Mrs. Conception

Recently, I have become obsessed with family traditions. Ever since I got married, everything I do seems so much more significant. Suddenly, instead of being a random person just bopping around, minding my own business, I have a sense of legacy. Even a simple trip to the supermarket has new weight for me, as if in sixty years I’ll be sitting around the fireplace like, “Back in 2007, your Granddad and I were at the Stop & Shop when…”, and this story may determine the trajectory of my entire line of ancestors for all eternity. This actually doesn’t scare me, as I may have thought it would in the past. I am really kind of excited to have that kind of potential impact on the future.

I am eager to start some new traditions in my marriage now, that can then get passed on to our kids, and future generations of the Andrews family. I had a few things my family did every year, like getting new pajamas on Christmas Eve (my mom was still doing this one as of Christmas ‘06); decorating the Christmas tree while dancing to holiday albums by Michael Bolton, Mariah Carey, and Hanson; visiting Six Flags every summer with my cousins; and eating Chinese food while playing Trivial Pursuit on New Year’s Eve. Mr. Andrews had one or two, like getting a balloon and a chocolate chip cookie cake on his birthday. I like these (especially the pj’s!), but I want more. I’ve been trying to think up some new ones on my own.

Since I love and adore Christmas and we have no ornaments for a tree of our own, I have started buying them when we visit places – one on our Honeymoon, one on a random trip to New Hampshire, one in New York City if I ever remember to get one while we are there! – and I think I want a tradition where we always buy a Christmas ornament souvenir on vacation. Then we can have a fully decorated tree and be merry all year long!

Roadblocked for anything other than this one and only creation, though, I searched “family traditions” on Amazon, and bought the most comprehensive-looking book: The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox. It was a good choice, let me tell you – I could be awash in a different traditions whenever I felt like having one (there’s even an idea to celebrate A.A. Milne’s birthday is in there). Most of the suggestions are for families with children – and there are many I will be using! – but there are a few I think we can implement as just husband and wife and not feel too cheesy. A Thanksgiving box, for example, used to store your lists of what your are thankful for, seems doable for adults, and even Halloween Gloom dolls, where you stuff the head of a homemade rag doll with paper containing your bad feelings and complaints, and then throw it into the fireplace, seem intriguing and kind of theraputic (what can I say? I’m morbid).

So now I have a very good start on this family tradition thing. Now I just need a bigger family!