by Haven Logan PH.D

        
Most years right between recovering from the overindulgence of Thanksgiving and the initial barrage of commercial Christmas marketing, I escape to the fantasy of dodging Christmas by running off to Hawaii. I have yet to do this because inevitably the nostalgia of Christmas traditions wins out. How could I miss the beauty of filling my home with the sweet smell of a live Christmas tree? What about my son’s twenty-one nutcrackers who wait patiently in the garage to be let out and shown proudly in the living room. Well, I could skip sending out Christmas cards, but what about the people to whom I stay connected only through this custom. Slowly, the traditions come sneaking back in and stand there demanding that I complete each and every one.

What are your favorite holiday traditions? Has the passage of time changed what you do with family and friends? Is the financial uncertainty of our world affecting your plans this year? How will you decide which traditions to keep and which to let go of?

This year’s January’s Healthy Living column explored my concept of “conscious indulgence” as a strategy for enjoying the delicious foods of the season without gaining weight. The core of this idea, that the entire process should be pleasing and conscious, can be applied to all our holiday traditions. In terms of gift giving that would mean that we enjoy the shopping or making of the gift, the giving of the gift, and that the paying for it does not cause discomfort.

Consider all your holiday traditions from this perspective. Is the process of decorating your house a pleasurable one? Do you truly enjoy the food preparation? If so, these activities are part of healthy living. If not, look seriously at how you could alter or simplify them. Recently a friend told me she had spent Thanksgiving with her family by taking a picnic to a near-by park. She said it was one of the best Thanksgivings she had ever had because the family was together in a beautiful place and she didn’t have to spend all day in the kitchen.

Creating New Traditions

As you think about this holiday season and those to come, it is important to examine your traditions. While there is great comfort in tradition, in our fast changing world it is impractical, if not impossible, for most of us to do things exactly as we have always done them. Children grow up and move away, grandparents no longer have the stamina to host large gatherings, and buying more stuff may no longer be the pleasure it once was.

Gather your family or call them to ask each one what traditions are most important to them. Then give yourself the gift of letting go, without feeling guilty, of those traditions deemed less important. With this accomplished you now have the space to try out some new things which might better suit your present circumstances. Make a list of new ways you might celebrate the holiday season: give to a favorite charity, help distribute gifts or food to those in need, attend a play or music program, take a walk in the mountains with family or friends, write a card expressing your appreciation to people in your life. For more ideas you can read an article titled“10 New Holiday Traditions” on the website: www.familyfun.com. Who knows? You might just decide to turn one or two of these activities into your new tradition.