My dad loved cutting down our Christmas tree every year. After he had strokes, our family adjusted our tradition so he could still be included.

Courtesy of Amy Halloran

We want holiday traditions to be static, each year repeating the last. In reality, kids grow, parents age, divorces happen, and jobs change, forcing us to adjust to suit new circumstances. We learned this when my father had strokes, and we fought to keep him involved in our annual tree fetch — a ritual that he'd started.