7 Holiday Traditions You Can Retire—And 9 New Ones to Consider

Serve in a coupe glass with a lemon-peel garnish, and partiers won’t feel deprived in the slightest.

Turkey

No food has a worse labor-to-enjoyment ratio—to the extent that people get really excited talking about the time they gave up turkey. “A couple of years ago, I talked my family into ditching the turkey for Thanksgiving,” says beauty and wellness journalist Grace Gold of New York City. “Cooking it added too much stress to a holiday that I wanted to enjoy more. Also, we realized no one really loved the turkey. We kept the sides that everyone loves and instead do roasted salmon or mushroom chicken as the main entree. Everyone is happier!” Same goes for Christmas turkey traditions. “Growing up in Mexico, I ate turkey for Christmas every year, as we do in most of Latin America,” says Laura Ozyilmaz, co-owner/co-chef of Dalida restaurant in San Francisco. “When I discovered most Americans didn’t have a big appetite for the bird outside of Thanksgiving, I quickly moved on! In Turkey, where my husband is from, one holiday tradition is to eat in-season turbot from the Black Sea, and I love this so much more. Eating fish for a holiday is wonderful because you want to build memories with your family and friends, not just fall asleep on the couch.”

9 New Holiday Traditions to Consider

Adopt a tradition from your ancestors

Here’s a low-stakes tradition with Spanish roots that’s migrated to other European and Hispanic countries: Recently trending on Tik Tok, las doce uvas de la suerte, or the 12 grapes of luck, originated in Madrid, where people have long gathered in the main square, Puerto del Sol, and attempted to eat one grape with each chime of midnight. Others mirror this at home: “Everyone in my family eats 12 grapes before midnight, one to represent each month of the year, while making a wish,” says Carolina Acosta of Queens, NYC, founder of the bilingual game company Tregos. Some eat the grapes under a table. Some do it while wearing certain colors of underwear. “Wear red underwear for love in the new year, yellow for more money,” says Patricia Morales Galindo of Los Angeles, who grew up following this tradition in Mexico City. (The grapes and the red underwear also have roots in Italy.) Another tradition Morales Galindo carried forward from Mexico: “Grab a coin and leave it out all night on New Year’s Eve. This is to serenar the coin, or to absorb the serene of the night and the moonlight. Next morning, pick it up, keep it in your wallet for the whole year, and on December 31st, give it away to someone in need. This is so you have all you need during the year, plus blessings.”

Curate a storybook outing

“One of my favorite traditions is something we call The Polar Express,” says Katy Kindred, a Charlotte, NC-based restaurateur and founder of Kindred Studio. “We have the kids make tickets out of yellow construction paper, pack hot chocolate in a Thermos, and take an Amtrak train in our jammies on a short trip to Greensboro. We have a hotel pick us up in fancy cars and stay a night. We order room service, take bubble baths, watch Home Alone and eat a fancy brunch the next morning. It’s super fun!”

Come together around first-time recipes

Here’s an idea that makes a party out of all those TikTok recipes you’ve saved and then completely forgotten about. “I have a tradition I plan to start this year—a Friendsgiving where everyone has to make one Instagram recipe,” says Curry. “We could finally try some of those amazing-looking dishes I save in my feed but never get around to making!”

Make leftovers into a gift

“We have a holiday tradition in our family around food and food waste,” says Raina Kumra, founder of Spicewell. “Since our holiday meals involve a lot of cooking and a lot of food, we spend time after each meal wrapping up mini meals—a bit of everything, from the mains and sides to desserts. We then distribute these to different homeless encampments, sometimes while the food is still warm. That’s the best holiday feeling. We’ve started doing this after our kids’ birthday parties too.”

Use foods to combine cultures

Since New Year’s is a nonreligious holiday, it’s an excellent blank slate amid the season for combining foods and drinks from different cultures represented within families. “As a Jewish and Korean family, we prepare a Hawaiian-inspired Korean dumpling extravaganza to ring in the New Year,” says Beth Lee, author of The Essential Jewish Baking Cookbook. Even on religious holidays, it’s fun to riff on tradition by tying in the heritage of family members. “I’m so proud of being a Puerto Rican/Jewish woman and love celebrating that heritage, especially when I cook,” says Trisha Pérez Kennealy, owner and culinary director of the Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington, MA. “Everyone knows about potato latkes during Hanukkah, but I love making a dish that’s not as widely known: sufganiyot, which are Israeli jelly donuts. I fill mine with guava jelly, which reminds me of Puerto Rico.”

Learn new traditions when you travel

“We’ve added a Scandinavian tradition of having an advent candle that we light together daily as part of the Christmas countdown,” says Vanessa Gordon of East Hampton, NY, CEO and publisher of East End Taste, who got the idea during a recent trip to Iceland. Her family also buys a Christmas ornament in each place they visit so their tree evokes memories of family adventures.

Adopt a family in need

“One of the most important traditions for us—something my husband and I have done since before we were married—is adopting a family for the holidays,” says Alejandra Ayalde of Sherman Oaks, CA. “We spoil them rotten, asking for three things they want and three things they need and trying to get them everything on that list. My two kids, ages 7 and 9, are very involved. We wrap everything and deliver the carload of goodies to the family.” To find a family to adopt, contact a local transitional living program or nonprofits like United Way, Salvation Army, and Catholic Charities.

Don’t get dressed up—or dressed at all

“One of my very favorite new traditions is what we’re calling Mimosa Morning on Christmas,” says actress Erin Cahill. “My family and I wake up very leisurely and open our stockings over coffee. Then we stay in our PJs and make a simple brunch of eggs, croissants, and mimosas. We open gifts while finishing the prosecco, and still in our PJs, put on Christmas movies and relax all the way into the evening. It’s the most cozy and fun day of the year.”

Wrap up the holiday with friends

“After we finish with our families on Christmas around 6 p.m., all my friends with similar family situations—or those who don’t celebrate Christmas or don’t celebrate on the actual day—come together,” says Julia Lepidi, Detroit-based syndicated radio host of The Julia Show on Audacy. “We all bring our leftovers and any alcohol we got as gifts, and we play board games all night. Usually, we have the next day off, so we get to be sloths and nurse our hangovers.”