I spent the last four days at the beach with my posse. It’s the fourth year in a row that we’ve taken this family vacation together. This past July was the third year in a row that we shared a lake house together, and this November will be the fourth year in a row that we shared a mountain cabin for a long weekend. Some other women and their families have come and gone on these trips, but there is a core group whose presence has remained throughout. I’m grateful for the two women who do the majority of the planning, and they tend to book our rentals a year in advance, so there’s always something fun to look forward to and plan around. One of these women’s families used to take beach vacations with their friend’s families when she was a child, and she wanted that recurring event to become a tradition that her children could experience. It is now my hope that my daughter will continue this tradition with her children and closest friends.

One of the many conversations of this most recent trip revolved around the topic of traditions. I took an opinion poll asking how many times or years an event needs to be repeated before it can be considered a tradition. I liked the answer of three years in a row best, because two years could be a fluke, but three shows effort to continue the event. It wasn’t until I started writing this that I realized “generation to generation” is part of the definition of tradition. So when creating new traditions, you’re initially practicing customs, with the hope of continuance and a motivation to hand down these practices.

Aside from these shared vacations, I want to pass on to my daughter many of the customs that I practiced as a child every year with my family. A lot of my favorites relate to holidays, but not all. Of course there are customs related to behavior, morals, values, and character, but those require daily practice, not just an annual duplication.

Holidays make me think of food, and I think certain dishes could and should be handed down and practiced year after year. My daughter will know how to make real mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, her own pie crust, my grandma’s chocolate chip cookies, and how to roast a turkey. Ham crisps (ham salad on Ritz with a cucumber slice), bowls of olives, shrimp cocktail, and lutefisk will be available before Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes are prepared on St. Patrick’s.

New Year’s is spent in the place you love the most to get the year started off right. For us, it’s been the beach.

She and I celebrate Valentine’s Day with fondue. I want her to continue to celebrate that holiday by sharing it with who she loves and who loves her.

Thanksgiving isn’t complete without watching the Macy’s parade and the dog show. I’ve added the new custom of watching all of the “Friends” Thanksgiving episodes every year, too.

During advent we open a chocolate-filled calendar every day. We watch A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Christmas Story every year. I complete a Christmas jigsaw puzzle annually, but that’s a hobby that doesn’t need to be passed on. On Christmas Eve, baby Jesus is laid in the manger of the crèche. We also go to the candlelight service every Christmas Eve, and then get to open one gift before bed.

Non-holiday traditions include taking a photo on the first day of each new school year and playing board games together. Sports are a huge tradition in our family. We play them, we watch them, we bet on them, we love them. The New York Yankees. My daughter is a 4th generation fan. Penn State football. I am a Nittany Lion and hope that my daughter at least applies to attend. My dad graduated from both Michigan State (undergrad) and Iowa (grad), and my sisters and aunt are Big 10 alumni, as well, so Saturdays in fall are loud. Every year we pick our favorites in the Triple Crown races, which my mom did with her dad. We root for USA in the World Cup and the Olympics. I grew up a Whalers fan in Connecticut, and now we root for the Canes (who used to be the Whalers) here in North Carolina. We fill out our March Madness brackets every year, and we always tune in to watch the Super Bowl.

So why are we motivated to hand down these customs? I like traditions because they create a comfort space for me, a chance to hit the re-set button. All of them are something to look forward to, a reward for all the hard work, and an escape from the mundane. Some of them, like the vacations, are a chance to reconnect with friends and to participate in experiences that we wouldn’t normally get to enjoy in our day-to-day lives. And considering the topic of my blog, traditions are a chance to rediscover not just my childhood, but those of my ancestors with the added bonus of learning more about who am I, where I came from, and who I can be. Traditions and customs create experiences and add a much needed joie de vivre.

What are your customs that you hope become traditions? What traditions do you continue to carry on from your ancestors? Why do you practice these customs and traditions?