Wednesday, December 1, 2010

TRADITION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have the opposite issue of most people. Most Women/Families have a plethora of traditions that they can begin when they have children or families. They can pick and choose from two sets of parents and even grandparents, aunts and uncles on up the family tree. Me? I got basically nothing. My maternal Grandparents died before I was born. My Paternal Grandparents aren't 'Christmas celebrators' and besides I have seen them MAYBE 2 dozen times in my 32 years of life (also my Papaw has been dead for 5+ years). And Parents? My parents (who had me @ 38 years old) raised me semi-pentecostal semi-something else, all in all we didn't believe in or celebrate Christmas (it was considered a pagan holiday). (I have 1 biological sibling that I am close to, a brother 15 years older than me.)

So strike 3 for no traditions.

Then my in-laws; my mother in law prepared foods, and I have her recipes- that is great- however most of the food is boxed or canned and it is hard for me to prepare and eat that (think plastic cheese). When I had only known her 2 years, she died, and with her the oral traditions of all her family. Now my father in law has remarried and they live 1000 miles away, not a particularly close family.


My son is 2 and just for the first time gonna get to experience Christmas. So where do I start, what tradition do I incorporate. I feel like a pioneer, in my own home life.

So be thankful for the legacy of traditions that you are blessed with, no matter how silly they seen. There are people out there like me who have lost so much oral and physical family traditions. Oh and RECORD your traditions in as many ways as you can (write, audio, video, photograph)- future generations will want to know! Happy, Blessed Holidays to all!!

(And feel free to share your special traditions with me please!)