NaNoBlogMo2- Tradition

Despite how often my life is changing and how interested I am to seek out and learn new things, I am a real sucker for tradition. I love the idea of tradition...of things being done a certain way for years and being passed down from generation to generation. I think part of the reason I am so fascinated with China is because of how old the culture is, how much depth there is to their history and how many traditions there are.

I have often felt cheated as an American that my culture and tradition and history is not that old or particularly interesting (in my own opinion). So I have grasped on tight to the few small traditions we have in my family. One of the only ones that has kept up year after year from as far back as I remember, is having cinnamon rolls on Holiday mornings....specifically Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. And not even homemade rolls, but Pillsbury rolls from the can.

Even this year we cheated a bit since on Thanksgiving day morning my dad was out hunting and I was out running. So we had them this morning. I suppose it is a little childish to hold on to these traditions when life is always changing. This year I shared Thanksgiving dinner with more friends than family members in upstate NY, when in my mind "tradition" dictates it should be spent at my parents' home with my family. That doesn't mean the meal was any less tasty, the evening any less fun, or that I was any less thankful for the people and things in my life.

There's no harm in sharing a plate of cinnamon rolls with my parents on holiday mornings, though, and the idea of continuing this small tradition if/when I have my own children makes me smile. Traditions and holidays and family are all what you make them. And I love mine.