Traditions

I love traditions – and I’m not a big fan of change.  As we move through Thanksgiving and into the Christmas season, traditions are one of the things I most enjoy about the holidays.  They root us to our families and communities as we are reminded of days past, and family no longer celebrating with us.  Yet these seem to be days of change, don’t they? 

Thanksgiving for many this year was small, unlike the rowdy meals of the past shared with a huge crowd, over-filled houses and tables bowed with the weight of a feast.  For some, there was the overshadowing of disease as loved ones either suffered with the Coronavirus or lived in fear of contracting it.  Travel restrictions will have kept some at home, especially if you have family living abroad.

Amid the Pandemic, political upheaval and protests, 2020 seems unique.  Yet change is always with us, as much as it pains me to admit it.  That change is one of the reasons our traditions are so important to people like me – even as elderly relatives step over into heaven, as children grow up another generation moves toward the age-related-constraints.

This year I made coconut-cream pie and verbalized the steps for my daughter, just as Grandma taught me.  I told her how this was Grandpa’s favorite kind of pie – I too love it and rarely eat it without thinking of Grandpa.  My mother-in-law has a signature macaroni dish but she’s no longer able to cook it.  So, this year she stood by me as I followed her instructions and created a facsimile that my family happily scarfed down. 

Heaven alone knows what Christmas and 2021 will look like, but I for one will keep repeating whatever traditions I can and remembering the joy of family and holidays past – I’ll probably be reminding you too!