No matter which holidays your family celebrates, there are sure to be some tried and true family traditions. When your family is going through a divorce or paternity action, it is easy to get caught up in the negative emotions and to want to ignore the holidays. However, your children need to feel secure in both homes and to know that just because their parents are no longer living together, they will still have family traditions to look forward to every year.
If you don’t want to follow the same traditions or if, like many families, you are splitting certain holidays, now is the perfect time to create new traditions that you and your children can enjoy each year. A new tradition can be as simple as picking out gifts to donate to a charity, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or baking cookies for your neighbors. You should involve your children in the process of choosing a new tradition or two. Whatever you choose, be sure it is something that you can do together as a family for years to come. Your traditions may not be the same, but if you come together as a family, your children will value the time spent with you.