Tradition...

[Mrs-M]

Has "tradition" followed you through life based upon how you were raised/how things were done in your home growing up? If so, what? What sorts of traditions have you kept alive in the way you do/use/buy things today?

One tradition that stands out in my mind is my coffee percolator. I remember (as a kid) mom and dad telling each other how much better the coffee tasted when prepared in a percolator pot. That stuck with me and today I love percolated coffee- and making it! (Watching and listening to the bubbling water splash up against the inside of the glass dome, then when the bubbling reaches a steady crescendo, turning the element down before the pot boils over).

Another tradition of mine, being a stay-at-home mom. I loved knowing there was always someone at home (my mom) when I was growing up. Never a worry about getting sick in school and having to come home unexpected, always a warm house to come home to and a hot meal and a hug.

[IshbelRobertson]

Naming traditions are very strong in my family (and in fact in many Scots families). No Kellys or Britneys or Beyonces for us - plain, oldfashioned Scots names!

Always give the same gift to all newborns in the family, a Scottish quaich. Some have been silver, some horn, some silver-gilt.

Too many others to list here!

[catherine]

Naming traditions are very strong in my family (and in fact in many Scots families). No Kellys or Britneys or Beyonces for us - plain, oldfashioned Scots names!

Always give the same gift to all newborns in the family, a Scottish quaich. Some have been silver, some horn, some silver-gilt.

Too many others to list here!

A little OT, but: as you know, Ishbel, I married into a VERY Scots-pride family!!! So, my kids are James, Ian, Cameron, and.... Brittany! (Funny you said "Britney") But the reason for that was, I wanted to name my daughter Elizabeth, but my DH wanted to name her... Prestwick!!!! (I sarcastically asked him if we could make LaGuardia her middle name). I put my foot down on that one, and we were at a stalemate in the hospital. So I asked my hospital roommate if I could borrow her baby name book, and I wrote down all the names that I liked, and let DH pick from that list.

He picked Brittany because it has "Brit" in it. Of course, now she hates the name because while it was not trendy in 1985, it quickly became so--so she's actually shortened it to Britt.

As for Mrs-M's question, here are some of our family traditions:
--family vacations to Vermont
--Japanese restaurant every Saturday night
--Whenever one of us leaves in a car, we give two "toots" to say goodbye
--We go hog-wild on Christmas (really, it's the biggest consumerist extravaganza I participate in. Every year we say we're going to cut down, but we just don't)

[Kat]

Fun thread! I guess one of ours would be eating together at the table every night. My dad was super strict about this. I could bring as many friends as I wanted, but my behind better be at that table at 6:00 sharp. During dinner, my dad asked me about my day, how school was and what was going on in my life. I felt very loved and plan to do the same with my kids.

My dad also always made us whatever we wanted to eat for our birthdays along with a special cake. He still does this, actually. ;-) I do the same for DH and will do it for our kids, too.

My mom makes this sour cream and cream cheese pie for holidays. DH actually doesn't care for it, but I do and it's tradition, so after she passes away, I will continue to make it.

[treehugger]

I don't come from a very tradition-oriented family, I don't think. A lot of that might be because my maternal grandparents came to the "New World" as adults, escaping from pre-war Germany, and then proceeded to raise their family in a non-traditional way, with long stints in the Phillipeans and Indonesia.

One thing that stands out is that we carry on (in a mild way) the tradition of Hanukkah and a few other Jewishisms, but we aren't religious in any way. I am Jewish in strictly a heritage sense (surviving WWII, as so many of their family did not, cured my grandparents of any wish to remain religious).

I hope some day to live close enough to one or more of my siblings to establish regular traditions of eating and celebrating holidays together.

I should add that I'm not complaining about any lack of traditions. I don't mind doing my own thing, forging my own path.

Kara

[Stella]

I don't come from a traditionalist kind of family either, tree hugger. One thing I am carrying on from my parents is family mealtimes. I am big on that.

I actually a stay at home mom, but that isn't a family tradition. My mom was a stay at home mom but my grandmothers both worked. Dad's mom was a nurse and mom's mom owned a chain of dress shops.

I think the big area where I am a throwback to tradition on one side of the family is that we are Catholic. That pretty much automatically comes with a bunch of traditions. For example, Cheyenne will be making her first communion next year, little white dress and all.

I am not traditional with names. I've got a James and an Isabella, but also a Cheyenne and a Travis.

