New Year, New Daddying Traditions
- Allan Shedlin
- 5 days ago
- 7 min read
By Scott Beller
Daddying Editor and Daddying Film Festival & Forum Director of Communications
With Christmas and New Year's Day now distant in our rearview (but holiday decor still keeping front yards festive), I thought I'd write about some seasonal traditions we welcomed in 2025 and other first-time activities I hope continue as family traditions for years to come.
And, yes, that includes our new, earlier Daddying Film Fest call for entries and January event dates, but I'll get to that business later.
2025 was my first time making a trip to pick up my Syracuse University freshman from school to bring her home for winter break. Having her return earlier in the semester for fall break and Thanksgiving by plane and bus on her own, while convenient, had me feeling detached. Especially, when seeing her disappear down that long walkaway and through airport security on her trip back to school. But driving north – solo, in the snow – felt like I was participating in another Dad rite of passage. A mission of joy.
The closer I got to campus, the heavier the snow fell. I was a kid again, anticipating Christmas Day knowing Santa was bringing me something amazing. The streets of Syracuse were coated in several inches of lake-effect snow, but my daughter and I were still able to share dinner downtown that night, and I got her back to her dorm safely after demonstrating multiple times the proper way to "steer into the skid" and "pump the brakes." [Note to self: remember to share this information with her sister, the newest driver in the family.]
The next morning, after her last final exam of the semester (which she crushed, of course), the snow was deep, but the roads were magically clear, and we enjoyed a relatively easy drive home. Dad and daughter both eager to engage in variety of holiday plans with friends and family.
I'll start with the usual. In addition to neighborhood parties and annual bake-a-thon, two family tradition highlights returned: a trip to the Lincoln Theater to see the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington DC perform its holiday show, and decorating our Christmas tree. The former we've observed since 2022, the latter after a two-year hiatus. Thanks to its new and improved portability, we were able to enjoy our tree decorated with 18 years of family memories and lore without fear of having it devoured by two very bad kitties. We purchased a 4-foot, pre-lit tree so we can now place it safely in our powder room each night to shine another day.
And now the unusual.
First, we enjoyed a Christmas Eve visit to tour the historic Mansion on O and then dinner at one of Washington, DC's historic Italian restaurants that prides itself in being "a celebration of tradition and flavor," Floriana. It was our second time with the kids exploring the O Museum in the Mansion and first time dining at Floriana. It was a rare but perfect night out with our kids. While we may decide on a different mix of activities next year, I know that whatever we plan, the goal will be to recreate those same feelings of wonder and connectedness.
And second...
In 2024, after several years of curating my Books to Read with Your Kids Holiday Gift Guide for the blog, I decided to put my money where my mouth was and suggested we start a family book club in 2025. I picked a book from the guide I thought everyone would like (The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton) and gifted everyone a copy for Christmas. I won't mention any names, but will say that three of us finished the book, with one reader (me) confirming they liked it. Unfortunately, that was the extent of discussion.
So, this year, to increase buy-in and engagement from the whole family unit, I added a twist to making 2026's official selection to the Beller Book Club. One infused with holiday spirit, freedom of choice, and a language the ladies of my household would appreciate more:
rom com.
Each family member got to choose a holiday-themed romantic comedy film for us all to watch together in December. The catch was that we had to pick one we thought would be the absolute most torturous watch for everyone to endure. The person who chose the crappiest film, based on a sophisticated rating system (developed by me, a 5-year D3F and 2-year Shriekfest judging veteran), would be awarded exclusive rights to choose what the family would read for our 2026 book club.
Despite the quality of films we watched, it was a great holiday activity we could enjoy together (and get on our kids' busy social calendars!).
Here now, in the order we watched them, are the Beller family's Official Selections for the 2025 INAUGURAL HOLIDAY ROMCOM FIASCO and our individual ratings (Feel free to use this information for conducting your own film fiasco next holiday season and/or to avoid this particular batch of rotten tomatoes):
Horrible Holiday Movie Voter Sheet (Rate 1-5 with 5 being "worst" – half points OK)
1) Story/plot (how ridiculous?)
2) Characters (are they cringe or actually realistic/believable/likeable?)
3) Acting (how much does it suck?)
4) Overall Production (i.e., does it look/sound like garbage or a $100M film?)
5) Was it a fun watch (1) or pure torture (5)?
