Traditions

I'm not sure why or how I realized it, but traditions are highly over-rated. Could be because life has forced our family to abandon familiar "traditions" and either start new traditions or more often than not just do what is right at the time. Or it could be the age factor - I do admit it is nice to sit back and lwatech as m
y adult children plan holidays - holding on to some of their childhood traditions and creating new traditions that are meaningful to them.

Some of you might know that one thing we "do" is coordinate our schedules and traipse onto (or ride a horse or tractor pulled wagon) a Christmas tree farm in search of the perfect tree to cut down, haul home and decorate. I mentioned to my son that I'm beginning to see the wisdom of an artificial pre-lit tree. When he recovered from shock, he gave me the list of reasons I shouldn't go that route. I shot every one of them down and this past Saturday I put on my long johns and Carhart coat and rode a tractor drawn wagon out and cut down my Christmas Tree.
I selected a 5' concolor fir tree. Concolor firs are newly grown in this area. They are sensitive to the frost and, well, we get a lot of frost here in NE Ohio. They are unique in that their sap smells like citrus. When I decorate it my hands smell like I've just peeled an orange! It's also fun to tell folks this and watch them. When they think no one is looking they walk up and sniff my tree :-)

I guess that's one tradition I not yet ready to abandon. It's fun, I love being outdoors, there's ususally a snowball fight. Crazy by some standards and I guess you'd be right.