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Thursday, December 27, 2012
tradition.
word of the day: tradition
\trə-ˈdi-shən\ the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of
mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction
I came to a realization
about myself this holiday season: I don’t love tradition. It happened on Thanksgiving. I was sitting at the table looking down at my
plate of turkey, sweet potatoes, corn casserole, bread, cranberry relish, and
mashed potatoes. In that moment, I
realized that I could do without all the foods on the plate. Except for the mashed potatoes. Because anybody who knows me knows that the
way to my heart is with a well-cooked potato.
Everything was cooked to
perfection. Everything was delicious; I
just decided in that moment that the traditional holiday meal doesn’t have the
same allure as it once had.
I suppose that probably
makes me sound like somewhat of a scrooge, but I’ve been thinking a lot about
it since. As Jake and I look forward to
Holiday seasons to come, I look forward to writing my own traditions. Things our children will remember in the
future and tell fondly of as they sit around the table reminiscing. But in my mind’s eye, those traditions look
different every year. It’s a Christmas
dinner with a big pot of soup one year and eating at a tacky diner the
next. It’s a Christmas morning where
presents are opened immediately upon waking while the next year we wait until
after the enormous breakfast feast. It’s more about family and what each year has
brought and less about the things we do just because we’ve always done them.
Jake and I stepped out
into the non-traditional this Christmas and ventured to the world of the Bed
& Breakfast. We decided to make the
most of our last Christmas sans kids, and I’m so happy we did.
We left Christmas Eve and
traveled to Plano, IL. We pulled into
the Homestead Bed and Breakfast early evening and enjoyed every moment until we
checked out the following morning.
Hindsight, I suppose it
was risky to choose to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with complete
strangers. I suppose we could have
chosen a B&B with awkward hosts, but thankfully we were welcomed in like we
were old friends. Mary Kay and Chet made
Bed and Breakfast believers out of us although I’m not sure we’ll ever stay at
another. They set the standard pretty
high. They cooked us delicious food,
made us feel right at home, and offered us a bed that I think Jake will talk
about for all the years to come.
It was
non-traditional. It was exactly what we
needed. The only thing missing were the
mashed potatoes, but luckily my in-laws had left-overs that I have been consuming
like ice cream.
As I look forward to
Christmases to come, I look forward to the constants: family, laughter,
card-playing, and gift exchanges. But I
also look forward to the unpredictables.
The things that only each year can bring. The things that keep us on our toes and make
each holiday season something worth remembering.
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