Tradition, Tradition!

Every time I go to the Muny I have the songs stuck in my head for weeks. Last night we saw Fiddler on the Roof, another of my favorites. Even the girls are singing their own rendition of "Tradition, Tradition" because they've heard me singing the few words (actually word) that I know of it. I love the Jewish culture because there are so many traditions. I was trying to think of my family's traditions--the ones that are unique to us and not just because we're American. Here are a few:

1) Blackening the face of the birthday kid with coal (or tar) on the morning of his or her birthday. This was dad's thing. I probably won't carry it on because we have enough trouble getting everyone's faces clean and out the door on time in the mornings. Dad also tied a brick on my sister's head to keep her from growing. I kind of like that one.

2) Saturday morning pancakes

3) Sunday morning donuts

4) Sunday afternoon roast/carrots/potatoes, alternating with Sunday afternoon turkey/mashed potatoes (I like the food traditions.)

5) Opening matching pajamas on Christmas Eve and the rest of the presents on Christmas morning. I will definitely keep this one up.

6) Birthday spankings (with one to grow on)

7) Grandma's house for Christmas (this has changed to Mom's house for Christmas)

8) Grandma's house for Thanksgiving (this has changed to Aunt Saundra's house for Thanksgiving)

9) Shopping for school supplies, one new outfit (which usually included a jean skirt), and our "school shoes" that we were required to wear once a week. These were usually from Frank's Shoe Store in Collinsville.

10) New summer clothes for my birthday that I could wear to youth camp.

11) Orange Crush at "the stand" at youth camp.

12) Sleeping in curlers on Saturday nights.

13) Family dinner together at 5:30 every night.

14) Running down the hill for Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving special at Grandma's house. (We didn't have a TV until I was in high school.)

15) It's a Wonderful Life every Christmas.

16) Decorating and hiding Easter eggs.

17) Christmas morning stockings with a note from Santa.

18) Sharing a 7-Eleven Big Gulp with my mom and sister and hanging out in the old church basement while Mom worked on the bulletin.

19) Church, church, church. Sunday morning, Sunday night, Thursday night, Tuesday night youth group, Monday night youth rallies.

20) Getting ice cream at DQ after every chorus concert, band concert, play, etc.

21) New outfits for our spelling bees.

22) Trading rides to school with Jenny Witsken and her step-dad.

23) Friday nights watching "5 Mile Creek" movies (after we got a TV).

24) Friends over on Sunday afternoons.

25) Black patent shoes every Sunday from Labor Day to Easter; White patent shoes from Easter to Labor Day.

I'm sure I'll think of a bazillion more. Traditions are important, I think. They give a sense of security and belonging. I think I want to start some more with my family. Right now we have our Tuesday nights at Cecil Whitakers (with a gumball), church on Sunday mornings, dinners together around the table. Hopefully more will evolve as they get older. Tradition, Tradition!