Celebrating holidays during a pandemic.

The holiday season was very different this past year. Many of us couldn't visit with our families, attend church services, or even volunteer our time as we have in the past. This got me thinking about holiday traditions, what they mean to our families, and which ones are worth continuing or forgetting about. Because, honestly, couldn't we all use a little extra time during the holiday season?

In this past year, when we were asked to refrain from most (if not all) of our holiday activities and family gatherings, how have your traditions changed? The next time the holiday season comes around, will you pick up where you left off before the events of 2020, or will you reflect on what your family's traditions mean to you and rethink how you celebrate the holidays going forward? 

I'm not suggesting we throw out our family traditions altogether. Mine are significant to me, and I enjoy teaching them to our daughter. But this past year has allowed us to reflect on what is most important to our family. For example, I'm not a big fan of Christmas shopping or gift-giving between families. While this has always been expected of us in past years, I would instead make future holiday seasons about shared experiences and time together. This might mean that we gift experiences or put more emphasis on homemade gifts (I suppose I could start knitting again). But what it really boils down to is defining what we want our daughter to experience and understand as "Christmas."

How has this past holiday changed or shaped your family's traditions? And if you have yet to use this opportunity to reflect on what's most important to you, why not do it now?