"But...it's tradition"

I spent a few hours on Monday driving slightly left of the center line. Nope, it wasn’t because I had over indulged in alcoholic beverages or because the alignment was off in my car. Instead, it has become a tradition it seems on holidays. I was in a parade.

As I drove down the road, I not only thought about the people in the parade, but also the people watching the parade. I wondered how many of them spend every Labor Day at the Blueberry Festival or participating in the parade.

What makes something a tradition? Is it the family and friends that add to the event? Is it the repetition that once you have done something it then becomes a tradition the next time you do it?

My nephew Sam is eight-years-old and he has a fantastic memory. Since he was a very little boy he would remember things that we did as a family and each year after when he would visit LaPorte he would refer to the traditions we had. My dad would pack a cooler on the boat with ice cubes and popsicles and Sam knew that along the ride he could have a popsicle and throw the ice cubes in the water. Apparently this was great fun for him and it has become a tradition.

There are a few traditions I remember from my childhood. Looking back, it’s kind of a shame that as my brother got married and had children of his own, they have kind of ended. Christmas Eve was always a huge night of tradition in my family. We’d have a really nice dinner and then go to church and miraculously while we were gone, Santa would make his way into the basement and leave presents under the tree. My parents would watch Kel and I open them and play with our new toys for hours.  I’d line up my Strawberry Shortcake figures and he would line up his Star Wars men. I have great memories because those times were what Christmas always meant to me.

As I think of other traditions like how we spend the Fourth of July, I wonder if our traditions were focused solely on holidays. Hmmm….

I’m sure they weren’t, but I’ll have to ask my brother and my parents about some of the others.

I know that at least for Sam, they aren’t. But I know each family has their own set of traditions and they don’t seem to be culturally or necessarily geographically based.  What traditions do you remember? What traditions are you starting on your own or with your family?