24. How To Decide if Your Holiday Traditions Still Work For You

Traditions make the holiday season feel magical, but they can also lead to stress and overwhelm. In this episode, we’re taking a step back to evaluate which traditions are truly meaningful and which ones might be more hassle than joy. Just because you’ve always done something doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it! Using six key questions, we’ll walk through how to assess your traditions—considering their purpose, who’s involved, the opportunity cost, and whether small adjustments could make them more enjoyable.

Now is the perfect time to reflect, long before the holiday rush, so you can make thoughtful changes without pressure. Our goal? A holiday season focused on connection, not stress. Tune in to learn how to simplify your traditions in a way that keeps the meaning but ditches the overwhelm!

Highlights from the episode:

[00:00:57] - Tradition Spotlight on bedroom picnics

[00:02:35] - Why February is the perfect time for reflection

[00:06:13] - Reflecting on what matters

[00:11:53] - Is this tradition worth continuing?

[00:13:07] - Where to start with reflection

[00:15:08] - This week’s Get A Headstart Tip for managing wish lists

[00:17:10] - What’s on our to-do lists this week

[00:18:35] - Our Nice Lists

What’s Next:

• Choose a tradition that’s causing some headaches, and use the guiding questions to help you decide if your tradition needs to be tweaked or retired.

Resources:

• The Traitors
• Severance
• Grab The Holiday Headstart Playbook
• Take the Holiday Profile quiz
• Follow on Instagram @theholidayheadstart 
• Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! 

If you enjoyed this episode, you'll love these too:

• Episode 11 - 10 easy steps to create a new holiday tradition for your family 

More About The Holiday Headstart:

Welcome to The Holiday Headstart podcast, where we get intentional about kicking overwhelm to the curb and bringing joy back to your holidays (and every day). We’re Heidi and Emily, two sisters and former elementary school teachers, who’ve taken the simple strategies and practical tips we mastered in the classroom and put them to work in our personal lives. 

And we’re here to help you do the same! Join us each week as we share how, with a little planning and a little prep, you can ensure that the days that make life special don’t become the days that make you stressed.