New Traditions

Today I went to the Christmas market with my brother and sis-in-law. It’s the third year we’ve done it so I think that makes it a tradition?

The holiday traditions I grew up with don’t exist so much now. For one thing, my grandparents would always host big Christmas meals for the extended family, and that doesn’t happen anymore, not in the same way. Most of them are gone, and my parents now live farther away.

When I lived in Japan I started a tradition with my fellow local expats of potluck Christmas, where everyone would bring a dish from their family’s holiday tradition. There was Turkey from the Canadian and Americans, “Christmas pudding” from the Brits which is NOT soft like pudding but is cool at least because they set it on fire. And the Aussies brought cold cut meat which is apparently a thing you eat when celebrating Christmas in the heat of southern hemisphere summer… go figure!

I still send Christmas cards, because I’m old fashioned like that, and also I love getting mail. But each year I receive less and less cards… I’m wondering if this tradition will die out too.

So it’s nice to have some new traditions.