WEBVTT - Start a new tradition 

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to start a new tradition. Lots of

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<v Speaker 1>holiday traditions will need to change this year, but with

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<v Speaker 1>a little thoughtfulness, you can create new traditions that you'll

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<v Speaker 1>want to keep even when the world goes back to

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<v Speaker 1>something approaching normal. In recent episodes, I've been nudging people

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<v Speaker 1>to remember that the holidays are upon us. So much

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<v Speaker 1>associated with the holidays is tradition. We do it over

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<v Speaker 1>and over again, and yet so much is going to

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<v Speaker 1>have to change. There won't be the big parades or

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<v Speaker 1>parties of years past. These things can sneak up on us.

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<v Speaker 1>We aren't actively thinking, oh, yeah, I always go to

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<v Speaker 1>this party, until you realize that the party isn't happening

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<v Speaker 1>and the season can suddenly feel strange. Best to know

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<v Speaker 1>this is going to happen and to make other arrangements.

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<v Speaker 1>I think the best approach is to think creatively and

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<v Speaker 1>figure out how you might start a new tradition that

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<v Speaker 1>is fun enough that the missing traditions don't feel so

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<v Speaker 1>bad and you're inspired to stick with the new ones.

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<v Speaker 1>For instance, I love going to holiday concerts, and there

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<v Speaker 1>are going to be far fewer holiday concerts this year.

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<v Speaker 1>But I could choose some favorite Christmas albums to listen to.

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<v Speaker 1>I can play through my favorite holiday carols and hymns

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<v Speaker 1>on the piano. Maybe I'll sing along. My kids are

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<v Speaker 1>usually in the church Christmas pageant. My guess is that

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<v Speaker 1>there won't be a pageant this year, but I have

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<v Speaker 1>five kids, including a baby. I could stage my own

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<v Speaker 1>Nativity tableau if I wanted, with stuffed animals serving the

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<v Speaker 1>role of beasts in the stable. In any case, I

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<v Speaker 1>can have the kids read the Christmas Story from the

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<v Speaker 1>Bible at home too. We could figure out a way

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<v Speaker 1>to have this feel festive if we are going to

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<v Speaker 1>have fewer parties, maybe we make more cookies at home.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe we try a new Christmas dish or craft. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the year to experiment. Make a list of ideas

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<v Speaker 1>you might try, ask your family members what they'd like

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<v Speaker 1>to try, and then as you're working through the list,

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<v Speaker 1>pay attention when are you really having fun? What does

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<v Speaker 1>everyone seem to like? A year ago, my now eleven

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<v Speaker 1>year old and I made a lego gingerbread house, and

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<v Speaker 1>we really enjoyed doing that. So this year I bought

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<v Speaker 1>a Lego Christmas Toy workshop off eBay and he and

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<v Speaker 1>my daughter and I will construct that. Last year we

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<v Speaker 1>also got matching pajamas for Christmas, and everyone wore those

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<v Speaker 1>Christmas morning. Now I fully expect us to all be

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<v Speaker 1>in matching pajamas for every Christmas. This is how traditions start.

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<v Speaker 1>Which ry stuff. We like it, we decide we'd like

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<v Speaker 1>to try it again. If you experiment a lot this year,

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<v Speaker 1>you will learn a lot about what people like and

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<v Speaker 1>don't like. Of course, some stuff won't work, so it goes.

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<v Speaker 1>This is the year to experiment because there's a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of open space in the absence of parties and holiday shows.

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<v Speaker 1>We probably won't be going to the Nutcracker or Disney

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<v Speaker 1>on Ice or anything like that, so we can try

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<v Speaker 1>stuff out. Maybe you can too, and you just might

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<v Speaker 1>come up with something that makes the cut for all

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<v Speaker 1>years in the future, which will be a great way

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<v Speaker 1>to remember this strange holiday season. In the meantime, this

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear

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<v Speaker 1>from you. You can send me your tips, your questions

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the

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<v Speaker 1>number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also

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<v Speaker 1>shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia

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<v Speaker 1>dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all

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<v Speaker 1>the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying

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<v Speaker 1>in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio.

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