I love traditions. Always have. And I come by it honestly. As a kid, my family steeped every holiday in them. We’d only bring the model train down for Christmas. My parents would buy a new silver bell each year. And every Christmas Eve, we went to a candlelight service at church.

Now as an adult, Jen and I have built our own traditions. And I know my kids will carry those with them one day, just like I did. That’s how traditions work—they become a cycle of memories that bind families together.

But parenting after divorce changes things. Those first few Christmases are hard. Old traditions get tangled up with bittersweet memories. Sometimes they just don’t work anymore.

So here’s my encouragement: choose today to start making new ones. Your kids aren’t measuring the holiday against the past. They’re watching you, right now. Whatever you do today becomes tomorrow’s memory.

Don’t let yourself have a blue Christmas longing for days gone by. Elvis should be the only one singing that tune. And while we’re at it, “Auld Lang Syne” doesn’t mean what most people think. It’s not about clinging to the past. It’s about remembering old times fondly, while still moving forward.

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Lawyer Bill’s Advice

Divorce can change a calendar, but it doesn’t have to ruin Christmas. Start fresh. Create traditions your kids will look back on with a smile. And one day, they’ll pass those on too. That’s the part of Christmas no court order can touch.