So many of my fondest childhood memories are from family traditions around the holidays. For Thanksgiving, no matter where everyone was living, our family would meet up in Palm springs. For Christmas Eve, our extended families would get together at my grandma’s house. And on Christmas Day, our immediate family made it a tradition to be home to attend church together and celebrate the special day. I remember who was there, where we were, sights and smells, feelings of comfort, family and love. Whether we are looking back or forward to holidays in the future, we often go straight to the details. We remember the who, when, and where of holidays. We think back to the homes we were in, the people around our holiday tables, and the things we shared. Having a special time of the year when we know exactly what to do, the way we’ve always done it, provides a comfortable sense of structure, control and stability. Now that Colin is away in Boston for school and Haley will be choosing her college next year, Shannon and I will continue to make a conscious effort to continue our family traditions. I feel it is our way to stay connected to them as their lives change and we can continue to be that constant source of love for them.
– Jason
YOUR LIFE
I grew up with a mom who loves traditions…Traditions of eating pork on New Years, eating our favorite breakfast casserole on Christmas morning, and even eating Tony Roma’s ribs in Palm Springs sometime during Thanksgiving weekend. These traditions always bring up good memories, and it’s fun to reminisce on how they became meaningful. For me, these COVID years of 2020-2021 have been anything but traditional, but rather two years of transition and growth. Starting with getting married to my wife, Stacie, moving into a new house and then this June with the birth of our son, Aiden Cooper Weaver. Now the holidays are fast approaching and the calendar is filling up. It’s a little overwhelming at times, but I believe a busy holiday season is somewhat traditional in its own right. Cultivating and ending a year with your friends and family, making sure you savor every last gathering, maybe over indulging on food and drinks a tad…but with the hope of New Year’s resolutions to fall back on when the time comes. Aiden celebrated his first Halloween rocking a Monkey outfit. Next is Thanksgiving with grandparents in Palm Springs, work parties and socials, and then a family gathering on Christmas Eve with our traditional gift exchange. I’m looking forward to the traditional busy holiday season, but I’m even more excited to share it with our new addition and create some new traditions of our own. Bring on the chaos, bring on the family dynamics, the seconds, and the dessert: I’m ready to make some memories. – Travis
– Travis
YOUR LEGACY
The holidays are such a special time of year. Not only do they bring feelings of nostalgia, and fill the air with familiar smells, but I’ve always found that they have a way of making people smile a little easier. No matter your age you can always remember that feeling of waking up on Christmas morning as a child… that excitement in your belly. There’s no other time of year that does that. I love how the holidays have a way of bringing those memories back to the surface. The tradition of seeing homes adorned with lights, the smell of pine and cinnamon, watching your favorite holiday movie, gathering with friends and family, holiday music on the radio. This is what this time of year is all about. I’ve always had a tradition of celebrating one of the holidays with my close friends. I love the feeling of a home filled to the brim with people, and chatter, and warm food. Now that our own families are expanding, I’m so very much looking forward to continuing this tradition. This year I find myself more than ever excited for the holidays because of Nicolai. I hope that he grows up with fond memories, and the same feelings of excitement that I too had as a child. However you celebrate the holidays in your own family, I hope that this season brings you feelings of love, and a little bit of nostalgia, because at one time we all were that little child excited for this time of year.
– Jessica