There isn’t any time of year more steeped in tradition than the holiday season. The vast majority of families have things they do every year. Maybe it’s a certain meal. Maybe it’s a specific place they gather to celebrate. Maybe it’s an event like caroling or volunteering. These are things that people look forward to every year.
My dad’s side of the family have gathered on Christmas Eve at my parents’ home every year since I was 4 years old. It’s an event I cherish regardless of what may or may not have happened the 364 days leading up to it, and so do my sister and cousins. The event is so important to my mother that she has said she wants to continue to host it “as long as she is able”.
Then what? What happens when the day comes that my parents will no longer be able to host Christmas Eve? I don’t know.
What I DO know is there are MANY families that lose traditions of gathering (among others) once the grandparents pass away. The number of people I know who don’t see their cousins hardly at all “since Grandma died” is stunning.
I hope that in the distant, distant future when my mom is no longer able, my sister and I will find new ways to celebrate together, and we can make new traditions for ourselves, for her kids, and for any future grandchildren she may have. I know there are plenty of other families who have made the transition, but many more that have not.
My hope for you is that you do have celebrations planned for whatever holidays you celebrate that are meaningful for you. If your family is one of those who don’t have cherished traditions, maybe this is the year you can start something new. Maybe you can be the one to start something your family will still be anticipating every year almost 50 years from now.