Family traditions over the holidays can be hard to navigate especially when you and your spouse come from different upbringings and family traditions growing up. Talking about this with my husband, Nathan, is such a blast. 

Let me introduce you to Nathan. He works for a church planting ministry. Prior to that spent 11 years in ministry as a student pastor in Franklin TN. He’s a simple man who loves being outside and his family. 

Nathan and I’s mindsets around family traditions were very different. We grew up SO differently. When we got married the holidays were nothing like either of us were used to. Nathan had tons of different traditions around the holidays… Activities throughout the whole season, Christmas breakfast, different family dinners, and tons of traditions we still do today with our family. 

My traditions weren’t anywhere close to that. Even though they weren’t the same I don’t remember looking back and feeling sad or thinking things looked differently for me. A lot of that was comparison and seeing friends have big family traditions that we just didn’t have. 

Not only were our traditions different, Nathan and I but so were our mindsets around the holidays. He has always been a compassionate and empathetic guy. Knowing the differences we experienced he always wanted me to be there and experience his family traditions too.

One thing we always do, even when traveling, is make sure there is time for just the two of us to open the gifts we got each other.

Traditions and expectations as you get married and have children are definitely different. For Nathan, he is deeply nostalgic and wanted to keep the traditions he had growing up. It was a little hard at first but we have been able to grow as a family and make traditions we share with our extended family and ourselves.

Now there is a huge focus on the joy we experience seeing the magic through the eyes of our children Rhett and Zoe. Their love for Christmas and the traditions we’ve carried on and created ourselves is so special. Cheesemas Eve, our favorite, with grilled cheese and cheesecake. It’s a hit!

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