When Holiday Traditions Change

There’s something magical about the holiday season. Everywhere you look, towns are transformed into a winter wonderland. Children eagerly await the arrival of Saint Nick and families excitedly anticipate another year of family togetherness. The magic of the holiday season in part has to do with the rich traditions we’ve experienced and inherited from our loved ones. Tradition helps hold us together as a family and society.

Yet, each year, families grow in numbers. It could be the new addition to the family through marriage or the birth of another baby, or just the simple fact that everyone is adding numbers to their age. Large family holiday gatherings can be difficult for any senior, but especially for the senior who has dementia. Driving across state or county lines to gather at grandma’s house on Christmas Day can be difficult for parents with small children. Forcing tradition for the sake of tradition can be exhausting and, in the end, no one enjoys the holidays. As families grow and change, sometimes our traditions need to evolve. Don’t let another holiday season come and go, leaving you wearied and miserable. Here are four ways to keep the holiday spirit alive during changing tradition.

Prioritize What’s Most Important

Adapting holiday traditions to meet the changing needs of each family member doesn’t mean that all traditions fall by the wayside. Choose which traditions are most important to your family and let everything else go. Do your aging parents insist on hosting their traditional holiday dinner yet feel burdened by such a large family? Suggest creating a holiday schedule so each sibling can visit with mom and dad with their immediate families. Your aging parents will still get to host everyone and families with small children can pick a date that works better for their holiday plans. If you all still want to get together, don’t let the fact that your aging parents aren’t up for hosting such a large crew. Spend time together elsewhere and keep family tradition alive amongst you and your siblings.

Utilize Technology

As more and more families are living further and further apart, getting together for the holidays can be challenging. When someone special is missing from the dinner table, the holidays can feel lonely and incomplete. Instead of feeling down because long-distant relatives couldn’t make the trip, stay connected through technology. Ask grandkids to help grandparents FaceTime with their out-of-town grandchildren so that they can still see them open their gifts. Connect with long-distant family over Skype or Duo video calls. Are your aging loved ones burdened with the thought of sending holiday cards? Help them write a note to send via email or send holiday cheer to loved ones through ecards. Record your kids’ visit to Santa or their holiday performance at school and share the video with your aging loved one. Technology is a great tool to simplify the holidays while keeping tradition alive.

Start a New Tradition

Sometimes the most difficult part of the holiday season is acknowledging that traditions need to change. Yet, change can be fun and adopting new traditions can bring a breath of fresh air to an already jam-packed schedule. Talk with your aging loved ones about the burden they may be feeling when it comes to your family traditions. Are there just too many grandchildren and great-grandchildren to buy gifts for? Suggest everyone draw names or ask them to consider giving a monetary gift to each family unit. Instead of a late holiday dinner, suggest a holiday pajama brunch. When traditions change, think of it as opportunities to be creative and to spark new traditions.

Pass the Baton

Finally, traditions are called traditions because they are customs passed down from generation to generation. If you’re the keeper of tradition and it’s becoming more of a burden than a privilege, use this holiday season to pass the baton. Mark the occasion by wrapping a precious ornament that’s hung on your tree for years for each of your adult children. Save the ornaments for last and be prepared to give a toast. This can be a wonderful moment to acknowledge the passing of traditions from one generation to the next. When your adult children become seniors, they can pass the baton in a similar fashion.

Change can be complicated, especially during the holidays. Fortunately, choosing an in-home provider for your aging loved ones does not have to be complicated. At Visiting Angels South Elgin, your loved one’s care is our number one priority. We strive to help your loved one maintain their independence by offering flexible senior care services fitted to meet their schedule. As you celebrate the holidays with your aging loved ones, take a moment to consider their health and well-being. Could they benefit from receiving help from a compassionate caregiver? Could you benefit from having another set of hands to help you care for your loved one? Consider the gift of in-home care for your aging loved one this holiday season. To learn more about our senior in-home care services, please contact us today by calling 847-429-0100.