Holiday Traditions

‘Tis the season for holiday traditions. In my husband’s family, a tradition is born after the first time you do something new to commemorate the holiday. For about a decade, it was the tradition to have Thanksgiving at our house. Every year, I suggested that we go to a restaurant instead, but that idea was shot down repeatedly because it wasn’t “tradition”. Last year, I finally got my way. Instead of making tons of Thanksgiving food, I made reservations. Following a nice meal at a restaurant, we convened at home to watch the classic “Turkeys Away” episode of “WKRP in Cincinatti.” Now, with a two-year streak in hand, I think that is our new tradition. It was tradition to go to my husband’s yiayia’s house on Christmas Day where four generations of relatives gathered to feast on turkey and pasticcio among other things. There were so many people that many didn’t even bother learning my name until I had been there for five years straight. Only a couple of the older cousins ever made it from the kids’ tables set up in the living room to the adult table in the dining room. After his grandmother died, it was time to find a new tradition. I suggested we go to a movie and a Chinese restaurant. One would think that as a Jewish person, I had this Christmas tradition down pat, however, I grew up in a small town where the movie theater was closed on Christmas and the nearest Chinese restaurant was 30 miles north in Canada. Movies and Chinese food on Christmas are my birthright! Surprisingly, my husband and in-laws didn’t put up much of a fight although we get takeout and watch movies at our house. Leading up to Christmas, we have a tradition of going to the Mayor’s Christmas Parade in Hampden, unless, of course, the weather is bad. We used to host friends for a New Year’s Eve party and that became a tradition for a while. For a few years, it also became a tradition to have some sort of plumbing disaster on New Year’s Day. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that some traditions are better than others and it’s okay to change things up. After all, traditions have to start somewhere.

Stay safe and healthy,

Tracy Jacobs

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• White House Memories: The Butler Did It!
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