Holiday Traditions: How Family Traditions Help Physicians Fight Burnout
The smell of simmering clam chowder still takes me back to my grandparents’ kitchen on Christmas Eve. As a physician who has spent countless holidays on call, I have learned that these cherished family traditions are not just childhood memories — they are lifelines that help us maintain our humanity in the demanding world of medicine.
Roots of Tradition: Growing Up in a Close-Knit Family
Growing up as the oldest of seven children in the Midwest, family was inescapable. I was raised in the same city where my parents grew up. My siblings and I were surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and generations of cousins. Family gatherings were our routine. Whether it was something “big” — like a 16th birthday — or something routine like Sunday suppers, Friday night football games, and summer afternoons at the pool, we celebrated being together. These were not just activities; they were the threads of our family’s tapestry. I was always part of something bigger than myself.
Our traditions truly came alive during the holidays. Christmas was not just a day — it evolved into an almost week-long celebration filled with piñatas, “reindeer” games, presents, family, and multiple feasts that would put holiday movies to shame. My favorite tradition growing up was Christmas Eve at my maternal grandparents’ house, where my Massachusetts-born grandmother introduced our Midwestern family to the unlikely tradition of Christmas Eve clam chowder. I am not sure how the tradition started, and I am not certain my grandma even likes clam chowder — but my siblings and I grabbed onto that tradition tightly. Now, at 100 years old, my grandma watches as the next generation continues it, serving bowls of comfort and connection.
When Medicine Meets Tradition: Navigating Career Demands
The transition into medical training brought a stark reality check. During my six years of residency and fellowship, I made it home for only one Christmas. Each missed holiday felt lonely and wrong. I missed my family and our traditions. Now, having passed the midpoint of my career, I recognize those absences as more than just missed celebrations — they were missed opportunities for renewal, grounding, and preservation of self. I gave up small pieces of myself for the sake of my career.
The Science Behind Family Traditions: Why They Matter for Physician Wellness
Research supports what many of us intuitively know: traditions and rituals play a crucial role in mental health and resilience. Studies show that maintaining cultural and family traditions can:
- Reduce stress levels and anxiety
- Increase feelings of social connection
- Enhance emotional well-being
- Provide a sense of identity and continuity
- Buffer against professional burnout
Building New Traditions in Medicine
I am not the only one who has missed family gatherings during medical training. When traditional celebrations are not possible, creating new rituals and connections becomes essential. Throughout my career, I have discovered ways to blend old traditions with new realities:
- Virtual family gatherings: Regular video calls during family celebrations keep connection alive across distance.
- Workplace traditions: Monthly get-togethers with colleagues. (When I am on call over Christmas, I round in a Santa hat. The staff loves it more than the kids!)
- Modified celebrations: Marking holidays on alternate dates when schedules allow — the date matters less than the intention.
- Personal rituals: Creating morning routines or end-of-shift practices that ground us before and after the hard parts.
- Shared meals: Bringing a cherished family dish to work and sharing it with colleagues — ordinary joy, made communal.
Practical Ways to Maintain Family Traditions During Medical Training
- Schedule protected time for important family events during rotation planning — put them in the calendar before the schedule fills
- Create micro-traditions that can be maintained even during the busiest periods
- Use technology to participate in family events virtually when you cannot be there in person
- Share traditional recipes or activities with colleagues — it builds connection at work while honoring your roots
- Document and journal about family traditions to maintain connection across long stretches of time away
Creating Your Legacy: Balancing Medicine and Personal Life
Today, watching my children — and those of my siblings — anticipate our family traditions with the same excitement we once had, I understand their true value. They are not just about the clam chowder or the piñatas. They are about maintaining our humanity in a profession that often demands superhuman effort.
For those of us in medicine, traditions serve as anchors in the storm of a demanding career. They remind us that while we are healers, we are also human beings who need connection, continuity, and community. Whether carrying on longstanding family traditions or creating new ones, these rituals are more than pleasant pastimes — they are essential tools for preventing burnout and building a flourishing life.
As my grandmother’s clam chowder recipe passes to the next generation, it carries more than instructions for a meal. It carries the reminder that in medicine, as in life, it is these connections and traditions that sustain us through the challenges we face.
What traditions do you maintain to stay grounded in your medical career? Share your story in the comments below, or reach out to learn more about building a sustainable medical career that honors both your professional calling and your personal life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do family traditions matter for physician wellness? Traditions provide what medicine often strips away: predictability, connection, and a sense of identity that extends beyond your role as a clinician. Research consistently links participation in family and cultural rituals with reduced anxiety, greater social connectedness, and improved resilience against occupational stress. For physicians — whose professional identity often dominates — traditions are a structured reminder that you are a full human being, not just a provider.
How can physicians maintain family traditions during demanding training? The most effective strategies are flexibility and creativity rather than perfection. Celebrate on alternate dates when the actual holiday falls during a rotation. Use video calls to participate virtually. Create micro-traditions — small, repeatable practices that can be maintained even on busy weeks. Share a family recipe with colleagues when you cannot be with family. The tradition does not have to happen in its original form to do its work.
Can new traditions replace the ones physicians miss during training? Yes — and for many physicians, new traditions become just as meaningful as the ones they grew up with. Workplace traditions built with colleagues during training, personal rituals created around shift start or end, or modified celebrations adapted to irregular schedules all serve the same psychological function: they anchor you to something consistent when everything else is unpredictable.
Is it possible to build meaningful traditions while working demanding hours? Absolutely — but it requires intention rather than assumption. The key insight is that traditions do not require large blocks of time. A 20-minute ritual, consistently protected, becomes just as anchoring as a full-day celebration. The physicians who sustain meaningful lives alongside demanding careers are usually the ones who schedule their joy with the same seriousness they schedule their work.
About the Author Dr. Ben Reinking is a practicing pediatric cardiologist, certified physician coach, and founder of The Developing Doctor. The oldest of seven children, he grew up in a tradition-rich family and has spent nearly two decades learning how to carry those roots into a demanding medical career. He writes about the intersection of medicine and the full human life. Learn more at thedevelopingdoctor.com.
Updated April 2026
