Tradition
by Candice Watters on 11/13/2009 at 6:15 PM
Our baby was up twice last night. It seems he didn't get the memo that today is his birthday. Because of the night feeding, I slept in a little. And because our baby is just one, I figured he wouldn't notice if I skipped the traditional breakfast-in-bed for the birthday boy or girl, along with a wrapped present, candles to blow out and singing of the birthday song.
Likely, he never would have missed it. But it turns out he's not the only one I needed to consider. Minutes after getting my coffee, the big kids were on their way up to our room asking about gifts and wrapping paper and balloons and more. I have them to thank for following through on our breakfast-in-bed (er, crib) tradition this morning. Thanks kids.
It's true his birthday would have been just fine without it, but following tradition has a way of sweetening ordinary days and making them special. And I'll always cherish the memories, and the photographs, I now have of this milestone.
As I mentioned on this week's podcast, we're big on traditions. We have them for nearly every holiday, major and minor, and relish the way doing certain things year-after-year brings back good memories, even while we make new ones. Traditions are comforting. They're a big part of what makes a family unique.
I also mentioned that we occasionally get carried away, ending up with more traditions than we can squeeze into the holidays. And that's when we have to pare back and strive again for simplicity.
What about you? Do you have must-do activities for Thanksgiving? (We'll talk about Christmas next month. It's not time yet.) Are there others that you've done over and over but would be willing to drop?
I'll kick it off with two: we always go around the table giving each person the chance to say what they're thankful for. And our oldest son puts three kernels of corn on each person's plate as a way to remember what the Pilgrims were subsisting on and why, after God sent Squanto to teach them how to grow food in the new world, they were so thankful.
1. Rachael said the following at 6:36 PM on Nov 13:
That's so cool you and your family have traditions.
I've been to a lot of family gatherings over the years, and when I was younger my mom would have ideas for interesting things to do...
Perhaps if I/my generation (in my family) want more holiday tradition stuff to pick up again, then maybe we should be more initiative in that regard.
And I suppose if I have kids I'd get my chance to try to start some traditions.
It'll be my first Christmas as a married person. I hope to decorate our place some. Fortunately I have some decorations, and it was so neat that when I was growing up I'd get a foreign (I think; probably German or generally German) ornament from my grandparents. So I think most of my ornaments are from them. That's (receiving ornaments :) ) a wonderful tradition.
...it's kind-of sad to think some traditions may be slowing...kind-of like the end of an era...the childhood era, I guess...
I wish I could remember every positive holiday memory from the past.
Anyway, it's fun to have traditions or do something cool.
Kind-of sad to know they don't always continue forever.
2. Leigh said the following at 7:16 PM on Nov 13:
I have been obsessed with the Macys Thanksgiving Day parade since my WHOLE life! I love it, love it, love it! (I think this year will be the 85th???? year for the parade) Im getting excited just thinking about it! Nobody in my whole family cares to watch, so I watch alone. But its sort of my Thanksgiving thing to do now. One day I hope I can go see the real thing!
3. Leigh said the following at 7:33 PM on Nov 13:
O and I forgot! I love to watch movies leading up to different hollidays.
Some good thanksgiving ones are..(and yeah most of them are kiddy movies, and I own them allon VHS! ha ha ha I love Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!)
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Mouse on the Mayflower
Tom and Jerry's thanksgiving special
Pocahontas
EVERY kid should the The Mouse on the Mayflower!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUqtfuq20vc
4. Andrea-Elena said the following at 9:17 PM on Nov 13:
My family's tradition is to travel to KY where my mother's brother lives. This year will be especially both sweet and bittersweet since I'll get to meet my cousin's 2nd son, who is now approaching 5 months old, and we'll be saying goodbye to my uncle, who is in rapidly declining health, after suffering pancreatic cancer for about 3 years.
We are usually a "casserole" family (I like to call the theme "cream of something"), but this year, we so won't be focusing on the food but on the people. It won't matter so much what we eat. And maybe healthier choices will be more on hand.
I'm hoping the weather will be as mild as last year, and I can get in some badminton time with family members.
And maybe I can convince my parents to tune into NPR's Thanksgiving morning broadcast as we drive up there. In years past, that broadcast's music, readings, and comments have formed an excellent soundtrack for watching the late fall Tennessee and Kentucky landscape pass by.
5. DannieA said the following at 10:46 PM on Nov 13:
ah Thanksgiving Traditions. Well as for decorations, I decorate my house for fall in September and it is good until the Friday after Thanksgiving. I love my fall decorations.
Thanksgiving is usually at my parent's house....although I think this year it will be at my cousin's house due to the fact that my mom isn't ready to be cheery hostess yet after my grandma's death earlier in Sept.
We usually eat, then we have a worship time, it varies from year to year...we do things we are thankful for, but we don't go around in a circle, we make it voluntary.
