How much of what we do over the Christmas Holidays is done only because we did it the year before and every year before that? Do you still go to the same Christmas parade? Take your kids to the same place to see Santa? Eat the same foods on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Christmas traditions have been around since the first fruit cake was chiseled from a mountain of stone and gifted to the least liked coworker at the office. Some traditions like prime rib for Christmas dinner have survived for decades, passed down from generation to generation without missing a beat, while some traditions, like get granny sloshed on egg nog and ask her what she really thinks about Uncle Al’s ex wife are pretty short lived. At least it was in our house. No matter what the tradition may be or how odd it may seem everyone has a one or two or twenty. Even if your tradition is to have no tradition at all. But what makes a tradition so special? I’ve never really been fond of doing the same thing over and over again, but when the holidays come I want to try my best to recreate all of the fun and magic that I had when I was a kid for my children. I want them to watch all of the movies and Christmas specials that I enjoyed. I want them to make their lists for Santa and mail them off to the North Pole just like I did. And I know that my wife wants to do the same thing with many of her traditions that she grew up with, like new matching PJs on Christmas Eve.

But what happens when the traditions that we grew up with aren’t as beloved and cherished by the next generation. What happens when your youngest doesn’t want to write a letter to the North Pole, but would rather email him at http://www.santamail.com (I have no idea if that even exists)? What happens when everyone from your favorite Christmas movie is too old and outdated and is replaced with some CGI remake that we know isn’t better than the original? I remember many years ago I introduced my oldest to one of my absolute all time favorite Christmas movies, Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas. During my day of Fraggle Rock and Muppets this movie was a Jim Henson classic. We literally got to the first scene where Emmett and his mom are rowing down the river, singing and he was done. What did he want to watch? The Jim Carrey Grinch movie. Now I have nothing against his choice at all, it’s a good movie, but it quickly dawned on me that I had spent my first few years of being a dad, sticking to my traditions because I was trying to relive the Christmases of my past. I was so rooted in the nostalgia of every little thing (at least the things I could remember) that I was ignoring his literal cries of dismay at watching a Christmas Story on a 24 loop all Christmas Day.

I think the Christmas traditions of our past aren’t necessarily special because of what they are but because of where they come from and the love that surrounds them. It’s not the Christmas parade, but the one that loves us enough to give us the best seat in the house, sitting on their shoulders. It’s not the hashbrown casserole, but the one that lets us sprinkle the buttered Corn Flake topping before putting it in the oven. And knowing that as soon as it is ready that means it’s time for everyone to gather around the table as a family.

My wife and I have decided to let go of many of our traditions. It got to the point that we were just following the same script over and over again. Now we do this – Now I say that. Instead, we’ve year by year created our own and by creating our own I think we put more effort into making it special for our kids. I love making cinnamon rolls on Christmas Eve because early on it was new and the kids loved it. Now they ask for it every year and I will continue to do it every year until they have their own families. Will they continue the tradition for their own kids? Maybe, maybe not. But no matter what traditions they will keep or create, it will be up to them to make it special for their families.