With the holiday season fast approaching, some of you may already be planning this year’s celebrations. Your new location may have impacted your family traditions, for better or for worse.

Are there some holidays that you have given up on celebrating because the people who make it meaningful are not there, the weather is “wrong” or specific foods are not available where you live?

Conversely, have you adopted some traditions from your host country? Even more creative, you could consider starting new traditions entirely of your own design!

How much tweaking, borrowing from other cultures and reinventing are you willing to do before you decide it is too much effort, or before the holiday loses its significance?

This is an opportunity to reflect on what is most meaningful to you during the holiday season. What does really matter to you in these celebrations? Is it family; togetherness; good cheer; nostalgia; legacy?

How are you expressing these important values the rest of the year, in other aspects of your life?

Emmanuelle