It’s the 27^th of November, and if anyone listening is already on holidays, Brooke and Ben salute you. It’s one month til Christmas, and the craziness/silliness/festiveness has well and truly begun. This is the last episode in the Slow Holidays Monday series, and in the spirit of trying to find pockets of slow in these full and exciting weeks, today Brooke and Ben talk about the importance of holiday traditions.

They both agree that traditions are really important, especially at this time of year. However they acknowledge that traditions change and evolve over time, and that there’s no need to stick to something that doesn’t serve you.

Ben challenges Brooke about a couple of their holiday traditions (e.g. getting a real Christmas tree every year and decorating the house with what he terms “clutter”, much to Brooke’s objection) and asks if they still align to their values. Brooke maintains that she still values fun, and that the most important part of these traditions (and this time of year) is spending quality time with friends and family. The joy of hanging out with their kids on the first weekend in December, going to get a tree and then listening to The Beach Boys while decorating is what matters, not necessarily the tree and decorations themselves.

It’s testing, but Ben puts it out there that it’s good at this time of year to question why we partake in certain holiday traditions. This week’s action? Look at what you do at this time of year and the traditions you love, and why you love them. See if there are any traditions that need to evolve and start having those conversations. What small shifts can you start to make to ensure your traditions sit comfortably with your values? And most importantly, don’t forget to embrace the fun and soften into the season.

Head over to http://slowyourhome.com/216/ for all the links and resources mentioned, as well as the blog post.

PS Keep listening all the way to the end for some blooper gold.

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