•Traditions are patterns that assign meaning and significance to our life.
•Use mindfulness to explore holiday traditions.
•Create new traditions to expand the meaning and significance of the holidays.

Traditions are customs that are handed down from generation to generation.  They are patterns of thought, action and behavior that take on a meaning and significance that we assign to them.  Traditions are often linked with holidays.  In the US, the winter holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah and New Year’s seem to have the most traditions for people.  
After more than a year of major life disruption because of the Covid 19 pandemic, people are yearning for a return to holiday traditions.  Many of us have traditions that are borrowed from our family or that we didn’t ever adopt purposely.  Covid 19 compelled us to examine our coping routines and systems and we should likewise mindfully examine and adapt our holiday traditions to our new reality.

First look at the issues which create the challenges.  Start with current health and vaccination status and consider these questions:  

•Will the holiday event be all indoors?
•Could some of it be outside?  
•Can you improve ventilation?  
•How about spreading out the gathering around the house or venue to accommodate several smaller groups?  
•Do you need to invite many people or can you celebrate with a smaller meaningful group?  Can you have a small gathering and then go on brief visits to other people the rest of the day?  

By exploring and looking at doing things in a different way, you can also create new traditions that expand and add meaning and significance of the holiday.