The holiday season is one that many children look forward to; however, the first season after a parent's divorce can come with great anxiety. The children might not be sure what is going to happen, and this can make them concerned. If possible, you should have a discussion with them about what they should expect so that they might not feel as stressed.
Before you talk to the children, you have to realize what the holiday season means now. Things don't have to be exactly the same as they were when you were married. Instead, you can now come up with your own holiday traditions that can bring joy to you and your children.
One of the first things you need to do is to review the parenting plan, so you can see when you have the children. You likely won't have them on every major holiday, so this will take some getting used to. While you could focus on the negatives of this, you should opt to find workarounds that can help you build memories when they are with you.
You might have to think outside of the box a bit. For example, if they are with your ex on Christmas, you can shift the celebration to Christmas Eve or even the day after Christmas. The point that's most important during this time is that you have time to make positive memories with them.
Allowing your child to have a say in the traditions you are creating is important. If you find that they don't like something, it might be best to avoid those activities in future years. You may also realize that things have to change some as they grow up and mature.