Bring on the Holidays, Stepmom! Ways to Thrive as Your Family Merges Its Traditions by Brenda Snyder, LCSW
Whether you welcome the cooling temperatures or dread them, the change of seasons signals the time period most fraught with emotion by many stepmoms—the holidays.
Stepmoms new to their families might be filled with expectation and excitement while stepmoms with painful holiday memories might meet the festivities with dread and despair. Wherever you find yourself on the spectrum, insight and planning ahead can give you the best chance of a time filled with celebration and good will.
This time of year can complicate any relationship, but when things are still new you face the added challenge of deciding how you’ll celebrate together. If you marry someone who opens gifts on Christmas Eve and you’re from a no-peeking-till-dawn-on-Christmas-Day family, you will simply have to figure out what your first couple’s Christmas will look like.
When you’re already mired in stepfamily life, the complications seem to multiply. You not only have your desires and your partner’s to contend with. You also have to consider how your partner’s children are used to experiencing the holidays. And, yes, that means the ex’s traditions, if they have been adopted by your stepchildren, may also impact your holiday plans. …To read the rest of this article, log in and download the December 2016 issue. Don’t have an account? Click here to subscribe.