I was thinking about some of my family’s traditions from when I was a child. Then I was thinking about MY family’s traditions for my children.
Some are the same. Some are different. Some are very different. Some are comfortingly similar.
I remember when I was 13 we moved to Canada. I didn’t even know I was Canadian before we moved here.
That first Thanksgiving in October was so bizarre! Thanksgiving isn’t in October, it’s at the end of November. I’m not sure if any of my family really got into the celebration. It just didn’t feel right.
For the next several years we celebrated both the Canadian and American thanksgivings. We had turkey at both. And no one complained.
Slowly, the Canadian tradition became my own tradition. And slowly the american tradition faded. It just wasn’t practical. Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, a regular day up here in Canada. We have always had some turkey of some sort. But the traditional feast has faded into a memory. A pleasant one.
So too will the traditions my husband and I have set for our own family. Our children will grow up and decide on their own traditions to do with their own families. I’m sure they will keep some of ours and lose some too. And that’s OK.
Because traditions are really about memories. Making wonderful memories that live in our hearts and minds forever!
So, bring on the traditions! I love them; and there are many that would die off, if my children didn’t insist we continue them. So, if it makes them happy, I’m all for it!
Our first Christmas tradition every season is putting the kids’ hand prints on the tree skirt…so bring it on…and let the old and new memories flow freely and together! And let the smiles shine!