As children, we often see our family units as though they have always existed in that precise state. For example, if we spend every Christmas with our grandparents and all of their kids and their kids' kids, we find that very natural but do not think through the fact that our grandparents also have siblings who are off doing their own thing with their families. As we age, we continue to get together with our parents and our own siblings at various holidays, and our parents slowly begin to branch off from their siblings, especially as they have grandkids of their own.
As the children of the family become adults and start families of their own, it is not uncommon for long-standing family traditions to begin to change and eventually be discontinued or replaced with new traditions. This can be particularly difficult when a new generation comes along, and parents want that generation to enjoy the same experiences that they enjoyed as children.
Even while we mourn the loss of particular traditions, however, it is important to remember that letting go of the old ways paves the way for new kinds of gatherings and celebrations, just as it did years ago, before we were born. The only reason we had the experiences we did as children is because our parents and grandparents made it happen. So, as changes occur, try to embrace them instead of rejecting them. The new paths will almost always lead to wonderful new experiences for you and your children, and they will soon grow into treasured traditions of their own.
