I’ve had to work at establishing traditions. It’s not natural for me.  I’ve put effort into it mostly for the sake of the kids, as I do think its meaningful for them in particular.  And, its good for us as family. Every family needs to have their own traditions.

Like I said, it doesn’t come natural for me and more often than not, I don’t even recognize certain traditions in our family as a tradition until one of the kids points it out.

For example, a few years in a row we ordered pizza before the kids ventured out trick or treating for Halloween, and then one year I didn’t even think about getting pizza.  One of the kids said, “Hey! Why don’t we have pizza?  We ALWAYS have pizza on Halloween.”   “We do?”  I thought to myself.   This year we got pizza.  It’s tradition. Apparently.

Today I made a run to the grocery story.  It’s Thanksgiving Day.  I was, on one hand, glad the store was open so I could make a last minute run for our meal.  On the other hand, I was shocked at how many people, like me, were filling the isles of the store. Across the street from the grocery store is a car wash.  Long lines of vehicles were waiting.  What’s up with that, I wondered?

I recall as a kid, and most of my life, Thanksgiving Day had a certain quiet sacredness about it. Yes, we would get together with friends and family, but as we drove to Grandma’s house, the streets of our town were strangely still.

As we passed by houses, you could tell where the gatherings were happening by all of the vehicles in the driveway. I loved thinking about the people inside, and looked forward to our own Thanksgiving meal with those close to us. Back then, you had to be intentional about having everything all ready before Thanksgiving Day. The cars were washed ahead of time for the trip to Grandma’s and the groceries were all bought. Not having the option to do last minute errands on Thanksgiving Day itself was part of what caused the day to be wrapped in a certain sacredness, a set apart quality about it.  In fact, we didn’t even have the morning to get things ready because there was always a special Thanksgiving service at church we went to.  As a community, we would gather and give thanks.

I feel sad for our kids.  Most of my life to this point I’ve had the benefit of a Thanksgiving tradition steeped in meaning.  But for them, the tradition of a day set apart for reflecting on what we already have been given,  is being swallowed up by the quest for more stuff. I might sound old school, but I’m aware of a new resolve within me to keep this day set apart for time with friends and family, and to just be thankful for what we already have been given.

In our consumer based, materialistic culture, I need, we need, a tradition like Thanksgiving Day like never before. This is one tradition that I intend to keep alive in our household.

So in the spirit of the day, I want all of you to know that I am grateful for each of you. You have enriched my life in so many ways. Have a beautifully meaningful Thanksgiving Day!