F I R S T W O R D

Creating “New” Traditions

As I took the Christmas tree down this year, I followed what has become a “new” tradition in my house – I threw the lights away. Next year, before we get our tree, I will buy a new string of lights.

This goes against my upbringing. I was not raised to waste things. But in relation to Christmas lights, this particular value has not worked to my advantage. Many more years that I care to remember, I spent hours untangling strings of lights, only to have them mock me by not lighting up when I plugged them in. For years, I avoided putting up our Christmas tree. It would get closer and closer to the “big day” and our living room sat bare. My children would beg me daily and I would refuse. I couldn’t figure out what the problem was – as a child, I loved decorating the tree; but as an adult, I preferred to put off the whole activity! Then one day I realized that my mother shouldered alone all that “Will the lights work or won’t they?” stress before we opened those boxes of decorations. As a mother myself, I’d carried on the tradition and done the same thing!

And that’s when it hit me … what good are all those lessons I’ve learned about “controlling what I can and letting go of the rest” if I don’t apply them in my life? It was that day that my plan was hatched – I would throw out the lights at the end of the season. The first year I did it, I remember my oldest daughter looking at me with an accusatory expression and muttering something about starving children and saying, “That’s just wrong.” I’ve raised her well. She should question wanton regard for frugality, but in this instance, I could only look at her and say, “You’ll understand one day.”

But, for about $10, I have reduced a considerable amount of stress in my life. It’s a small price to pay to be certain that the lights will work. And of course, I’d like to say that this year our lights went on without a hitch – but of course even the new box of lights arrived with its own its issues. One section would only work intermittently. After a few moments of checking, tightening and mumbling, I made an executive decision to put that part of the string near the back of the tree and we went on with our decorating. No tears, no angst, no hysterical fits. And the kids were fine with it, too.

It’s January. My December lights are a thing of the past. I’m moving forward without that baggage. I’m free! Next December I will start anew.

What kinds of things are holding you back? Is there an obvious solution to a problem that you’ve overlooked? Or are you putting off making a decision because it seems painful? Sometimes holding on to things makes sense and sometimes it makes more sense to scrap the old and start anew.

My new year’s resolution is to apply the “Christmas lights test” when I face challenges this year.

Perhaps I will see things in a different, pardon the expression, light.

Laura Biddle-Bruckman
Editor-In-Chief

Posted: Friday, January 14, 2005 12:00:00 AM. Modified: Wednesday, September 07, 2005 3:19:44 PM.

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