Thanks for these wonderful suggestions.  Everyone except little children will understand, and even the little children won't notice if there are fewer decorations or the cookies are store bought.  An easier way of doing some of the holiday rituals might even turn out to be the new tradition.

 I remember when I was in radiation treatment for Christmas.  My family had to do the decorating and much of the cooking.  What mattered was that we were all together.  At the time I was bitterly disappointed that we wouldn't be able to travel and spend time with our extended families, but my parents came to our place and all the sisters and cousins understood why we couldn't come to them.  Now I look back on that Christmas as a special time for our family.