Tradition - Good or Bad?

As we approach the holiday season, I am remembering all of the timeless traditions that we as individuals, as Families, as Americans, and even as a Human Race participate in and pour ourselves into and it causes me to reflect on the reasoning behind some of those traditions.

Upon each tradition that we pour our time, effort and money into this year, we should ask ourselves these questions:

Why was this tradition set? Where did it come from? What purpose is it serving? Can this tradition be positively changed in any way for our generation? Should it be changed? When should we change it?

When we reflect, we should remember the circumstances and reasoning behind a tradition, or the foundation on which it was applied. We should not get so wrapped up in the tradition itself that it looses its meaning in the first place. We should remember the past, but don't let that heritage get lost in the busyness of the tradition itself.

I am reminded of a kitchen story (I have a lot of those...:)), that goes something like this:

A newly married wife decided that she would make a Thanksgiving meal this particular year for her family. She planned carefully, making sure not to forget any of the ingredients needed for the traditional meal, including the turkey. She asked her mother to help prepare the food, and all was well. The young bride was ready to prepare the turkey and as she did, she cut off the legs of the turkey and placed them inside the roasting pan. She had always seen her mother do this, but it had just occured to her that she didn't know why. "Mother, why do you cut the legs off of the turkey and lay them in the pan before you cook it?" The mother thought about it and replied, "I don't know! I had always seen your grandmother do it, and so that is how I did it as well! When she gets here, we will ask her."

When Grandmother arrived, they asked her the forboading question of why she cut the legs off the turkey and laid them in the pan before she cooked it. Grandmother smiled and replied, "Honey, I don't know why you do it, but I did it because it wouldn't fit in my oven any other way."

Sometimes traditions are set and we don't even know why. Sometimes they are unneccessary to our times and end up costing us our time, effort and moneys. Other times, traditions are comforting, they are familiar and they identify us to who we are and what we can become when we remember why they were set, by whom they were set, and the circumstances which birthed them. An example of this is Christmas. The tradition set long ago to celebrate every December 25th as Christ's birth can be comforting to us, they are familiar, and they identify who we are in Christ and what He can allow us to become. Don't get so lost in the gift giving, the shopping, and the feasting to loose sight of the meaning and significance of why the tradition was set; for us to reflect on our Savior. and for us to enjoy each other.

Janice