonal items and just when you are finally settled into the back-to-school routine, it’s time to plan those holiday events!

Let’s face it - the holidays can be stressful. There is so much pressure to perform, to decorate, to buy the perfect gifts and make the quintessential meal. And as a parent, you might also feel the added strain of creating holiday traditions that your children will enjoy and remember.

Evaluating and revising current traditions

1. Which holiday traditions have your family outgrown? Have you continued the traditions you learned from your own parents even when they don’t always fit your own family or even don’t represent your personal values? Or maybe your kids are older and what used to be fun no longer excites them. Remember: change can be hard for some people! If your extended family questions your choices, remember to keep your answer personal rather than critical. Saying: "Well, I just don’t want my kids to stuff their faces and then watch TV all day" might not be well-received. Instead, an explanation such as "our kids just love being outside, so this year, we are going to the cabin for Thanksgiving to enjoy nature" might be much easier to swallow!


2. What new family traditions would you love to include this year? Perhaps you and your partner/spouse came from very different backgrounds and have struggled with combining your traditions. Make new ones! Have a family meeting, including the kids, and discuss ideas for the holiday season. Work towards a consensus. There will be more harmony if you respect all family members' desires and conflicts regarding familiar traditions before embracing new ones. And don’t throw out something that one member treasures. Try to reach a compromise by including the tradition but with a new spin!


3. What can you do to make this year easier and simpler? Maybe you limit the number of parties your family attends and be more selective. Saying “no” during the holidays can be challenging but necessary (especially for your sanity)! Perhaps you agree to do a gift exchange with your grown family members and draw names instead of giving everyone a gift. Or maybe, just maybe, you take some of the pressure off yourself! Remember, you don’t have to make everything from scratch or knit every gift yourself…What is most important is that everyone has fun and feels connected, even you!

Ideas for new family traditions

• Have every member of the family write out their ideas for family traditions for the holidays. Place them in a big jar and draw one or two to include this year. Next year, you can draw again!


• Write letters to each other and put them in sealed envelopes to open next year.


• Volunteer as a family at a soup kitchen or community event.


• Put together a family scrapbook using all those photos that you have been collecting in stacks over the past year. Let the kids do the decorating!
  
• Help your kids make holiday greeting cards to mail (or email) to family and friends.


• Research different holiday traditions around the world and include some that represent your family’s heritage or interests – or just sounds fun!
  
• Go into the woods and decorate a live tree for the animals! Eve Bunting’s Night Tree tells the tender store of one family’s tradition of sharing holiday cheer with forest creatures!


• Celebrate Winter Solstice (December 22nd)! The longest night of the year is honored by celebrating with light. You can teach your kids about seasons and also create a relaxing evening in the midst of a busy time. Have a peaceful candlelit dinner or just go outside and stargaze!


• Give a gift to someone who is not expecting one from you. Help the kids bake cookies for the mail carrier or make a card for their librarian! Every year, they can choose someone outside the family to appreciate – there’s a great new tradition!