Every year around Christmas, my family and I trek through our 60 acres of woods in search of the perfect Christmas tree. Despite our developed skills of Christmas tree hunting, the tree always ends up far from perfect. This is perhaps because the only conifers that we have in Kentucky are cedar trees. So, the highlight of our cozy Christmas living room ends up being a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, with patches and sparse branches and needles that shed when you simply pass by. The barest part of the tree we turn toward the wall. Then we cover it with homemade decorations to make it our own. Despite its often sad appearance, it is not the tree that is special; it is the tradition of hunting it down together as a family that I love.
While it is way too early for Christmas (I firmly believe that Christmas should not be celebrated until after Thanksgiving), it is never too early to recognize the traditions and values that have long been passed down through our families.
Traditions are fun, and they remind us of where we come from and what adventures we can look forward to and experience with our loved ones. Traditions also spark conversations about our past and our heritage. They get us curious about where we come from and what kind of lives our ancestors lived, leading us to hear fascinating stories from our parents or grandparents.
A fun tradition that has given me a way to connect with the generations before me is the tradition of playing card games together. Card games are a big thing that have been passed down through my family. Every time we go to my grandma’s house, we end up playing Spades, Crazy Eights or Pinochle in the evening. It mirrors the tradition of Card Night at my great-grandparent’s house, where her kids would show up on a Saturday or Sunday night to play card games. The regulars were my great-uncles, great-aunts and grandparents. In the earlier days of this tradition, a buddy my great grandpa knew from the war and his wife would come over. Pinochle was played on Saturday nights, and Hearts and Spades were played on Sunday nights. Even the younger ones got to play a card game – Crazy Eights. No one was ever turned away. Girlfriends and boyfriends were welcomed. Anybody with any kind of political belief was welcome and respected, because politics were never discussed. Then, the night always ended with a simple round of Crazy Eights, sending everyone home.
Even though I do not have that opportunity to play card games with my great grandparents since they have passed on, I can still participate in the tradition when I play card games in the evenings with my family. Just a few weekends ago, I went home on a Friday night, and we sat at the kitchen table and played Spades. Not only does it connect me to the different generations within my family, but it also simply offers time together to build relationships.
Conserving and protecting what we have is important. So many pursue change and making a difference, and in the process, they forget about what came before them. They are sucked into a world where they are focused on affecting the community around them and being remembered for their impact. But what about their families? What about their parents and grandparents? If they don’t take the time to remember their heritage, their children will not learn any of the stories that came before them.
The push to change and not to conserve was something I heard over and over again as a kid. It mainly came from the media I watched. It felt like they wanted me to grow up and change the entire world. What a futile and burdensome goal! There is no way that I will ever have an impact on the entire world, because I am just one human amongst an innumerable amount of people. Even having the responsibility pushed onto me of having to make differences and changes in my own community can be overwhelming. Meanwhile, hanging out with my family, conserving traditions and spending time with those I love seems more manageable and more worthwhile. I can easily have an impact on the conservation of my family’s traditions, stories and values. I can absorb, record and pass on. It is inspiring to consider that I can impact the generations that come after me, and one day they may look back on me and share stories about my life to their kids or grandkids.
Conserving traditions handed down to us
Every year around Christmas, my family and I trek through our 60 acres of woods in search of the perfect Christmas tree. Despite our developed skills of Christmas tree hunting, the tree always ends up far from perfect. This is perhaps because the only conifers that we have in Kentucky are cedar trees. So, the highlight of our cozy Christmas living room ends up being a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, with patches and sparse branches and needles that shed when you simply pass by. The barest part of the tree we turn toward the wall. Then we cover it with homemade decorations to make it our own. Despite its often sad appearance, it is not the tree that is special; it is the tradition of hunting it down together as a family that I love.
While it is way too early for Christmas (I firmly believe that Christmas should not be celebrated until after Thanksgiving), it is never too early to recognize the traditions and values that have long been passed down through our families.
Traditions are fun, and they remind us of where we come from and what adventures we can look forward to and experience with our loved ones. Traditions also spark conversations about our past and our heritage. They get us curious about where we come from and what kind of lives our ancestors lived, leading us to hear fascinating stories from our parents or grandparents.
A fun tradition that has given me a way to connect with the generations before me is the tradition of playing card games together. Card games are a big thing that have been passed down through my family. Every time we go to my grandma’s house, we end up playing Spades, Crazy Eights or Pinochle in the evening. It mirrors the tradition of Card Night at my great-grandparent’s house, where her kids would show up on a Saturday or Sunday night to play card games. The regulars were my great-uncles, great-aunts and grandparents. In the earlier days of this tradition, a buddy my great grandpa knew from the war and his wife would come over. Pinochle was played on Saturday nights, and Hearts and Spades were played on Sunday nights. Even the younger ones got to play a card game – Crazy Eights. No one was ever turned away. Girlfriends and boyfriends were welcomed. Anybody with any kind of political belief was welcome and respected, because politics were never discussed. Then, the night always ended with a simple round of Crazy Eights, sending everyone home.
Even though I do not have that opportunity to play card games with my great grandparents since they have passed on, I can still participate in the tradition when I play card games in the evenings with my family. Just a few weekends ago, I went home on a Friday night, and we sat at the kitchen table and played Spades. Not only does it connect me to the different generations within my family, but it also simply offers time together to build relationships.
Conserving and protecting what we have is important. So many pursue change and making a difference, and in the process, they forget about what came before them. They are sucked into a world where they are focused on affecting the community around them and being remembered for their impact. But what about their families? What about their parents and grandparents? If they don’t take the time to remember their heritage, their children will not learn any of the stories that came before them.
The push to change and not to conserve was something I heard over and over again as a kid. It mainly came from the media I watched. It felt like they wanted me to grow up and change the entire world. What a futile and burdensome goal! There is no way that I will ever have an impact on the entire world, because I am just one human amongst an innumerable amount of people. Even having the responsibility pushed onto me of having to make differences and changes in my own community can be overwhelming. Meanwhile, hanging out with my family, conserving traditions and spending time with those I love seems more manageable and more worthwhile. I can easily have an impact on the conservation of my family’s traditions, stories and values. I can absorb, record and pass on. It is inspiring to consider that I can impact the generations that come after me, and one day they may look back on me and share stories about my life to their kids or grandkids.