Portable Traditions: How Military Families Make the Holidays Bright
For military families, the holidays often arrive in unfamiliar places. Many seasons are shaped by a new location, a different schedule, or changing circumstances, making it common for celebrations to look different from one year to the next.
Yet despite uncertainty, military families often find ways to create warmth and meaning wherever they land. Through portable traditions, both big and small, they build continuity, comfort, and joy no matter the address.
Traditions as Anchors in a Life of Change
For many families who relocate often, holiday traditions can serve as anchors during times of transition. Rituals bring a sense of predictability to seasons that might otherwise feel unsettled. Whether it is a familiar song played while decorating, a special meal prepared each year, or a shared moment carved out amid a busy schedule, traditions can offer emotional grounding.
“It’s not the Christmas season until the matching Christmas pajamas come out.”
— Amanda G., Navy spouse
As Navy spouse Amanda G. shared, matching pajamas are the official dress code in her household for tree decorating, Christmas movie marathons, and Christmas morning. While her family sometimes travels “home” for the holidays, she notes that many of their early December routines have become their most cherished traditions, no matter where they are stationed.
These repeated experiences help reinforce that even when surroundings change, some things remain steady. Traditions become touchstones that help families feel rooted, even while on the move.
The Small Rituals That Travel Anywhere
Some of the most meaningful holiday traditions are also the easiest to pack. A small collection of ornaments may travel from home to home, each one holding memories of past duty stations. A well-worn recipe card can survive countless kitchens and still taste like home. Stockings may hang in a different living room each year, but their place remains the same.
For Amanda’s family, ornaments serve as both memory keepers and storytellers. “Each year we add an ornament to our collection from the place where we are stationed,” she explained. She also keeps a journal tucked into their Christmas tote, writing a short reflection about the year and why each ornament matters. From a surfing Santa from Hawaii to a red phone booth picked up during a deployment, these keepsakes become moments of reflection as they return to the tree year after year.
These simple rituals signal familiarity in a new place and reinforce that home is not defined by walls or geography, but by the moments a family creates together.
Reinventing the Holidays in New Places
Military families are also experts at adapting celebrations to fit new environments. A December spent in Hawaii might mean swapping snow for sand and turning a beach day into a holiday tradition. Overseas assignments can bring opportunities to experience local festivals or blend cultural customs into family celebrations. On bases and installations, parades, potlucks, and community events often become part of the season.
Amanda encourages families to lean into what makes each duty station unique. “Embrace where you are,” she shared. “Find a festive activity to do in your duty station that is unique. Maybe it’s a local theater showing Christmas movies, a neighborhood light display, or a Nutcracker performance. Go and make some memories.”
Reinventing the holidays does not mean losing tradition. Instead, it allows traditions to grow, with each new duty station adding another layer to a family’s holiday story.
Home, Even in Between Places
During the holidays, home does not always look the way families imagine it will. Loved ones may be spread across different places, and time together can be shaped by military schedules. Even so, many families find meaningful ways to create connection, even in the spaces in between.
Army spouse Sarah Lynne Kline shared a reminder that connection does not have to look perfect to be meaningful. “While it’s important to keep things as consistent as possible, all that really matters is that you’re with those you care about,” she said. During one PCS, her family woke up on Christmas morning in a New Orleans hotel room with only their stockings from home. “We still had a great day in the city before continuing our 24-hour drive.”
What Military Kids Learn from Portable Traditions
Growing up with portable traditions teaches military kids powerful lessons. They learn how to adapt and navigate change, but also something deeper: that belonging is something you build.
Growing up as a military child meant spending the holidays in many different places, often far from extended family. Over time, I learned that what makes the season meaningful is not where you are, but who you are with. Wherever we were, familiar traditions helped create a sense of belonging that did not depend on the location. For my family, drinking eggnog and singing karaoke on Christmas Eve became a small but steady ritual, one that carried that feeling of home with us no matter the address.
For military kids, these rituals help them embrace each new chapter without losing their sense of identity, reinforcing that family remains constant even as locations change.
The Heart Travels with You
Decorations may change, weather may vary, and addresses will certainly shift. But the heart of the holidays remains the same. Military families make the season bright not in spite of constant change, but because they know how to create joy wherever they land.
The true tradition is the love and connection they carry with them, reminding us that home is something we create together.
Every family carries their own version of home. If you would like to share how your family makes the holidays meaningful, we invite you to share your story below. Together, these moments reflect the many ways military families build connections wherever they land.
Together, We’re Stronger®
By: Olivia Brinsfield, Content Manager
