I have a lot of questions on this Christmas Eve...wait...Christmas day. I wonder, what makes someone's tradition better than another's?
Is this even possible? I selfishly think yes but Christmas, and family traditions in general, are very personal and hard to judge. But I think, like good art, the value of an act can be judged, or weighed against another.
As I experience my third Christmas with a mixed family, I see my traditions falling away as new ones take precidence. This is uncomfortable to me. I want my Christmas to be my Christmas, and not belonging to someone else. This is selfish, I know. But again, can some traditions be judged as better? Or can they co-exist?
Honestly, I do see the value of bringing in new traditions and habits to my beloved holiday. For example, my mom and I used to change the theme of our Christmas tree every year (Gold and silver went to Red and Gold, then to Barbie Pink.) Or, we'll introduce a new recipe to our classic dinner setup. It is not unusual to consume loads of tamales with spicy mole, or crispy lumpia with sweet and sour sauce. (The tamales come from my white grandma's amazing ability to make authentic Mexican food, and the lumpia my aunt teaching my grandma traditional Philippino recipes).
Is it better to watch regular TV on Christmas eve as opposed to classic Christmas movies? Let me tell you, I need my It's a Wonderful Life fix, and I know for a flipping fact that watching a Franz Kafka written classic with Jimmy Stewart is better than flipping through Telemundo. So, in this point, I know that my tradition is better. Ahem.
Is not cooking any Christmas (Slash New Year's) Tamales or New Year's Lumpia at all because someone wants a traditional dinner, even though we already are having a traditional dinner, okay? Um, what about my traditions? At least for New Years? No. On New Year's we have another traditional turkey dinner. WHO DOES THAT. My tradition wins.
Charlie Brown Christmas > Crude humor of Christmas Vacation. ALWAYS.
Okay maybe I am biased. Maybe this isn't the most scientific, or thoughtful analysis but I kind of like asking questions like this. This is ultimately my Christmas tradition wish: that I feel nostalgic, with close family, maybe a present or two...as long as I'm not forgotten.
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Christmas traditions are so important!! I know how you feel. :( hopefully you can keep a good balance. You should start a memory book of all the special things you and your family have done over the years so you won't forget the good ones a's new things creep in!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hannah! Christmas traditions are very important!
ReplyDeleteMy family used to have the tradition of opening our stockings on Christmas Eve and Christmas breakfast of cinnamon rolls, sausage and eggs.
Over the years Ted and I have kept the stocking tradition (mostly because I cannot wait until Christmas to open it), but we've changed our breakfast to linguica and eggs.
A memory book sounds like a wonderful solution or merely insisting on a Christmas classic (it is Christmas for Jiminy Cricket's sake).