Maybe it's lighting the Menorah each night of Hanukkah with your family and playing dreidel, or baking cookies for Santa and hanging the stockings on Christmas eve night. Or the dancing and feasts that takes place the week of Kwanza. No matter what you celebrate, most come with their traditions, a way which unites us and brings us together through celebration and reflection.
One thing that is so special about traditions is: that they don't have to exist, for you to make one.
Traditions all have to start someway, somehow so if you feel like they lack in your life, then start some! They could be following the trend by celebrating the stereo- typical ones, or creating your own.
In my life, my family is big on traditions, I feel as if I was raised on them. From getting a new ornament each year for our Christmas tree representing something that happened that year to putting up a huge synchronized Christmas light show/display (pictured below), it's something our family continues to do year after year.
The most important aspect of traditions, is that they bring joy and people together.
I know as a teenager, many of us grow older and are just so over all the holiday traditions, but we don't realize is how one day looking back we are going to be grateful that we had those. Some that we can even pass on to our own kids, or even start celebrating with your friends in college. When putting up my family's Christmas display, I cannot tell you how many times, we get frustrated and want to call it quits. In the end though, we are able to step back and know that it's worth it because it brings joy to the community, which brings joy to us.
Traditions don't have to be about you. In fact, some of my friends' families spends their holidays volunteering at soup kitchens or assisting families in need during the holiday season. Personally, my family uses our Christmas display to give back as we encourage people to bring canned goods for us to donate to the local food pantry. It's something I cherish and look forward to being a part of, year after year.
What I most look forward to is how they bring people together, because that is what really matters. Whether it be a religious holiday tradition, a cheesy one you started with some friends, or the ones that have been passed down through generations of your family, they unite us in some way. They take us out of our busy lives, to continue these cherished traditions and celebrate the presence of those we celebrate with.
