Every other year can work too

Things don't have to happen annually to still be traditions

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is that every other year works too. Traditions can
still be a part of your life even if you

(00:24):
don't always make time for them. Today's tip was inspired
by some conversations I had while working on my annual
holiday fun list. Each year, I make a list of
things I would like to do over the holidays to
make memories and have fun. Of course, December is always

(00:45):
a busy time with kid performances, and this year I
am singing in two choirs. Thanksgiving was also really late
this year, so there is just a limited volume of days,
and particularly weekend days for Christmas. That means we may
not make it to all our usual spots, but that's okay.

(01:07):
Just because something is gone for one year doesn't mean
it has gone forever. Every other year works as well.
You can keep things feeling new while still having them
feel familiar by striking a good balance. For instance, we
went to see the Roquettes in New York City last year,
and we are going to go this year, but it

(01:29):
is possible that next year we will be traveling more
in December and we won't prioritize it, but we might
go again the next year, since then we will be
feeling more like we are missing it. Same thing with
performances such as the Nutcracker. If you are not a
regular patron of the ballet, going to the Nutcracker every
year can feel like a lot of ballet. But every

(01:54):
other year means you are still seeing a lot of
the Nutcracker in life, and it will probably feel more
fresh each time. Maybe one year you drive to a
light display that's forty five minutes away in one direction,
and the next year you prioritize a different one in
the other direction. You can switch it again the next
few years and still get to see both regularly. I

(02:17):
think this is a good mindset because sometimes when something
that has been an annual tradition can't happen in a
particular year, we can get upset about it. Maybe we
should never travel over Christmas, or we can lament that
time is passing it's the end of an era. But
it doesn't actually have to be the end of an era.

(02:38):
An era can encompass more than one year. This year
we go, next year, we don't the year after we
do it. Again, and so forth. When you look back
on your life, seeing the Nutcracker twenty five times or
forty times might not really make that big a difference
in your fond memories of the Nutcracker. It is still

(03:01):
a good show either way. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

(03:21):
got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at
Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a
production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

(03:43):
your favorite shows.