The holidays are full of food, laughter, gifts, decorations, and of course. . . family! Lots and lots of family! This adds a complicated and interesting dynamic to holiday celebrations.
I was recently thinking a lot about family dynamics and how they are ever-changing because every family continues to grow and evolve over time. Of course, it's sometimes hard to accept the dynamic changes within a family because to accept the changing dynamics, we have to move forward. And moving forward can be rough because it forces us to reckon with time, age, and new chapters in our life. It's often easier to sit and wallow in the past, rather than accept changes as we move forward. Personally, there have been times in my life when I've been reluctant to let go of many family traditions and old dynamics, because I was afraid that it would mean my childhood was long gone. However, I've been forced to face the truth. I am different now and so are my relationships with my family. I've realized over time that my reluctance to accept these changes was impeding the growth of my family.
Dynamics have to change over time. Kids grow up. They move out. They move on. In order to move forward with time, we must accept the change. We must accept that our relationships with each other will change. We must accept that none of us are the same people we once were. We must accept each other for who we've become. Being flexible with change, in my opinion, is vital to healthy family relationships.
This holiday season, in order to accommodate for these changing dynamics, it may be time to change some old holiday traditions. Try asking the rest of the family what types of things they would like to do to celebrate the holidays! Not all traditions need to change but there may be some that the family has outgrown.
The Occasional.ly family sends you love this holiday season! 🎄🍪⛄❄️🛷