Games!!!!!!!!! Big family games. American Rythm (everyone is an animal in a circle and it has to be followed in a clapping order...whoever messes up goes to the lowest animal...you ultimately want to be the elephant for the longest time), Pictionary, Taboo, Canasta, board games (we have about 20+ people at the house so we dwindle down to groups)
We have one rule of thumb. NO TV IS ALLOWED. For those of you who think Football is mandatory at Thanksgiving, let's just say it wouldn't happen at our family...maybe it's the hispanic/Cuban family vibe, but there's never TV at family gatherings.
6. KayDub said the following at 5:33 PM on Nov 14:
My parents love having traditions for holidays major and minor. One of the favorites is The Birthday Fairy. The Birthday Fairy comes the night before your birthday and decorates your room so that when you wake up on the morning of your birthday there are balloons, streamers and a sign!
7. Emily said the following at 11:05 PM on Nov 15:
Unfortunately my family really has no traditions for thanksgiving. This holiday we're flying to visit family, so I guess that counts for something. But other than that, to me thanksgiving seems like a normal day with a parade and some turkey thrown in on the end.
This has always made me very, very sad. As a family, we have shared relatively little in ways of memories from Thanksgiving traditions.
But I can't change that now - God put me into that family for a reason, right? I guess it has made me all the more aware of the need for things like that. When I grow up and have a family, I'm going to make SURE we have traditions that my kids can cherish.
8. Nethwen said the following at 7:46 AM on Nov 16:
Turkey for Thanksgiving. Turkey for Christmas. Leftover turkey for months and months. No, thanks! My mom was wonderful about finding something interesting for Thanksgiving. Quail, duck, anything we didn't usually eat. Also, we usually do something active outdoors for Thanksgiving. Often it is a hike. Sometimes it is visiting those little historic sites most towns have and nobody visits or knows about, like a covered bridge hidden in the woods without even a sign to show where to park to get to it.
9. Carrie D said the following at 9:54 AM on Nov 16:
Welllll, my family really only has one tradition, and it's unofficial because we really can't escape it--Lots of Family.
Two years ago my family rented a building for the Thanksgiving meal. Last year my parents hosted the meal for 67 relatives. That included only my grandfather's relatives, only the ones who live in our town, and only the ones who didn't have other plans for the day. So, that was maybe a quarter of the relatives that were invited to my sister's wedding this summer.
Outside of eating, the only activitity that most of us would do together is watch the UT/Texas A&M game. My parents are Texas Exes, but several of my dad's cousins went to A&M, so whoever is hosting the meal will sometimes decorate the living room in burnt orange or maroon. Hook 'Em!
10. DannieA said the following at 10:37 AM on Nov 16:
Carrie D,
When i was in Abilene Texas at ACU, my roommate's stepfather was an A&M fan and one Thanksgiving that I remember from college was going to an A&M football game.
11. RLynn said the following at 11:53 AM on Nov 16:
Has it already been a year!? Time flies!
12. Loris said the following at 11:55 AM on Nov 16:
I don't think we have any Thanksgiving traditions in my family. However, we always put the tree up the first Sunday afternoon after Thanksgiving, and we always watch the Rose Bowl parade. Watching the Rose Bowl parade in person is on the top of my bucket list. So there's some post-Thanksgiving traditions. :)
13. New Bride said the following at 12:14 PM on Nov 16:
My family has always been being on traditions, something I'm pulling my husbands family into doing things that we enjoyed. Anyway, this is the first year my family won't be all together for Thanksgiving, only half of us, and it’s the first holiday season where every sibling now lives in a different state and will be with their spouse's family. So my sister and parents will be the only ones left at Christmas. Thankfully Thanksgiving some of us get to be together briefly. I am super excited about that, from the family to the food to the games, to the traditional view of Miracle on 34th street (the only parade we watch) I do love the holidays and the traditions they bring out and the family time we do get to share even if gift opening is going to be via webcam this year.
14. Alison said the following at 12:36 PM on Nov 16:
As soon as I was old enough to help my Mom had me in the kitchen helping her. I have so many great memories working along side my Mom in the kitchen. The kids not in the kitchen helping with the meal prep are often in the yard racking leaves!
15. New Bride said the following at 3:09 PM on Nov 16:
Oops...I meant to say big on traditions, not being... extra letters.... :)
16. Leigh said the following at 6:57 PM on Nov 17:
Emily,
Im sorry that you didn't have any fun family traditions. You are welcome to turn your TV to nbc and watch the parade with me! You should start a tradition. Just pick something and keep doing it every year! :O)
17. Candice Watters said the following at 6:28 AM on Nov 18:
Andrea-Elena,
Thanks for the tip about the NPR broadcast. We'll check it out while stuffing and prepping the bird for the oven!
RLynn, Yes! The days and weeks and months and years FLY. Though the minutes have a way of crawling. ;)
18. Leigh said the following at 8:32 AM on Nov 18:
Candice,
I just wanted to say thanks for posting this. I've really enjoyed reading about others traditions. This really has got me in the Thanksgiving mood!