We Are Family

Traditions are something many families celebrate and often elders of the family reminisce, “When I was growing up we had dinner at my grandmother’s every Sunday night” or something to that effect.  As a child you may dread the traditions set, you argue against picnics with the cousins or visiting your great-aunt on the third Saturday of the month. You would rather be climbing trees with your neighbors or watching The Disney Channel. As a teenager the dread intensifies as any free time you have not spent with friends seems like a waste of time. But as you grow into your twenties and thirties and have children of your own you realize how great your family traditions are, and how you so badly want to carry them on for your children.  

My family has a tradition of the adults playing cards (for money of course!) after the Thanksgiving turkey has been served and settled in everyone’s bellies.  As children, this was an event my cousin and I desperately wanted to be a part of, and we were eager to put our quarters into the pot, but we were told we “weren’t old enough”.   I am so happy this non-standard tradition has stuck through the years and now I do get to laugh, talk and play with my aunts, uncles, mother and cousins in the late hours of the holiday evening. We have some of our best memories and stories to tell from our family card games. I hope as my daughter, Audrey grows up she asks to stay up a little longer to join in on the fun, and I will gently tuck her in, smile and tell her “when she is older”.

On a more conventional front, my husband, Mike and I have started our own ritual of going out for pizza every Friday night at the same time, same place. My in-laws always join us and we unwind from the week. We have recently added on to our tradition and hit up the frozen yogurt shop after dinner, which is Audrey and my favorite part of the evening.   The night is filled with great food, wine, a sweet treat, and a time and space where we know we will connect. It’s a standing appointment that we all enjoy keeping.

I have come to realize that traditions help create a family, that sometimes they are the glue that keeps everyone together.  While you don’t want to overwhelm yourself or others with too many events, customs and habits, I believe it is important to have a few that can be passed down from one generation to the next,and make the moments last that much longer, in real time and in recollections.