Creating a Place-Based Holiday Tradition
The holidays can be a stressful time with so many activities like crafting, shopping, baking, decorating, and more. Sometimes it can feel more like a long to-do list than a thankful and joyful time.
As a new parent, I find myself easily caught up with wanting to do everything, and as a result, I often experience holiday burn out. Over time, I’ve learned to be more intentional about this time of year and to make space for curiosity, wonder, and gratitude.
There’s a lot of magic to be found in the simple things in life, and that is especially true around the holidays. One way that I am being more intentional is by focusing on creating place-based rituals and traditions with my family.
Holiday celebrations are often rooted in the harvest season and the gratitude for the food that has sustained people in particular places for a long time. For example, pumpkin (and all squash) is native to the Americas and has been cultivated by indigenous people for thousands of years for various uses from food to tools. Squash was initially brought back to Europe around the mid-1500s where they were cooked in pies and pastries and was popularized as a Thanksgiving dessert in the US in the early 19th century. The Halloween tradition of carving pumpkins did not actually happen until Irish immigrants came to the US.
Though our connection to the seasons and the harvest have become more distant today, nature is still all around us and we still rely on nature for sustenance, shelter, and beauty. Remembering this connection and thoughtfully making or choosing rituals that directly connect us to where we live creates a more rich and meaningful holiday tradition for our family and our community.
So what does creating a place-based tradition look like? Here are some ideas:
Find inspiration from nature. Go for a nature walk, visit the arboretum, lake or beach and notice what’s going on in fall and winter where you live. What fauna and flora do you find growing around you? For example, I remember seeing a lot of eucalyptus trees in California. They make wonderful scented holiday wreaths and garlands.
Create a local table. Explore what’s in season in your area and celebrate these foods. In California where the climate is mild, there is quite a diverse offering that ranges from pomegranates and citrus to greens and squash. Imagine the citrusy scent of oranges and lemons and ruby red pomegranates at your holiday table.
Highlight the harvest. If you have a garden, celebrate the bounty by featuring your garden-grown produce. If you don’t, you can attend a local harvest festival nearby. This is not only a fun activity for the whole family, it also connects you to the folks who grow your food, deepening a sense of community. The harvest you bring home will have a story and a memory that comes with it.
Preserve the harvest when it’s abundant. From dried citrus garlands to strawberry jams, preserving food extends their shelf life, gives you more dish options during the holidays, and they make wonderful gifts to share with friends and neighbors.
A truly joyful and thankful holiday is not about having traditional ingredients or the cutest decor, but rather the tradition itself. A place-based tradition celebrates the food that grows where you live and the connection you have to your local community. This is the real recipe for a genuine and heartfelt celebration of the place we call home.
With heart,
Ann