Christmas Traditions: Part 1

Tradition! . . . Tradition!

(To get the feel in which I type that you need to sing the words with your hands in the air and a little dance in your step like Tevye from Fiddle on the Roof). 

 

Whenever I hear the word "Tradition" I think of this movie and I feel a bit like Tevye's daughters who each want to break from "tradition".  I am not one who feels like Tevye that traditions need to go on and on for ages.  In fact I find myself each Christmas wishing there were certain "traditions" that we could do without in a given year.  But alas I find my children anticipating and peppering me with questions as to when we get to experience the said tradition  And as not to disappoint the magic and spirit of Christmas my heart softens and I find myself getting wrapped up in the warm memories and feelings that accompany many of my little families Christmas traditions.

 

The one each year that I secretly wish to disband the most is turning my kitchen into something akin to Santa's Sweet Shoppe in order to share with teachers, neighbors and friends the joy of the Season. This "tradition" started long before I met, let alone married Paul. 

 

As a child I so looked forward to the time when we would gather around the table as a family, roll out the sugar cookie dough, cut it, bake it and decorate all of those sweet Christmas shapes which were then packaged onto plates and delivered to neighbors and friends. I continued this tradition  when I went a way to college, but somewhere along the way the menu has changed. 

 

Some years I have made a variety of sweet treats, but this year we kept it simple, or so we thought and just made Paul's favorite (and my kids's favorite, and apparently the favorite of many recipients), caramel and chocolate covered pretzels. 

 

To my surprise, despite my lack of interest in this endeavor this year, as we sat down as a family to wrap and dip the pretzels while listening to Christmas music on Pandora, I found myself finally "feeling" like it was Christmas. And as always there was joy to be found in delivering the pretzels as we shared a bit of love with those who our dear to our hearts for the part they play in the life of our family. It makes all the mess and time so worth while for yet another year.