[herbgeek]

I come from a very traditional family, and as a young adult I was the anti-traditionalist, but in middle age it seems I'm traditional, only with my own traditions. Hubby learned after the first year of marriage that I simply Must have a cake on my birthday. Not the weekend before, or after, but on the day itself. Card occasions are Valentine's Day, our anniversary, and my birthday. Picnics are a must in nice weather, and we must have several courses of real food. Just a sandwich is not a picnic excepting an emergency where I haven't had time to prepare a proper one. Tea is a must in nasty weather, along with itty bitty sandwiches. Christmas Eve we share with family. Kisses are mandatory when leaving the house, even for a short time. Hugs are the proper greeting when arriving home. "Watch out for the nutties" is what we say to each other when getting in the car for a commute. This is just the tip of the iceberg at our house for "traditions" but of course almost none of these (outside of Christmas Eve) are the ones I grew up with.

[Mrs-M]

How enjoyable reading about everyone's traditions! Excuse me, but I put in a really long day today and am at a point where I can't see straight. I am sooo ready for bed! Will be back again tomorrow to touch more on this thread topic. Goodnight.

[mira]

I wanted to name my daughter Elizabeth, but my DH wanted to name her... Prestwick!!!! (I sarcastically asked him if we could make LaGuardia her middle name).
AHAHAHA that cracks me up! Mainly because I live right near that airport and its little slogan is "Pure Dead Brilliant" (a phrase that people the equivalent of 'white trash' here might say). SO glad you did not allow that unfortunate naming to happen!

[Gardenarian]

My family didn't have a lot of traditions (though I do remember my mom plugging in the percolater first thing every morning.) We still do May day baskets, which is something I got from my mom (anyone else do this?)

We're pretty big on creating our own traditions - hiking the mountain on Thanksgiving morning, getting up to watch the sun rise on the solstices, our New Year's Eve open house, and so on. I love creating rituals to celebrate occasions and seasons and passages.

[Mrs-M]

Gardenarian. Please tell me about the May day baskets.

[Gardenarian]

Oh, on the morning of May 1 you fill little baskets with flowers. Then you go about the neighborhood, knock on the door, run away and leave the basket behind. We have a lot of varieties of "baskets" - traditionally, we make cones of colored paper, but one year we used little bottles, other times we have taken plastic strawberry baskets and woven yarn into them, and have made little origami boxes.
What doesn't change is the flowers, and the knock-and-run. It's fun to hide and watch people's expressions as they find the flowers!

Here is an article from Grit on May baskets: http://www.grit.com/Community/May-Baskets.aspx

And here is a little bit from Wikipedia on May day:
The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian times, with the festival of Flora, the Roman Goddess of flowers, and the Walpurgis Night celebrations of the Germanic countries. It is also associated with the Gaelic Beltane. Many pagan celebrations were abandoned or Christianized during the process of conversion in Europe. A more secular version of May Day continues to be observed in Europe and America. In this form, May Day may be best known for its tradition of dancing the Maypole and crowning of the Queen of the May. Various Neopagan groups celebrate reconstructed (to varying degrees) versions of these customs on May the 1st. The day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures. While February 1 was the first day of Spring, May 1 was the first day of summer; hence, the summer solstice on June 25 (now June 21) was Midsummer. In the Roman Catholic tradition, May is observed as Mary's month, and in these circles May Day is usually a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this connection, in works of art, school skits, and so forth, Mary's head will often be adorned with flowers in a May crowning. Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of "May baskets," small baskets of sweets and/or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbours' doorsteps.

[Mrs-M]

Thanks for explaining to me Gardenarian. Sounds like a lot of fun! Reminds me of the good old days, something our world/society lacks today. Warm, caring, thoughtful people, and gestures.

[JaneV2.0]

But now we have Cinco de Mayo--I haven't danced around a Maypole in years!

[iris lily]

we made Mayday baskets, too. Filled them with little spring flowers and a candy or two. Put them on the doorsteps of our friends. Sweet and fun.

Now whenever I see lilies of the valley I am reminded of that tradition.

[kally]

DH and I created two traditions to get us through the winter doldrums.
February is underwear month - yahoo go and buy new undies.
March is sock month.

Does it get any more traditional than that?

[Float On]

I grew up with breakfast in bed for your birthday and a gift to open. A tradition I started when the kids were little was to decorate their room in the wee hours of the night before their birthday. They'd wake up to a room full of crepe paper streamers, helium balloons (you can buy a helium canister at wal-mart for $19 and it would last thru both birthdays - the boys' birthdays are 2 weeks apart), and one gift on the bed. Even when we traveled I'd decorate their half of the hotel room. It gets harder and harder to sneak in now and not wake them up - lol.

[Mrs-M]

LOVE everyone's entries!

I never gave any thought to buying great whites for myself during a certain month (or time of year), but I can see how it could have a cheery effect on a person. Seeing the start of the season of new life and growth with some nice fresh colourful dainties!

