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Life changes. So do traditions. Even when we're not ready.

"Re-traditioning" is about finding necessary new traditions.

Everyone tweaks holiday traditions. We find better recipes, include someone new, maybe update linens.

Re-traditioning is about something bigger.

A move, a marriage, a new baby, an aging parent, a divorce, a death, even the sale of Grandma's house can drastically change the kinds of things you do to celebrate a holiday, where you celebrate it, and who celebrate with you.

A woman going through an unexpected divorce told me over the weekend that she's facing the upcoming holidays with concern, a little dread. She's spent the last two decades celebrating holidays with her husband and children. Family dynamics have changed. What now, she wonders. Will she be alone?

Right now, I'm helping my family re-tradition Thanksgiving. I'll be talking about that in the early days of this blog. But that's just one family's re-tradition journey, a story about one particular holiday.

I've re-traditioned before, and I've published a how-to article in The Washington Post. But it's been a while.

Are you re-traditioning? Let us know what's up and how you're handling it. When you find internet resources, let us know. I'll be adding links in the sidebar as I find them, too.

Did you change traditions previously? Share the lessons learned, surprises found.

Maybe you just want to jump in because you know what many of us already know -- one day you'll have to re-tradition, too. Or you might need to help someone forced to make changes.

A man in his 80's just moved 2000 miles to an assisted-living facility in California, near his adult daughters. The daughters assumed their father would meld into their combined Thanksgiving. Guess what? Dad wants to do something at his new place, too. What and how? He hasn't figured that out yet. But he's working on it. And so are his daughters.

Traditions are important. It doesn't matter if they're Thanksgiving and Christmas family traditions, or about birthdays or any other important day. They're your way of doing things.

Don't just lurk -- tell us you're out there.

Join the conversation. I created this blog for all of us.