The Magic of Small Traditions

Like most people, I love this time of year.

The weather turns crisp, the days a little shorter, and there’s that unmistakable fall smell — something between crisp leaves and apple pie — that makes you want to pull on a sweater, curl under a blanket, and maybe… just maybe… put on some Christmas music.

Yes, I start early. And honestly? We all need it this year.

Now that my daughter is old enough to understand a little more — and I’m finally out of the fog of postpartum — I’ve been thinking about what I want this season to mean for her.

The little things that will make it feel special.
The moments that will quietly whisper: this is home.

In years past, I think I got swept up in the leftovers — the lingering rhythms of what both my husband’s family and mine have always done. Lovely things, familiar things, but not necessarily ours.

And in between all of that, I realized — there’s space.
Space to create our own.

Not in an overwhelming, Pinterest-board kind of way.
But gently. Intentionally.

Maybe one or two small traditions that are just for us.
A drive to see Christmas lights.
Decorating cookies together.
Matching pajamas for the fall.
Turning on the fireplace before dinner in the winter months.

Tiny, repeatable moments that mark belonging and peace within our own four walls.

💡 The Reset Shift

Traditions don’t have to be elaborate — they just have to be consistent.

Two or three simple rituals can create an emotional rhythm that says: This is what safety feels like. This is what our family sounds, smells, and feels like.

When you do something small, tactile, and rhythmic — baking together, hanging an ornament, lighting incense, watching the same cozy movie — you’re strengthening your family’s emotional home frequency.

For your kids, that rhythm becomes a memory of love and predictability.
For you, it becomes a way to anchor yourself amid everything else that’s changing — work, relatives, chaos, the news cycle, life.

It’s not necessarily about the activity itself; it’s about the sensory joy of it — the smell of something baking, the feel of little hands helping, the song you sing while you do it. Those details ground everyone back into warmth, connection, and calm.

☕ Reset Moments

📖 Journal Prompt:
What are 1–2 simple traditions that could feel like “ours” this year? Think small, repeatable, sensory.

🎧 On Repeat:
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” - Frank Sinatra

🕯️ Tiny Ritual:
Light a candle or dim the lights every evening at dusk — a soft cue that says, we’re home now.

See you next week.
And remember — you can always start over.

🫶🏽
Bina

💌 Have a question for Dear Reset?
Share your story or situation here — it’s completely anonymous.