Episode 66: Tips for Creating and Maintaining Christmas Traditions

‘Tis the season for Traditions! The hope is that these annual holiday activities bring into your life happiness and joy…..but that isn’t always the case. On this episode of the podcast I’m sharing some ways you can create new traditions without comparison or stress, how you can easily maintain them, and how to be okay with the need to shift, change, or completely let go of some without the guilt.

Don’t have time to listen?
Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s in the episode:

When making family traditions around the holidays remember this:

1. Ditch comparison. When brainstorming and trying to create new family traditions remember that what looks perfect for one family might be a complete disaster for yours. It’s perfectly okay to look to outside influences for ideas, but just know that the number one way to feel inadequate is to compare you (or your family) to another.

2. Let them happen naturally. Honestly the best traditions are the ones that aren’t carefully curated from a Pinterest board. They are the ones that come about naturally, like how our family celebrates Christmas Steve. Sorry, ya gotta tune into the podcast to hear what in the heck Christmas Steve is…..

3. Lean into your families normal interests. I dunno what it is about this time of year, but we all seem to fall into this heavily romanticized versions of ourselves. While I am envisioning my family all bundled up, driving up the country roads, finding a frozen lake and ice skating, while sipping hot cocoa by a fire, under freshly fallen snow…….yeah…. not my families normal interest. Stick to what you know and love. Sports family: lean into that. Love cooking or baking? Lean into that? Love ugly sweaters?………you get the point. Traditions should be all about YOU DO YOU, BOO.

4. Be willing to let things be different, evolve, shift, or let go of completely. Uh yeah, if the past 2 years (*cough, covid, cough cough*) have taught us anything its that change in constant and it’s okay to have to change things up a bit. Please know that it’s not the end of the world if some years traditions have to play out differently. And also, that just because you do something one year (or don’t do it) doesn’t mean it has to play out like that for the rest of forever.

5. Let go of the pressure (presence is what matters the most). Moms feel insane amounts of pressure to make the holidays magical. But what your family really wants and needs is just time and intention. Other than that, it really doesn’t matter what you do.

*I hope you have the very best holiday season this year with the people you love.
If you liked this episode, please share it on any of your social channels and make sure to tag me so I can see it and come say hi.

Other episodes you might enjoy:

Why The “Fun Mom” Title

Positive Parenting

Simplify The Holidays