Tradition
One of the (many) downsides of divorce is that I felt my children missed out on learning more about some of their fathers families traditions. I always wanted them to have a family life where they could remember the way "we always" did something and have some understanding of how the past generations did things.
Christmas is one of those times where family tradition comes to the fore. In my parents house you could not cut the Christmas ham till Christmas morning ( we have lost this one as we have been eating ham all week). We always went to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, a tradition I have maintained because it means Christmas to me and also because, as an adult, it doesn't intefere with what the kids want to do on Christmas morning. Also, after mass was the perfect time for Santa to assemble the kids toys while they slept. I remember putting together a swimming pool for my nephew at some ridiculous hour of the morning, and building my kids bikes while trying to stop the dog barking because there were strange things in his lounge room.
Traditions extend to a lot more than Christmas i most families. How often people visit, what we eat, wear, where we live etc. Each new generation takes the old ways and tweaks them a little to suit their purpose so that in a few generations time things are done quite differently but if you hold them up to the light you can still see the beginning in there somewhere.
When families blend through marriage or other relationships it is always interesting to see how the different sides adapt to the different habits or traditions. My husband talks to his mother every day which I have always considered to be unnecessary because I spoke to my mum regularly once or twice a week. This doesn't mean that it is wrong for him to do and I have learnt that this is a normal part of his daily routine.
It's a bit the same with Christmas. Because I lived a long way away I didn't spend Christmas or indeed any part of the festive season with my family on a regular basis and would be quite happy to be home. My husband has always had Christmas with his family and so off we go to do that.
Different traditions add a little to everyones lives as we learn the way others do things. Now that I have no parents to consider at Christmas I am grateful for my husbands family as it means I still get that little bit spoilt by the older generation and don't have to give it all up quite yet.
Enjoy your traditions and embrace other peoples, it is part of what makes life fun.
Christmas is one of those times where family tradition comes to the fore. In my parents house you could not cut the Christmas ham till Christmas morning ( we have lost this one as we have been eating ham all week). We always went to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, a tradition I have maintained because it means Christmas to me and also because, as an adult, it doesn't intefere with what the kids want to do on Christmas morning. Also, after mass was the perfect time for Santa to assemble the kids toys while they slept. I remember putting together a swimming pool for my nephew at some ridiculous hour of the morning, and building my kids bikes while trying to stop the dog barking because there were strange things in his lounge room.
Traditions extend to a lot more than Christmas i most families. How often people visit, what we eat, wear, where we live etc. Each new generation takes the old ways and tweaks them a little to suit their purpose so that in a few generations time things are done quite differently but if you hold them up to the light you can still see the beginning in there somewhere.
When families blend through marriage or other relationships it is always interesting to see how the different sides adapt to the different habits or traditions. My husband talks to his mother every day which I have always considered to be unnecessary because I spoke to my mum regularly once or twice a week. This doesn't mean that it is wrong for him to do and I have learnt that this is a normal part of his daily routine.
It's a bit the same with Christmas. Because I lived a long way away I didn't spend Christmas or indeed any part of the festive season with my family on a regular basis and would be quite happy to be home. My husband has always had Christmas with his family and so off we go to do that.
Different traditions add a little to everyones lives as we learn the way others do things. Now that I have no parents to consider at Christmas I am grateful for my husbands family as it means I still get that little bit spoilt by the older generation and don't have to give it all up quite yet.
Enjoy your traditions and embrace other peoples, it is part of what makes life fun.
posted by Patchworkpicklesandpigeons at 9:16 am
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