The Beauty of Traditions

This blog gets published every week on Thursday but since Thursday,  this week,  is Thanksgiving Day I'm writing the blog early. Today is the day I begin prepping for Thanksgiving. My house got cleaned. I made sure I had all of the ingredients I needed for the main feast and all of the sides. My husband put lights out on our back porch. And today was the day I bake bread.

The bread I baked is not just any bread. This bread is a very special family recipe that was handed down from my great-grandmother to my grandmother to my mother to me, and someday I will hand it off to my children. For nearly 20 years now they have been watching me make it and, if armed with the recipe card, could probably make it themselves - but it is not their turn yet.  They will be making pies, and quick bread, and Chex mix.  They will even  help with the Turkey itself.  But this special bread is my job. It's tradition.

As the story goes, my great grandmother sampled some of this delightful bread at a bakery and was so taken with it that she went back and bought it frequently. Then one day, when she learned that she would be moving away, she asked the Baker for the recipe. At first he would not give it to her because this special bread was his best selling item, but when she explained that she would be leaving the state and no longer able to come purchase the bread he agreed to give her the recipe on one condition; She must give her word not to share the recipe with anyone except family. The promise was made and my great-grandmother's honor has been upheld ever since. The recipe has been handed down from mother to daughter but no one outside of our family has had the privilege of seeing it. 

Every Thanksgiving, and every Christmas, It is my job, as mom, to make this bread, as it was my mother's job before me. I make a lot of it so I can share it with our dearest friends. Every holiday, my kitchen smells of this sweet bread - a beautiful reminder of my loving home and family history. It ties me together with those I love most. This is a precious gift, and one I am giving to my own children by carrying on the same tradition with them. They all know about (and can't wait for) the bread each holiday season. 

Traditions are very valuable and important tools for building family connections. They are special and hold significance. They even provide security in their reliability, helping establish identity as a part of the family structure. I have found that even the smallest kinds of traditions (like making a special bread) are deeply cherished by my children. They even, when they were younger, would make mention of an anticipated tradition in advance to make sure I didn't forget!

These actions don’t need to be elaborate or expensive - one of our family favorites is the simple statement of the things we are thankful for, each in turn, as we enjoy our Thanksgiving meal. What are some traditions you have? What are some small but meaningful things you might be able to establish as a tradition in your home going forward?