Holiday Traditions or Traps

Last week I suggested that if our To Do lists were making us cranky, we should simplify them.

Easier said than done, I know.

The holidays are filled with traditions.  In fact, isn’t that one of the reasons we especially love this time of year?  As wonderful as traditions are, however, they’re also the leading cause of lengthy To Do lists.

Why do we continue with traditions that no longer fill a need and just make us busy?

My sister, who doesn’t enjoy cooking, spent hours one year preparing and serving a traditional turkey dinner.  Thirty minutes later we finished eating and faced another hour of kitchen clean up.  My sister leaned back in her chair and said, “Next year we’re having pizza.”

As a child, I loved ambrosia salad (fruit, coconut, and mini marshmallows stirred into sour cream) for breakfast on Christmas morning, so I continued this tradition when I had my own family – until I realized that marshmallows hurt my teeth and made my children crazy.

Now, instead of ambrosia, we have a hearty breakfast of eggs and bacon, waffles, and orange juice.  This is a treat we all enjoy and it allows me to prepare just two meals on Christmas instead of three.  It’s a new tradition that works well for us.

Of course, there are traditions that involve more than food, but as we plan our holiday calendars and make our To Do lists this year, let’s ask ourselves:  Is this a worthwhile tradition that’s important to me, or a trap that I’m stuck in?

If the latter, it’s okay to say, “That tradition is done; it’s time for a new one.”