Over the last few years, any vestiges of childhood holiday traditions have dwindled and disappeared altogether. The one last tradition that had remained the same – Christmas Eve at my childhood home – is in question this year (one day I’ll tell that tale, maybe in therapy, or maybe right here), so it’s time to make some new traditions and see which, if any, chance to linger. I’ve managed to forge some new traditions in my adult life, in much the way that I’ve forged an extended family. Something told me from an early age I might not be able to count on my own family, and perhaps that informed my behavior over the years, resulting in distance and detachment. As someone who doesn’t have children – and someone who will never have any children – I’ve started to sense the future specter of solitude. It’s not something that bothers me so much, it’s the way I’ve designed my life, without regret or sadness, but I know it will be different from most of my friends. So I’m making a few new holiday outings to send down some roots that may see me through the middle-age doldrums. Some of my friends’ kids are also graduating from their own childhoods, so maybe in a few years they will value these outings as much as I do.
The quirky and still-tentative plans are named after inside jokes that only one or two people may know (and one or two might not even recognize their part in these plans). They’ll get the text invitations with more elaborate descriptions. Not to exclude anyone, but I’m better in more intimate get-togethers these days. Of course, I’m always open to invitations. That said, here are a few holiday traditions which I aim to implement:
* The Holiday Light Show
* The Turkey Leg Holiday Hambone Tradition
* The Turn-the-Light-Off-La-Divina Fast Call
* The Do-You-Wanna-Build-A-Snowman Night Out
* The We-Love-You-Lenny Cocktail/Mocktail Hour
* The Got-A-Light Gift Exchange
And of course we’ll also be doing the Holiday Stroll and the Boston Children’s Holiday Hour, two of my favorite self-created traditions that have taken hold in the best way over the last few years.
