Rituals and How to Incorporate More Rituals During the Holidays
By: Dilini Dharmawardana, MFTI
During the holiday season, stress can overwhelm us and make enjoying the holidays difficult. However, having rituals in place that you partake in every year can help make the holidays less stressful and more enjoyable. Here are some ways you can create more family unity, happiness, enjoyment, and less stress during the holidays:
Tip #1: Make Gingerbread Houses Together
Making Gingerbread houses can be a fun way to bond with family members. Gingerbread houses can be fun and cheap as well- all you need are graham crackers, frosting, and candy. You can make creating the gingerbread houses more fun by making it a competition between groups of people. Just make sure everyone that wants to be included is included,
Tip #2: Decorate Yule Logs Together
Bake a yule log or two before your family or other guests come over and have your family decorate the yule logs together. Include everybody’s input and create something together that can later be enjoyed by everyone who made it. This activity can be fun for all ages just like the making the gingerbread houses.
Tip #3: Make a Dish Together
Cooking together can be a fun ritual and a bonding experience for all. Cooking can bring a sense of fulfillment, joy, and accomplishment. If your family has bigger holiday celebrations, pick one dish to cook together and bring to the celebration for all to enjoy. If you’re not involved in the majority of the cooking, offer to bring a dessert, appetizer, or a main dish and cook it together with whoever you are going with.
Tip #4: Play A Game Together
Playing a game together can be a fun way to re-bond with family you haven’t seen in a while. Pick a game that will make you all laugh and bring you joy and play it together. Sometimes picking a game where you argue can be a fun way to really immerse yourself in the holidays and not stress out.
Tip #5: Watch a Holiday Movie Together
During the holidays, there are a lot of movies that you can choose from to watch together. Whether it be Home Alone, Elf, or The Santa Clause picking something that everyone can enjoy will bring you all closer and you can bond over times when you used to watch that movie as a child. Movies are great ways to get the whole family involved in an activity!
Creating rituals and activities during the holidays can be a way to spread joy, laughter, and cheer. Utilize your rituals to de-stress and just enjoy time with your family and friends. Time together is important and starting and maintaining a ritual now can help with having memories to look back on when times become tough! If none of these rituals float your boat, get creative and come up with your own. Just start a ritual that may be continued for years and generations to come in your family.
