When a Tradition should end

One of my strongest beliefs about traditions is that they don’t need to last forever. There are as many, or more, reasons to end a tradition as there are to start them. Let me give you just a handful. Is the tradition harmful? Harmful to you, harmful to others, harmful to your energy, time, health, etc. Harm is hard to completely avoid, so do not inflect pain upon yourself or others for the sake of a tradition.

Is the tradition no longer serving you? If you always celebrate a specific religious holiday, but you have left or distanced yourself from that religion maybe that holiday no longer serves you either. Is it possible to change your tradition to fit your current life? Of course, there are plenty of non-religious extrapolations that can be made for/from holidays even if the holiday originates with a religion, but it’s also important to leave those things that no longer work for you. Stop celebrating that holiday, stop making that dish, stop spending your time on the things that no longer serve you.

Is this tradition for someone else? Did you get the tradition from another generation of your family? Sometimes that makes them even more meaningful, but sometimes they were great for that generation, but don’t make sense in your time.

All in all traditions should enhance, not burden your life. If you are feeling burdened by a tradition, let it go. End it, don’t bother feeling guilty, don’t bother harboring bitterness, just let it go. Stop the tradition