New Holiday Traditions

So. How long does it take to make new holiday traditions?

If you're like me the answer is -- about twenty years.

For me to really have holiday traditions that differ substantially from the ones I had as a kid has taken a very long time. I've been wondering why that is. Is it due to inertia? Is it due to psychological or emotional hurdles? Is it a matter of becoming facile with the cultural language of a different tradition?

Yes.

Yes to inertia, hurdles psychological and emotional, facility with a foreign cultural language.

It takes time to discover the frequency that allows you to ignore the siren song of your youth and be drawn by a siren song in a different pitch.

Why would anyone want to do that? Lots of reasons. Some good. Some not so good.

But the bottom line is that once you've achieved that new place -- that ability to be fluent in that new pitch-- it's pretty sweet.