Today is Christmas Eve, where did the year go?  I was in a discussion with one of my daughters about Christmas Traditions and how they change.  Yes traditions change you heard me right.

When she drew this to my attention it gave me a different perspective.  Things are different than when I was a child. All those people I first knew are gone except siblings.  Many of my own children have moved away as did some grown grand kids.

I also had to consider the family dynamic changed with every wedding and new arrival.  These events bring change by circumstance and rightfully so.

There is also the cause and effect of  family members passing into memories, some from long ago and some still very fresh in our minds.  We lost three family members in the course of the year.

There is the saying the show must go on.  For a moment I paused to ask which show?  I always embraced the tunnel vision that tradition was stationary.  Mine might be but then change was going on all around me and yet the changes were part of tradition.  For many of us tradition and clinging to them is like an adult security blanket.  Time changes every thread yet we scarcely notice until it confronts us with just how much it has changed.

So what is the point of all this?  My daughter was preparing me for change as to the good old changes to tradition.

There are a few but then the show must go on and old guys sometimes need lead time to change what they might not want to change. So this Christmas it comes down to this. As long as there is turkey on the plate and I can pour turkey gravy over my lettuce and tomato salad I don’t care what they do.

All is good unless they find where I hid my bag of M&M’s.

Have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Fred Steele