Holiday Bonus: Traditions

I confess that even though I appreciate the work of Martin Luther King, Jr on a daily basis, I was especially grateful for his labors yesterday due to the national holiday in his honor which brought a break from my own personal labors. I had an amazing day of good rest, peaceful yoga, healthy conversations, and general reflection (and a little homework, but that goes with the PhD territory).

One of the perks of going back to school is the holiday breaks and this year, my thoughts have started to turn to traditions and more specifically, new traditions with Husband since we just celebrated our first Christmas and New Years as a married couple.

As a kiddo, I lived for traditions. I remember having pen pals in the ’90’s and running out of Lisa Frank stationary because I was so excited to share all of my family’s festive ideas. We had pumpkin carving contests for Halloween, tomb cookies for Easter, heart-shaped meatloaves and treasure hunts for Valentines Day, and don’t even get me started on the ornament exchanges and hors d’oeuvres nights for Christmas.

It wasn’t until Starbucks ran their “Take comfort in rituals” campaign a few years ago that I was able to put into words what those traditions meant for me while growing up: safety, belonging, and meaning making. 

Now that Husband and I make our own, new family. I’m looking for some fresh ideas to bring all the mushy ritual goodness into our married Bungalow life. We’ve tried fondue while decorating and breakfast in bed for birthdays, but so far, nothing has really stuck. So this is where you come in, my dear readers: What are some suggestions for holiday traditions for newlyweds? They must be fun, they must be replicable, and they absolutely must be adorably sappy.

I can’t wait to hear them!