New Traditions

This is the year to create new holiday traditions that will bring a sense of gratitude--and maybe make the holidays more inventive and fun.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Gratitude Diaries, a production of My Heart Radio.
Hi I'm Janice Kaplan. Thanks for joining me for more
practical ideas on how to be happier. Today's tip think
about new holiday traditions that will bring a spirit of gratitude.

(00:24):
For most of us, holidays are all about tradition. You
probably have favorite decorations that you put on your Christmas
tree every year, and friends and family who always gather
for a holiday dinner or a night of caroling. Maybe
you all open presents together at a particular time. This year,
Of course, a lot of that is going to be different.

(00:44):
Most people are wisely staying away from large gatherings, and
those holiday parties where you normally get dressed up are
more likely to be via zoom with everyone in sweats.
But instead of thinking about that as a problem, consider
it as an opportunity to create new traditions that make
you grateful For me. The idea of new traditions started

(01:08):
on this past Thanksgiving. We couldn't have the friends and
extended family who usually come to our house, so it
was just our closest family. We all usually joined the
race Thanksgiving morning in our small town, but this year,
the race was canceled, so my younger son decided to
create our own COVID safe version. He had t shirts

(01:30):
made up with a logo for our own family Turkey Trot.
He created categories which just happened to make it so
everybody could win their own age division, walking, running, or
on bicycles. Then he got plastic trophies for our awards ceremony.
We went to a fairly deserted local street for our

(01:50):
very own race. We were a small group, but we
played music at the starting line and cheered afterwards all
through the awards. It was so much fun that we
decided to make it an annual tradition and keep it
going even after the town race returns. We're looking forward
to having many years of family Turkey Trot t shirts.

(02:12):
Having a family race may not be dear to your heart,
but you can create your own new traditions for the
December holidays. One family I know is making music a
part of their celebration. Since the number of people at
the holiday table is smaller, each adult has been asked
to pick a favorite song and they'll get played in

(02:33):
between each course. Some Adele, some Beyonce, and maybe some
Louis Armstrong will make the small dinner feel a lot
more festive. They'll put together a playlist to share with
those who can't be there. One woman I know who
grew up in the Netherlands told me that they have
a tradition that includes writing a humorous poem to someone

(02:54):
during the holidays. Usually it's done as a kind of
secret Santa among friends, but she has already written one
this year about her husband. She read it to me
and it was kind and funny and filled with gratitude.
The poem usually comes with a small gift that also
has a humorous side. It might be a nice tradition
to start with teenagers or your twentysomethings, since they generally

(03:17):
do like to be funny and maybe a little snide.
For this new tradition that humor works as long as
they remember to temper the poem with gratitude to the
One advantage of this disrupted year is that it is
helping us to reconsider what's important. A lot of research
shows that experiences tend to make people happier than objects. Music, poems,

(03:41):
and a family run all fit into the experiences category.
As you're creating new traditions, think about the other kinds
of experiences that will bring you joy. Make the holidays
into a mini adventure. We usually all huddle inside at
the holidays, but this year, we know it's safer to
be outside. So think about a way to make a

(04:03):
new tradition in the fresh air. If you live in
a rural area or even a suburb, you could build
a small fire pit outside, bundle everyone up and go
out to roast marshmallows. Since you're outside, you can even
invite over a neighbor too. The traditional song says it's
chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but you can make

(04:23):
it marshmallows or anything that you want. And that's the
kind of small adventure that everyone is sure to talk
about going forward and want to make a new tradition.
Holiday traditions should bring you joy and make you grateful
for the moment. Celebrations don't have to be overwhelming or spectacular.
Sometimes it's the smallest activities that make you happy. You

(04:47):
can look back on them next year and say, I
like that new tradition. Let's keep it going. Please let
me know how you're bringing gratitude to your holidays. You
can reach me at the podcast link at ww dot
Gratitude Diaries dot com, or the contact link at Janice
Kaplan dot com. Thanks and have a great day. The

(05:11):
Gratitude Diaries is a production of I heart Radio. For
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