Let’s talk traditions – new vs. old and how the new ones get started or how they take over the older ones. Are you the one starting a new tradition or are you just eliminating the old ones?

Face it, you can’t do everything the same as it used to be. You can’t have Thanksgiving at Grandmother’s house forever. She will eventually move to Florida and retire, taking her turkey platter to the charity of her choice, because she knows her “style” doesn’t match up with her daughter’s. (Or maybe, she has already retired, but just too tired to keep up with cooking and serving 25+ people…it’s an awful lot of work!) Does going out to dinner replace that tradition? Or are the same recipes cooked and served the same way they have been for ages and ages?

Chances are, it is probably not the same menu.  Whether it is Daniel’s favorite corn stuffing that we HAVE to make, or the more healthy – but not less fattening – version of broccoli casserole without mushrooms for those who don’t eat fungi and the re-purposing of Nana’s creamed onions dishes for homemade apple sauce from October’s apple picking adventure… Things are sure to be different over time. We may miss the green beans with Campbell’s soup and french onion topping, but it’s been long, long gone.

Traditions change, people change, preferences change.

Companies and people and trends make new traditions for us.

Cyber Monday – we don’t have to go shopping for Black (er, Purple) Friday – nor leave our homes to stand in line. We have elves to put on shelves (and clothes for them to wear as well as friends for them to pal along with, too – really!) We have gluten free versions of everything now that it is truly too long with GMO wheat and additives causing problems for a lot of folks…think about making French macarons for your holiday cookie swap this year. (They are gluten free and oh, so delicious.)  We go on house tours and make a single event into an annual crock-pot-o-thon (4th year in a row this year!) We honor small businesses on Small Business Saturday (since 2010).  We still put yellow ribbons on trees for those in the service overseas (far too many years of doing this I am sad to say…) We make wine like PopPop did in the old country.

Best of all, for the honor and the traditions – both new and old – we have fun.

Let’s keep making new traditions – while keeping those that are really good for us, the ones that we enjoy or have for the sake of nostalgia and not being able to give up on it yet. Simply keep the old and  add in the new tot meet the needs we have as a growing, changing, aging, emerging society.

What are your essential, go-to holiday traditions this year? Will you invent a new tradition to share with us and to keep up with each year going forward? It is December 1st… just a few short weeks to enjoy one of the most traditional times of the year.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl