Making Your Own Holiday Traditions

There comes a point in every person's live when they realize they are no longer the child looking up to a parent. Things you've done during the holidays since a child may change with time as people pass on, grow up and start their own families.

So what do you do when you realize your are the washer connecting your "Circle of Life?" You start some family traditions that you can pass on to your children.

This doesn't mean you have to put all the timeless traditions of your childhood behind you. Creating your own traditions may include incorporating things of the past, as well.

Expert blogger Melanie Gorman says that one should build their own traditions because psychologically, holiday traditions are when we embed our values and belief system into our children.

According to The Mom Crowd, people should be mindful of what family members may think when you branch off to do your own thing, but one might ask, "Isn't the point of starting your own traditions--to not care about what other people feel but to do what you feel?"

Family Lobby suggests religious fusion as a way to create new traditions. If you hold Catholic values and you married a Muslim, the site says to find ways to blend the holiday traditions of both into your own groove.

There are a few ways to start small with tradition and to grow them into something bigger. Here's a few ideas on some traditions that may fit your home:

• Holiday dinners or brunch
• Volunteering for those in need during the holiday season
• Cooking with your children
• Allowing your children to create the holiday dinner menu
• Traveling during the holiday
• Fundraising for a cause

Whether your household consists of you alone, or spending it filled with a large group of people, there are some traditions you can start to make your values stand apart.