Family Traditions

As appeared in the Albuquerque Journal Rio Rancho section 12/26/09

The holidays are steeped in family traditions. It wouldn’t be Christmas or New Year’s without them, everyone knows that. But besides the obvious traditions like decorating a tree or hanging up lights, what are some of the traditions that make the holidays special in your family?

My brother Chris called me the other night as he was heading out to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for Tom and Jerrys. “I haven’t made them in fifteen years,” he said. This traditional Christmastime drink dates back to the 1800s in the United States, but since my grandpa made them every Christmas season since I was born, it is in my blood. Every year growing up my brother and sister and I would spend the week between Christmas and New Year’s with my grandparents in Ohio. As kids, we would get a virgin Tom and Jerry; warm milk, powdered sugar and eggs minus the Brandy, 151 Rum and Jack Daniels. I could hear the pride in Chris’ voice when he told me he was going to show his son how to make the drink this year, passing down a family tradition that probably started even before Grandpa. Learning this tradition my grandfather taught me in the 1960s, to watching my nephew discover it in 2009 is heartwarming. And so it goes.

A Mexican-American tradition in many homes is making tamales on Christmas Eve. Recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation, tamales are central to many families’ night-before-Christmas rituals. My best guess is nobody gets to eat the tamales until after midnight Mass.

Some Italians and Sicilians have a tradition of the seven fish dinner on Christmas Eve, some say seven to represent each day of the week. Each family and each sect of the Italian culture is different and the number of fish varies accordingly. Sometimes it’s three; representing the three wise men. Others serve thirteen different fish representing the twelve apostles plus one for Jesus. Either way, it’s pretty clear that no meat is eaten on Christmas Eve in an Italian home.

Baking is essential to many family traditions. Everyone usually has particular recipes and processes for making cookies. Frosted or not frosted? Made from scratch or prefab from the store? Skickerdoodles or chocolate chip? Or both? Whatever happened to that wonderful hard candy covered in powdered sugar? I haven’t seen that in thirty years. Baking doesn’t just mean cookies either. My sister-in-law has her own tradition of making cheese balls for everyone. Yes, Diane, you are Queen of the Cheese Balls.

One Christmas Eve tradition we started in our family when the kids were little was to drive down the streets and look at all the decorated houses. Do you have a tradition of taking your family to see the River of Lights in Albuquerque every year?

New Year’s traditions are pretty serious too. I mean, you don’t want to do anything to jinx the entire upcoming year? Besides the shallow resolutions, does anyone else eat pork and sauerkraut for good luck on New Year’s Eve or am I the only German in town?

Whatever it is, keep your family traditions alive and even adopt new ones. Make it special so that your children will learn them and want to continue with them when you are gone. The fact is that it’s really about family, about being together. Traditions are the threads that weave one generation to the next. They create family pride and give your children a sense of belonging.

May you all have the merriest Christmas ever and a safe, happy and prosperous New Year.

Quote of the Week: “Tradition does not mean that the living are dead, it means that the dead are living.” - Harold Macmillan (British politician, 1894-1986)