Holiday Tradition: Celebrating Christmas In The Military Families

"Christmas in the military presents unique challenges that civilian families rarely face. Unless you grew up in a military family, it's very possible you've lived in the same geographic region and celebrated the winter holidays with long-held traditions year after year. Maybe you looked forward to cutting down the family Christmas tree or having snowball fights with siblings and neighbors. Then, somewhere down the line, you became a military spouse, and all that changed."

"Christmas in the military means it's a little harder to cling to holiday traditions, no matter where the military takes you. You have to compromise and get creative, especially when living far from family during the holiday season. But you're a military spouse, so you know you've got this - you've made friends at your duty station and decided not to go " home" for the holidays."

"Instead of forcing a winter wonderland by dragging the kids to nearby Legoland's "Snow Land," where machines spray out the white stuff next to LED light-adorned palm trees in 70-degree weather (just, no), how about making new traditions based on wherever you might find yourself today? And, in the military, that could be anywhere. We're talking everything from temporary housing in Newport, Rhode Island, to urban Washington, D.C., to oceanfront living in San Diego."

Military families face disrupted holiday traditions when duty station changes, climate varies, and distance from relatives prevents customary celebrations. Service members and spouses must compromise, get creative, and form new traditions with friends made at duty stations. Adapting may involve participating in unit festivities or creating location-specific celebrations rather than forcing familiar winter experiences. Examples include avoiding artificial snow attractions in warm climates and embracing local surroundings. Duty stations range widely, from temporary housing in Newport, Rhode Island, to urban Washington, D.C., to oceanfront living in San Diego, and may include overseas postings requiring additional adaptation.

Read at Daily Mom magazine