Traditions

(from dictionary.com)

tra·di·tion

   [truh-dish-uhn] 

noun

1.  the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs,information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice: a story that has come down to us by popular tradition.
2.  something that is handed down: the traditions of the Eskimos.
3.  a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting: The rebellious students wanted to break with tradition.
4.  a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices.
5.  a customary or characteristic method or manner: The winner took a victory lap in the usual track tradition.

There are probably as many traditions as there are people.  They come in all sizes, shapes, colors, reasons, times, seasons, and anything else you can think of.  We like traditions because the make us feel safe.  Once made, we know what needs doing, making decisions much easier.

We're most familiar with traditions around the holidays.  Christmas, Hanukkah and other religious/faith-based holidays at the end of the year often have the most traditions attached to them.  But we all manage to create more of our own, just for us.

Sometimes we have to adjust traditions to fit something new in our lives.  A marriage can dictate the melding of traditions.  A new baby may mean a change in timing.  As a family continues to grow, new traditions--Santa Claus, the Christmas story from the Bible--are introduced for the children.

And sometimes we make new traditions.  Children grow into adults who have their own children.  Jobs can often mean a distant move.  Divorce or the passing of a loved one are two of the saddest of reasons for the need to create new traditions.  But somehow, within all the changes, we adjust and find solace and peace in traditions, whether old or new.

If you have a favorite tradition, I'd love it if you'd share it, either here on the blog, through Twitter (@roxdelaney), on Facebook or my author Facebook Page.  Who knows?  We may find something that will make the perfect new tradition.

To many people holidays are not voyages of discovery, but a ritual of reassurance.  - Philip Andrew Adams