Traditions

I wanted to write this week about some family traditions, and to give the aura of a scholarly endeavor looked up the word tradition.

Wikipedia defines tradition as:

Tradition  A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past.

This is just too scholarly.  Yes, some holiday traditions are passed down over the generations.  I am talking about the ones you’ve established with your family…over the last few years.  Life is short…we can’t wait to see if the tradition sticks.

Here are some of the new Christmas Holiday traditions in my family:

• Starbucks – When the children were small, we would all get up and open gifts at first light.  Now, my son and his wife arrive at the house mid-morning.  As long as they bring an Ice Venti Skim Mocha, they can continue their new tradition of Starbucks

• A Christmas Story – This 1983 movie is played for 24 hours each year on TBS.  We never watch it end to end…we watch snippets of it together.  I like the movie because it was largely filmed in my original hometown of Cleveland.  Even the house is a national treasure.

• Pajamas – every year we get matching pajamas for the whole family.  Always flannel, from JC Penney or LL Bean.

• Movies – we’ve started a tradition of going out to a blockbuster movie on Christmas.  While sometimes scheduling can be a challenge, it is always good for a laugh.

• Midnight Mass – while my family is not Catholic, the Catholic church is “the best” at midnight church services.  Our Unitarian church has everyone back home by dinner.  My daughter likes us all to go as a family.

• The Boston Pops – years ago we started taking the kids to the Boston Pops.  Way back when we went to Symphony Hall.  As the group has grown, we’ve moved on to places like the Boston Pops at the Verizon Wireless Center in Manchester, NH.  I have to admit, it starts the Holiday Season for me.

What new traditions are you enjoying in your home?