There’s nothing quite as magical as the holidays when your children are home. When they are little, the holidays are filled with wonder and delight as you witness them through the eyes of a child. As they grow, it’s fun to engage in family traditions and experience every stage of childhood in a unique way. Before you know it, they are grown and you’re facing your first empty nest holidays.

Each time a child grows up, moves out, and moves into their new life, it directly affects yours. Not only are you absent a child, but you’re also beginning to see that life’s never going to be the same in a lot of different areas. This redefinition of life can feel overwhelming if you’ve wrapped your identity into being a parent. 

Empty nest holidays have the potential to be magical if you embrace the positive benefits. Morphing with the changes and refreshing your holiday style can help you create a new and exciting experience. Sure, your kiddos might fly home and still want their favorite meals, but there are plenty of ways to infuse time-honored traditions while exploring brand new ways to celebrate.

Consider these redefined ways to celebrate:

Make the holiday negotiable – As families grow, they expand. Kids head to college, get married, or do whatever it is they do on their own. This can create challenges to celebrate a holiday on its specific day. Making the day negotiable helps. There’s nothing that says your Thanksgiving can’t be the fourth Saturday of November or that you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. You can design whatever celebration your empty nest needs to accommodate the changes that come with children growing up.

Drop it like it’s hot – You can choose to drop a holiday and allow your kids to celebrate with new family or friends. It’s entirely possible to start your own holiday plans that don’t include kids at all. Take a cruise each year or buy a timeshare. Do something that sounds like fun and free the time up for your kids to celebrate their holiday however they choose.

Put the holidays on pause – If your kids are out of the home, not married, and have no children of their own, it’s a good time to put things on pause. Allow each holiday to be its own unique day without any preconceived expectations. When they marry, have children, or are settled into a regular routine it’s a great time to re-establish a holiday celebration routine. In the meantime, enjoy holiday seasons where anything is possible.

Being an empty nester is a wonderful thing. It’s a great time to reinvent yourself and your traditions. Finding new and fun ways to celebrate makes perfect sense when your young adult kids are out finding their way. Get creative and make your empty nest holidays fun and unique.  

Today’s Assignment: What scheduling changes are you willing to make in order to accommodate your children and their family’s time? Think about how you can rearrange the calendar to make it more meaningful for all.