Tradition. Tradition!

I love this time of year. From mid-December to mid-January life is full of many family traditions. Some of them have been passed down from one generation to the next for hundreds of years. Some of them are only just beginning. But just what is it that defines a tradition? Can a tradition pick up after being ignored for a year or two? What does it take to start a tradition? A couple of years ago my wife and I started a new tradition by taking my sister’s children shopping for their Christmas gifts. They get to spend a day with their Aunt and Uncle and we get to spend it with them. They start their day with a snack, followed by intense shopping, and then ending with dinner wherever they would like to go eat. They learn about budgeting and about prioritizing, and about the wonders of a peppermint chocolate-chip milkshake from Chick-fil-A. Most importantly, we get to spend time with our nephew and nieces. We get the better end of the deal! Christmas Eve, while my daughter was with us, ended with a reading of the scripture of the birth of Christ in Luke, Chapter 2. She would sleep at the foot of our bed and, unlike most children, we would have to wake her up Christmas morning to open presents. Since she gets to sit at the feet of the one we once read about, I think she has the greatest Christmas day of all now. Not so much for her mother and I. That’s why we have looked for new traditions. We have cruised, gone to a beachside condo, and worked on Christmas day in an effort to focus more on what we have than on what we don’t have. However, we still live with the memories of past traditions. This year, so close to Christmas, the families in Connecticut will have to begin new traditions. I wish them peace. While some new traditions carry a somber feel with them, I still remember other traditions. For example, I remember leaving raisins for Santa’s reindeer when we left Santa his snack before we went to bed. I have to apologize now for any child who may not have gotten what you asked Santa for in the 1970’s. It seems we were about the only family who were told to leave beer and pretzels for Santa, so anyone who got their delivery after us… Well, I hope this explains some things for you. New Year’s traditions usually centered on football and parades for us. It wouldn’t be New Year’s if I didn’t get to see the Rose Bowl Parade. This year it takes on a new significance as we have friends whose daughter will be remembered in a pictograph made of roses on the float honoring organ and tissue donors. We are also honored that our daughter will be remembered by a rose with her name used in the making of the float. So, what are your traditions? Don’t have any memorable ones? It’s never too late to start. Just don’t use the beer and pretzels tradition. Santa already has to check his list twice. We don’t want to add to the confusion!