Traditions are good. They remind us of what is important. Important things such as the tradition of having the entire family over for "roast beast" dinner for Christmas. Or playing "I doubt it" card game with your extended family AFTER stuffing our faces full of delicious food. My children LOVE our traditions. In fact, they do not want me to change a thing. Their Christmas Eve is all about spending time with all the extended family, watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", eating bad-for-us food (known as "Fat Fest"!), and opening presents from Nana and GDaddy! This article talks about the importance of traditions. I wholeheartedly believe in their importance.
But sometimes, traditions breed complacency and boredom. People start to think "I don't want to go this year... it's the same 'ole, same 'ole." Or communication starts to lag and plans do not get ironed out because we think "We do the same thing every year so it will get taken care of..." The next thing you know, there isn't enough food to feed everyone because the dinner is a routine that we forgot to discuss. How do we combat complacency? How do we keep things fresh when everyone wants to keep the traditions?
Some traditions are forced to change due to the death of a loved one. My sister's mother-in-law died this past year and she had loved Christmas. She was the one that helped get my sister in the spirit. It was very difficult for my sister this year because those are the times that we DON'T want our traditions to change. I found this blog that talks about how one mother deals with her traditions and the death of her child. She asks those questions that haunt anyone who has lost a loved one and how to deal with it during Christmas time.
However, even if you do not experience a life altering change, there are times that traditions need to be tweaked. Children have aged, economic times have changed, or a Christmas Eve service beckons us. The NY Times wrote this article which I found insightful. Whatever the reason, changing the "status quo" can do one of two things. It can make us appreciate what we had, making us anxious to get back to it. Or... it can open up new experiences that we can then incorporate into our traditions.
Next year, I believe I will be changing up our traditions. I do not know what I'm going to do yet, but I'm ready for a change. Maybe a Christmas in Colorado? Maybe a Christmas at the beach? Keep reading to see how things change.
I hope you have a wonderful 2012!
Here are some photos of our children on Christmas Eve... We always love being with each other.
My son and future son-in-law...
My youngest and her boyfriend...
My daughters...
Cousins acting goofy...
My niece and her boyfriend...
It's been a long night...
The boys tormenting us women by drinking "Dr. Pepper 10" (with a creeping niece in the background!)...
My daughter and her fiance'...
Just the grandkids and our two future additions...
My son and his fiance'....
