Tips for Creating Fresh New Holiday Traditions

Anniversaries, memorials, seasons, and holiday traditions cycle through our lives just like clockwork. Whether it's the feeling in the air or a date on the calendar, our senses recall the good and the not-so-good events we go through every single year. If you feel stuck in a cycle or relive unhappy memories and feelings based on the cycle of the year, it's a good reminder that every year is an opportunity to establish a change to renew the experience of that cycle.

1. If your holiday season is fraught with stale traditions or worse, horrible memories that make you want to run away come November 1st, consider changing up or freshening your holiday experience.

2. If you experience a general seasonal moodiness or anxiety, you could be empathically picking up the frenetic energy of others who are burdened by additional duties. Decide what is your comfortable level of participation in handling additional duties, and stick to it.

3. Don't say "yes" when you really feel, "My energy preservation/sanity/peace of mind means a lot to me, so I must decline. Thank you for your understanding."

4. Traditional holidays in your family may have come about from a necessity that no longer exists. Consider who started the tradition, why it got started, and if it means something special to you any longer. If it doesn't, decline participation or take a lesser role in its execution.

5. For an eco-friendly holiday season, lighten your load (and the Earth's too!) by reducing the amount of habitual purchases you make. Think out everything and do a little less this season to feel the freedom and lightness that takes its place!

6. If a particular holiday is associated with sadness, anger, or grief, create a new tradition that brings you peace or happiness. Rituals involving releasing negative emotions can free you up to reimagine the holidays without pain.

7. Establish rituals and practices that maintain your energetic sovereignty. Nobody has the right to make you do something you don't want to do, and you reserve the right to remove or relieve yourself from toxic people or circumstances.

If you need any assistance establishing your resilience and peace of mind this holiday season, reach out. I'm here to help.

~Kristen