Runaway Christmas Bride* (chosen by Daughter #2)
D2: 3.5, 4, 3.5, 5, 4 = 20/25
ME: 3, 4, 3.5, 4.5, 4 = 19/25
Rockstar Mom: 3, 3, 3, 4, 3= 16/25
Daughter #1: 2, 3, 3, 5, 3 = 16/25
Overall Crappiness Score: 71/100 possible points
Christmas on the Alpaca Farm (chosen by Daughter #1)
D2: 4, 2, 2, 2, 2 = 12
ME: 4.5, 3, 2, 2, 3 = 14.5
RM: 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 = 10
D1: 3, 2, 2, 2, 4 = 13
Score: 49.5
Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story (Chosen by Dad)
D2: 3, 2, 2, 3, 2 = 12
ME: 5, 3, 2, 2.5, 4.5 = 17
RM: 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 3, 2.5 = 13
D1: 4, 2, 3, 2, 3 = 14
Score: 56.0
Christmas Wedding Planner (Chosen by Rockstar Mom)
L: 4, 2, 1, 2, 2 = 11/25
ME 3.5, 3, 1, 2, 2.5 = 12/25
RM: 2x5 = 10/25
M: abstained due to her sister's insurmountable lead. And having better things to do with friends.
* Winner
Daughter #2 set the bar high (or low) coming out of the gate with her choice, and her lead was never threatened. Aside from it's oddly contrived premise, horrible script, and amateurish acting, Runaway... was just a poorly produced waste of whatever medium they shot it on. Bad audio, overused stock footage, and most everything framed in closeup (presumably to mask the fact most of it was not filmed at an actual ski resort). A clear "winner."
Analyzing the rest of the results data, another thing that's clear is that my rockstar wife mostly enjoys this stuff. One positive I found in the exercise was the thought that my film choice, in some small way, might have helped knock the KC team out of playoff contention. My biggest disappointment: no talking alpacas on that farm.
Daughter #2 is now on the clock to make her Book Club selection, which we'll begin reading as soon as her sister gets home in May. We've given her just two guidelines: keep the page count manageable and "No Twilight."
The added bonus in all this was that reviewing films primed me for the kickoff of the 5th annual virtual Daddying Film Festival. And it made me appreciate our festival's Official Selections all the more. After prospecting for, reviewing, and rating hundreds of films and videos since last Fathers' Day, adding a film component to our Book Club selection process was a no-brainer. Speaking of film, if you haven't already, please grab your FREE D3F passes for unlimited viewing of 70+ short and feature films from students, Dads, and indie filmmakers from around the world streaming right now through TOMORROW, Thursday, January 15th at 11:59 pm EST on Eventive!
By holding our annual film fest and live Daddying Film Forum (coming January 30-31 to American University's campus in Washington, DC) just outside the winter holidays afterglow and before the overscheduled spring months (spring break, spring sports for kids, college/HS graduations, over-saturated Fathers' Day coverage, etc.), we hope we've started yet another tradition even more families can enjoy year after year.
With two wintery days left before the virtual D3F wraps, stay warm and connected with the family by grabbing your free festival pass, let everyone choose a film, and celebrate what it means to have or be an involved Dad. I guarantee ALL our 2026 Official Selections are better than Runaway Christmas Bride.
Pump the brakes, enjoy creating new traditions with the family, and Daddy on.
TWO DAYS LEFT!
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Scott Beller is the proud, imperfect crew Dad of two teen, mighty girls, imperfect partner of their rock-star mom/regatta chaperone, a truth teller, purveyor of banned books, former youth soccer and basketball championship coach, retired part-time driving instructor, late-night filmgoer, Editor of the Daddying blog, and Director of Communications for DCG and the Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F). He's a seasoned writer and PR agency veteran with more than 35 years of experience helping organizations of all sizes and individuals reach audiences and tell their stories. Prior to launching his own creative communications consultancy in 2003, he led PR teams with some of the world’s most respected agencies, including The Weber Group and Fleishman-Hillard. As a consultant, he’s helped launch two other parenting advocacy nonprofits with DCG founder Allan Shedlin, REEL Fathers and Dads Unlimited. His first book, Beggars or Angels, was a ghostwritten memoir for the nonprofit Devotion to Children's founder Rosemary Tran Lauer. He is formerly known as "Imperfect Dad" and Head Writer/Editor for the Raising Nerd blog, which supports parents in inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and creative problem solvers. He earned his BA in Communications from VA Tech so many years ago. You can follow him and his frequently salty language on Instagram and BlueSky.
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