My parents- and grandparents-in-law were in town this weekend. Other than being a really good reason to clean up our apartment for the first time since... oh... before Thanksgiving, it was a real treat to see them. For all the complaining people do about in-laws, I always have a great time when we get together with mine.
Anyway, Paige, my mother-in-law, asked whether Josh and I had started any traditions for our family. Other than always being five minutes late for church, falling asleep early on Friday nights while watching movies, and always celebrating holidays at other people's homes, I couldn't really think of any. She said that it's a good idea to start traditions before you have kids, because children tend to be a bit of a distraction once they do show up. When someone who raised (and homeschooled) five children--all born within five years--gives you advice like that, you listen. I'd never particularly thought about it before, and I think it's a fabulous idea. I know we'll need to give some careful consideration to what types of traditions we want to start, though. This is where you come in, my devoted readers. What traditions do you fondly remember from your childhood? (Napping on Sundays? Poker on Tuesdays? Burning all your old underwear to ring in the New Year?) Anything we should definitely avoid? (Napping on Sundays? Poker on Tuesdays? Burning all your underwear to ring in the New Year?)
Posted by waltondammerung at January 17, 2005 9:40 PMWe hide a ceramic pickle in the Christmas tree and whoever finds it gets an extra stuffed animal. It is full-contact pickle finding. (My mother's maiden name is Vlasicak, like the pickles.)
Posted by: Sarah at January 18, 2005 8:35 AMWell, I know that Josh and I had a tradition when we were both living at home. Every Friday night, we would stay out really late and Josh would get REALLY drunk and pass out on his bed. Then I would cover his face with makeup and pin a Participant ribbon on him and tell him that he did really good in the Drag Queen show. His part of the tradition was giving me twenty dollars so I wouldn't show his friends the pictures I said I took. :)
Posted by: Justin at January 18, 2005 2:35 PMMaybe if you cleaned more often, you wouldn't have to spend your holidays at other people's houses :)
Things to try: How about reading "A Christmas Carol" aloud, lighting the angel chimes, and sipping Russian tea? Your father was advised before we got married that December was a great month for an anniversary, because, what with all the parties and shopping, all he'd ever have to do was take me out to dinner :) So, we started putting up the tree on our anniversary, which worked until you guys were old enough to demand that it go up earlier. This year, we were back to "old times." Pat Rhoton has a tradition of shopping for wrapping paper until he finds it for less than 2 cents per square foot. Some years that's hard to do. This year, though, he got it below 1 cent!
The most important tradition to establish has nothing to do with seasonal activity, however. You need to have a tradition of spending time with each other alone EVERY DAY, regardless of how busy things get. Best investment you'll ever make.
Posted by: Mom at January 19, 2005 1:34 PMI'm not sure you'd be too interested in an insane Jewish family's traditions, so try some good 'ol Hillsdale Koonie fun instead:
1) Wait 'til Don Cooper falls asleep and snores on the lobby floor (again) and paint his glasses with rubber cement. Then wake him up.
2) Make like Malachi James and fill the shower heads with Kool-Aid powder late Saturday night. Stand outside the shower door and laugh at the screaming going on Sunday morning.
3) Friday night all-out rubber band fights. Aaaah.
4) Smoke burning rolls of notebook paper and see who can make theirs last the longest.
5) Pick some relics and worship them (like the sacred Koon Rock, the icon of Dave Thomas, the Holy Christy Brinkley Exercise Book). Execute those who disrespect the icons and excommunicate those who introduce new ones (sorry, Dan Phillips, but setting an old Captain and Tennille album on the lobby mantelpiece and forcing everyone to prostrate themselves before it or be fined does not make it sacred, nor does it endear you to your oppressed subjects).
6) Buy a dorm hookah and all sit outside on the lawn smoking it so that the little old lady on College Street will call the cops and tell them those college boys are getting high again.
7) Drag your furniture and the TV outside and sit on the lawn to watch movies (because His Majesty Dan Phillips won't allow the girls to stay in the lobby until 11:05 to see the ending of The Rock). Same poor cop driving by sees us and just shakes his head.
I'll bet you didn't even know that I read your blog, Amy. Well here I am, unable to resist posting on your site. I am going to go with Christmas traditions. Our bad traditions have been just not decorating at all. That one has got to change soon. Good ones? We read from one of the four Gospels' account of Jesus' birth, Aaron picks which one, before we open presents. Aaron once had a tradition of making me a home made Christmas card every year and giving it to me on Christmas morning, that was a great one we should start back up again. I save my christmas cards and cut out the picture on the front in various shapes and use them as gift tags the next year. I make chocolate cake as gifts. Not just any old chocolate cake, but the ultimate chocolate chocolate cake. Oh, yes, some tradition to definately avoid is over spending on gifts, buying too much wrapping paper and not sending out Christmas cards.
General Traditions
You can nap as long as you dont begin the nap after 3pm or as long as the nap doesn't last longer than 1.5 hours, otherwise it will ruin your whole day. :O)
1. Mom and/or Kristi/Dad used to take my cousin, Sarah, and me out to a "nice" dinner (Greenleaf/Maxwell House) every night before the first day of school. (Hmm, you don't have kids in school, though. Or kids, for that matter.)
2. Mom and Kris used to take a friend and me to Cedar Point every summer. (Still no kids, though. And theme parks could get expensive.)
3. Ha! Canoeing on the Fourth of July! Horseback riding at least once every summer. And numerous trips to swimming pool and Long Lake.
4. Advent wreath lighting every Sunday night during advent. Sing X-mas carols before and after the readings.
5. Ah, remember my mom's holiday open houses? Those weren't yearly, though.
6. Aunt Jane sewed Sarah and me Advent calendars. They were these large, felt calendars with little pockets--one for each day of Advent. Every morning, we'd get to open a tiny gift that was tucked in the pockets. They weren't anything huge, but when you're six years old, a Seseme Street pencil or strawberry eraser is really cool. But then, we're getting back to the kids.
7. My dad and I used to drive around the neighborhoods every Christmas and look at X-mas lights. We'd try and find the tackiest and the most tasteful displays. Then we'd rate them, 1 being totally tacky, 10 being very tasteful. My taste changed from liking only the really garish displays (colors, blinking) to liking white lights only.
8. Mom always put up a plastic, antique village under the tree.
9. Dad used to take me to a haunted house every Halloween.
10. My Aunt Jane fixes oyster casserole every Thanksgiving, even though Dad, Grandma, and I are the only ones who eat it.
Sadly, most of these traditions fizzled out when I was about 10 or 11 years old. I'm told that Aunt Jane still fixes the oysters, though.
Posted by: Vic at January 28, 2005 10:38 AM