Sledding Before Dinner
I am a big believer in traditions. They bond people together. A variety of groups have traditions. Teams have traditions. Fraternities and Sororities have traditions. Schools have traditions. Families have traditions. The list could go on and on.
I am a big believer in traditions. They bond people together. A variety of groups have traditions. Teams have traditions. Fraternities and Sororities have traditions. Schools have traditions. Families have traditions. The list could go on and on.
Santa Hats
Given that it is the holiday season, I would like to talk about family traditions. Shortly after we got married my wife and I moved away for graduate school and later work. For many years we didn't have family close by so we had to start our own traditions. This turned out to be a real blessing. Over the years we built our traditions as our family grew. The meals we ate, what clothes we wore, what service we rendered, Christmas eve carolling, making ginger bread houses, how the children lined up to see what Santa brought, etc. As time has passed and the children have grown and their interests have changed, the meals have become a bigger and bigger deal. We now have the meals down to a science and expectations are high. And, you definitely do not mess with tradition. If even one side dish is missing, someone notices!
Given that it is the holiday season, I would like to talk about family traditions. Shortly after we got married my wife and I moved away for graduate school and later work. For many years we didn't have family close by so we had to start our own traditions. This turned out to be a real blessing. Over the years we built our traditions as our family grew. The meals we ate, what clothes we wore, what service we rendered, Christmas eve carolling, making ginger bread houses, how the children lined up to see what Santa brought, etc. As time has passed and the children have grown and their interests have changed, the meals have become a bigger and bigger deal. We now have the meals down to a science and expectations are high. And, you definitely do not mess with tradition. If even one side dish is missing, someone notices!
We have four traditional meals each year: Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas Eve Dinner, Christmas Day Dinner and Easter Dinner. Here are the menus:
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Menu:
Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potatoes
Spinach Salad with poppy seed dressing
Pickles and olives
Dessert: Pie fest with an assortment of pies
Christmas Eve
Menu:
Clam Chowder
Crab Legs
Beet & Pickle salad
Dessert: Date Pudding
Christmas Day
Menu:
Prime Rib
Napa Cabbage Salad
Party Potatoes
Cooked Carrots
Layered Raspberry Jello with Banana, Fresh Raspberries & Pineapple
Dessert: Bread Pudding
Easter:
Menu:
Leg of Lamb
Rice Pilaf
Colby's Salad - Almonds, Mandarin Oranges, etc.
Asparagus
Curried Fruit
Seven Layer Jello
Pistachio Salad
Dessert: Trifle
When the children have been unable to be home at holidays due to college or in foreign countries for service, they all want to know how the dinners were. They ask about the different dishes and if they were prepared just right. I am so very fortunate to be married to a world class (self taught) cook. I am qualified to do the pealing, stirring, fetching, meat carving and cleaning. My wife, clearly the brains of the operation, does everything else.
So here is a TIP FROM A MAN... if you have family traditions, by all means, continue them. If you don't have traditions, then start some immediately. Do anything you can to bond with your loved ones. Make sure your traditions are mobile so that if you relocate from home to home or city to city, your traditions will carry on. Your traditions must only be meaningful to your family. No outsider is allowed to judge! Happy Holidays, and...
Enjoy life!
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