Blog Party#41: Traditions

December is already underway, and the holiday season has started, ready or not.

I was thinking about Christmases spent with my relatives, growing up. Packing our rather large extended family into my grandparent's house, the food my Grammy would make---year in, year out---, how loud it would get, with everyone laughing and talking, trying to be heard. How, as we all grew older, and the number of grand kids grew, too, the celebrations would spill into more and more rooms: the majority of the aunts & uncles would be in the living room, grand kids in the 'play room', uncle Danny in 'great-grammy's room' watching television, and always a small, rotating group in the kitchen, picking over the ham and/or turkey and sides Grammy'd prepared.

I loved this time of year. My family was incredible...so much fun to be around. We'd eat & talk, talk & eat. Gift-opening took ages: grandparents, six aunts & uncles plus spouses, and close to 20 grand kids. Hot, noisy, and wonderfully perfect.

Of course, as years went by, families grew up, split up, and moved on. Fewer came home for the holidays, and those who did were too busy to stick around long.

After Grampa died, it simply wasn't the same.

I, of course, started my own family. Inherited one, too. New schedules, different ways of celebrating. It was then I realized just how much I missed, wanted, the traditions I'd grown up with.

Whatever you celebrate during the next 30 or so days, odds are you incorporate some sort of family tradition in your plans.

For this month's Blog Party, we're going to celebrate those traditions, together.

December's party is all about those little food rituals, must-haves, you use to celebrate whatever it is you celebrate. Christmas, Hanukkah, Festivus...if you celebrate it between now & early January, share it with us!

So here's the plan: in bite-sized form (or can be cut into such), make one of your family or friend foodie traditions. Serve up a glass of your favorite traditional drink...doesn't have to contain alcohol.

Let's use this as an opportunity to remember & celebrate the foods & traditions we grew up with, the ones that made us feel happy, safe and loved.

Want to get traditional with us? Then RSVP no later than Thursday, 18 December. As always, thehappysorceress at gmail dot com

That Saturday, 20 December, we'll all raise a glass in remembrance, and together toast the holidays.

New to Blog Party? Or has it been awhile? Click here to read more. Still have questions? That email address above works for that, too.

Hope to see you there!





Tagged with: Food and Drink + Blog Party + Events + Appetizers + Cocktails + Canapes + Parties + Finger Food + Mocktails + Holidays + Traditions + Blogging