In my theology class this semester, one of the main themes we explored was how tradition acts in shaping our lives. Since this was a theology course, we considered this in more of a religious sense.

However, this got me thinking - to what degree do my family traditions shape my life?

There is no better time to explore this question than at Christmas.

To what degree do I do things simply because that's what I've always done? Which things do I do simply because I enjoy them? Which traditions are most important to both me and to my family?

The first step in answering this to me was first distinguishing which Christmas traditions my family has.

So, I went through a little timeline of our Christmas season, and saw which things I know we do every year without fail

The Saturday after Thanksgiving every year, we go to the same Christmas tree farm and pick the perfect tree. Afterwards, we always eat at the same restaurant, and then go home to decorate while watching "White Christmas."

Every year, my family always goes on a Christmas train ride with Santa. Although I love the train ride itself, I find myself enjoying exploring the town and spending time with family even more.

On Christmas Eve, my family always go to my grandparents' house, and we open the first presents of Christmas. We have a nice meal, and then we go to the late service at church. On the way to church, we always look for the light of Rudolph's nose in the sky.

The next morning, we cannot go downstairs until my dad has the video camera ready. He will always narrate as we descend the stairs, informing our imaginary audience of our names, ages, and current interests.

If I were to continue on chronicling the rest of my Christmas in this same way, it would get extremely long and boring. What I find important to note, however, is that so many things that my family does on Christmas remain the same every single year, but I never really considered them to be traditions before.

Traditions don't always have to be grand and unique. Instead, some of my favorite Christmas traditions are the things I do without thinking.

Now, whenever I find myself searching for Rudolph's nose on the way to church, I'll know that I'm celebrating one of my favorite holiday traditions.