Covid was a major disrupter to my family’s long standing Christmas traditions. Pre-covid, we had a large family dinner, including gift-giving. “Nothing I have to dust, please.” If you recognize this answer, you know the question. Sometime in the 80’s, thank goodness, we decided to draw names for gift-giving to lessen the expense and the stress. Our Christmas gatherings followed the chaotic pattern of greetings and getting libations, lots of talk and chatter, then the raucous gift opening ceremony. We tried several times to make this a calm, one-at-a-time ritual, but we always reverted to a frenzied “rip-fest.” Then dinner, dessert, and clean-up. Everyone would head home with either a prized gift, something to re-gift, or darn it, something new to dust.

How do family traditions get started? Who makes the rules? I think the previous generation had a lot to do with the design of our gatherings because that was how they did it.

Covid forced our hand to change. Celebrations were confined to small nuclear family gatherings. As a personal aside: my nuclear family is essentially me, myself and I. Without children, it’s best described as a puny celebration and I have zero desire to do it again. I am grateful to have siblings to join for Christmas.

For our modern conglomerative mix of blood ties, chosen ties, and re-established ties, our new traditions seem to have evolved organically. What we’ve carried forward is actually preferable to our pre-Covid days. Our big extended family get-together has shifted to Thanksgiving, which, if you cut sentiment and nostalgia out of the equation, makes more sense. The weather is better for those of us who have a distance to drive and we have a new space where we are all comfortably accommodated. And there is no gift-giving. As much as I loved that part of Christmas, I will readily admit, it’s a relief to let it go. Getting together was always the main objective and our new traditions serve that beautifully.

It’s worth asking, have your family traditions evolved over the years? Do you value how you are doing things now versus previous? Did Covid or other disruptions carry forward as they did in my family or did you revert to favoured traditions? Is it time for new traditions?

I wish everybody Happy Holidays, however you celebrate and whatever traditions you enjoy. It’s time for my holiday break, I’ll be back with a new post January 4th, 2026.

Keep your joy.

Contentment is for Cows: Short and sweet reflections on life’s complications.

Posted every Sunday, unless it’s a holiday or summertime.

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