Traditions

Most families have certain traditions that are kept each year for the Christmas holiday season. These activities and ideas are brought out every year because "it's what we do". The same decorations, the same gatherings, the same music, etc are enjoyed over and over again with the new season. Why? Because they keep a sense of continuity and security in our lives and let us have a little bit of control over our immediate future. Besides, they are just plain fun!

This past weekend was just such a weekend for my family. It started off with the annual cook/bake off at Fowler Hill. This year was a little less hectic here at the "last minute" because we had already made some of it this past summer. Since this year's theme was "Breakfast", she canned several types of jams/preserves/butters while the fruits were fresh and already had them waiting to be "wrapped". When this weekend rolled around, all that remained was baking the bread and making the pancake mix. We spent a lot of the day Saturday baking the breads and she also made some brittle. This afternoon was spent making the rest of the mix and packing all the goodies into bags for tomorrow.

In between, we went to the annual local production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. We have been going for about 15 years and wouldn't miss it for the world. It is one that will take you from outright belly laughs to tears in a few short moments and is filled with a wonderful message that never gets old or tiresome. It's always one of the highlights of our Christmas traditions.

As this season gets closer to Christmas Day, there will be several more traditions carried out in my family and I am looking forward to them. In fact, I am already looking forward to the beginning of next year's Christmas traditions! There's nothing on earth like them! So enjoy your traditions and make sure to make the most of each one every time!