Love those traditions Float On! Thanks for telling me about the helium canisters. I miss helium balloons so much. Whenever there was something special going on or a fair was in town, mom and dad would buy us kids a helium-filled balloon each.

In you posting about birthday parties, you made me remember a few birthday traditions (when I was a kid). Do you remember those blow horns made out of paper (with the plastic mouthpiece ends) that would roll out- then roll back in again when you blew into them? And how about placing dimes and quarters and nickels into birthday cakes? Gosh, that was a tradition in everyone's home! (No worries about dirty money back then)! Oh no, us kids would lick off every trace of cake and icing from whatever change-piece we found then proudly plop it into our pockets for future spending! :laff: And who could forget stacking the inside of your hamburger with potato chips! That was an all-time favourite tradition of mine! Still is!!! LMAO!

[Float On]

And who could forget stacking the inside of your hamburger with potato chips! That was an all-time favourite tradition of mine! Still is!!! LMAO!

The kids always put Doritos in a ham sandwich - it is good.

[Mrs-M]

Originally posted by Float On.
The kids always put Doritos in a ham sandwich - it is good. That's a new one on me but it does sound good! I was just having a laugh to myself (courtesy of this thread and your and my comments about birthdays), and one area where I struggled at birthday parties was making my mind up as to which food I wanted. (Hmmm, hot-dogs or hamburgers, what will it be)... :laff:

[goldensmom]

I’ve been trying to think of a part of my life that is NOT based on tradition. I am a hyper-traditionalist. Most have been already been mentioned from meals together, to holidays and vacations, special birthday meals, etc. How about this for tradition - I returned to the house in which I grew up - I fold and keep the wash clothes/towels/linens in the same place as my mother did; all the food stuffs are in the same place. When friends from my childhood or relatives visit they don’t have to ask where anything is because it is where it always has been. I did remove a candy dish and got scolded many times over.

Is clean underwear and bed made before you leave the house in case your are in an accident or the house catches fire (and you don’t want the firemen to see your unmade bed) a tradition? Or did my mom just want me to make sure I changed my underwear and made my bed when I was a child?

One place we are not traditional is in farming methods. If something new or different comes along that we can afford, we’ll try it. No horses, hand milking or thrashing machines for us.

[Mrs-M]

Hi Goldensmom! :) Great point, I too can't really conceptualize any major part of my life not based on tradition (now that you mention it). About the clean underpants issue, ROTFLMAO! Mom reminded us kids (and asked us) ALL THE TIME if we had on clean underwear! A little funny to share with you related to undies. Dear brother (baby brother) hated bathing and hated changing, and at one point (he would have been around 7-8) he would put his clothes (and underpants) that he had worn for days on end back on again after a bath! It infuriated mom! So mom started checking up on him after his bath to make share he scrubbed properly (hair washed) and had on fresh clean clothes (and undies)! :laff:

[Oceanic]

I live a very different life from my parents. I'm a low-key city gal, and they are energetic rural people. My sweetie and I often spend holidays with them, though, and we appreciate some of the traditions like Sunday-morning waffles, cutting firewood on Christmas day....

My big sister carries on a lot of the family traditions. She has two kids, and a busy career, but the family sits down for a home-cooked meal every night. My Mom did this for us too, even though she also had a busy career. It was only later when I got together with an old friend from high school that I realized not every family did this. My friend talked about how envious she was of our family dinners; how we would all talk about the issues of the day, debating politics and such.

I take after my Dad much more than my Mom, and have never felt comfortable in traditional gender roles. I'd rather be working on my car than making dinner. But hey, I suppose that's tradition too! My Dad taught me how to change my own oil, and how to approach nearly everything with a "how hard can it be?" attitude.

[Kat]

@kally--I love it! :-)

[IshbelRobertson]

I live a fairly traditional life - after all, I'm using some items of furniture that we've owned since the late 1500s!

New Year's Eve, aka Hogmanay - lots and lots of traditions about that.
Easter, bake simnel cakes, hot cross buns and dye eggs to roll down an extinct volcano in the city.
Mothering Sunday - huge family luncheon - usually spring lamb with all the trimmings and one of the above-mentioned simnel cakes
Christmas - bake lots of traditional things like Christmas puds, Christmas cakes, mincepies black bun and shortbread (the latter 2 for Hogmanay) Ensure that local carol singers have a hot toddy (with whisky for the adults, and apple juice for the younger ones) with mincepies.


And many, many more, too numerous to mention!

[Mrs-M]

Oceanic. Wonderful traditions! I love your dads adage of- "how hard can it be". So encouraging and inspiring.

Ishbel. Gosh, how did I forget, yes, Christmas baking! Thanks for the reminder. :) Christmas baking is BIG on my tradition list.