All families have traditions. My family is no exception, but probably the quirkiest and best tradition we have together happens only once a year on the first Saturday in May. If you are a comic book fan, you what day this is. It is Free Comic Book Day. Every year, my family piles into a car and we go to the local comic stores to check out the new promotional comic books. It is a very rare occasion for one of us to miss it.

This geeky tradition has been occurring since I was a toddler, and I don't try to miss it for the world. My family is very diverse in what we each enjoy so it is nice to be able to come together and have this little thing everyone agrees on. This is something quirky that we make time for, and that makes it special for my family, and especially for me. This tradition has traveled across state borders with us as we moved around frequently in my younger years, and is a wonderful bonding experience between my siblings and me, as well as with us and our parents.

I remember my first Comic Book Day here in Johnson City, Tennessee. We drove to the downtown area searching for the perfect comic book store, after already trying to find some around the area. I remember being so excited, it was like we were going to an amusement park instead of some store that was hidden in plain sight. When we pulled up to the store, it was crowded with all sorts of people, many even dressed like their favorite superheroes! It really was like stepping into another magical world for me. My brother and I raced towards the free books while my parents walked in with our sisters, and we stood there contemplating which ones we would take home, or if one of us was getting a double the other had. After much contemplation, we had our picks and we would take them, all of us kids being very careful with our new-found treasures. We would read the books and then pass it on to the others, and this would happen for a few hours after arrived home.

Over time, the hunt for free comic books has changed slightly, like now we can see which books are going to be given out on Saturday, and can plan more properly instead of standing like kids outside a candy shop (or comic book store in this case). But despite the changes to our tradition, it is still a tradition all the same, and I can't wait to go out this year once more.