I love the holiday season. I love the colorful lights, sleeping in and the food we eat. But nestled behind the rolls, pies and casseroles is the real reason I treasure this time of year: my family is together, making memories in the same ways we always have. The traditions we share each year are what continues to make the holidays special, even after growing up.
According to Psychology Today, traditions improve children’s perceptions of the holidays because they amplify family closeness and involvement. Traditions, no matter what form they take in a family, encourage children’s minds to form significant memories. I know this worked for my family; when I think about the holidays, my first holiday associations are the inside jokes and moments I share with my family that were made possible by our traditions.
My family has a lot of small traditions that make up the holiday season for me. On Christmas Eve, we wear matching Christmas pajamas and read the same childhood books. Every year, my siblings work together to decorate our very own tree with elementary school handmade ornaments while our mom organizes the big one how she likes. To finish the big tree, everyone hangs an ornament with their initials on it. My initial, “Q”, is nearly impossible to find a proper ornament for, so every year I gleefully hang up a letter “O” ornament with a twist tie attached. The traditions we have reflect us: imperfect and earnest.
As we’ve gotten older, my sisters have gone to college and the way my family celebrates has changed. The time I spend in person with them has become special, and the traditions we share have transformed into a way for my family to connect with each other.
Family traditions we started as kids have become even more important now. Our kid’s tree has started to look more adult, but the time we spend decorating it feels the same as it did a decade ago. Our pajamas may not be based on cartoons anymore, but the feeling when we’re all smushed together on the couch reading stories aloud in them is when it really feels like Christmas.
