I love to listen to people talk about their family traditions. As they begin to share their story I enjoy watching their faces light up as the wash of memories flow over their expressions. When my boys were little I wanted to be sure to create family traditions that would be meaningful and perhaps even be passed down to their own children one day.
We created traditions such as our annual camping trip, family day every Sunday, cutting down our Christmas tree and of course watching “The Santa Clause” movie every Christmas Eve. Though my boys are no longer children we have continued to celebrate these traditions even if it means camping over Facetime or sending pictures of the search for the tree or doing a 3 way call to catch up each week since one is out of state.
We are able to continue to honor our traditions though we have to allow for change as the boys grew up but even with the changes of life they value those traditions and the importance of family and being together.
As a child the family traditions I remember most always involved food. My great grandma was a strong independent woman who lived on her own mowing her lawn with a push mower into her 90’s. She was a strong cornerstone of the family and started many of my early traditions. Going to Grandma’s meant there would always be a glass dish of sweet pickles and olives on the kitchen table and of course it was tradition to put the olives on the end of my fingers before they could be eaten! But the food that most sticks out in my mind was a dish called Green Death. My grandma would make that dish at every holiday dinner and it always sat in the center of the table in that place of honor. We always chuckled if someone new came to dinner because of course they had to try it or appear to be rude. Even today as I think about that tradition I have to smile as it brings back memories of a simpler time and a connection to family. I must admit I made Green Death for many years at holidays in the hopes of carrying on the tradition but as time went on I had to stop torturing the kids and simply have stuck to the sweet pickles and olives which can always be found in my kitchen cupboard.
As time marches on and my boys get older I have recognized that for the most part the moments of teaching them have become smaller and smaller. As they grow up and start families on their own I can only hope that some of our traditions will stay with them and bring back positive memories. Watching them both become adults, I feel that they have both shown that they truly understand and cherish the important times together. Whether it’s a groan at the beginning of The Santa Clause (but then they laugh through the whole thing) or when they grab extra olives and pickles during the holidays because they are excited for the food, the traditions resonate with them wholeheartedly. My hope is that some of these family traditions will stay with them to pass on to their kids and so forth for many years to come. Who knows, maybe they will be live streaming the Santa Clause movie and making Green Death for their own families someday soon!!
I found a quote by Tonya Dalton that struck a chord with me. “Traditions aren’t about adding to your busy schedule, they’re about filling your time intentionally”.