The Tradition of Traditions

The holidays. For some, they bring last-minute rushes to the mall as wish-lists are checked and crossed off. For others, they mean decorating and planning for months to top the party thrown last year. They mean hauling the family to the nearest tree farm to brave the cold and find the perfect tree to adorn with well-worn trinkets and lights.

For me, they mean tradition. Strictly speaking the above are traditions as well. But for me the holidays mean my family traditions. They are the heart of my holidays. They are what make me count down and anticipate with a giddy eagerness the days to come.

My family starts early in October, winding through the neighborhood pumpkin patch to find the perfect carving pumpkin. In November, we get up early on Thanksgiving morning to join the crowd of thousands to run the Boulevard Bolt, a five-mile loop to make the evening’s feast a little more guilt-free. In December, we dig out our best sweaters to see Amy Grant and Vince Gill’s holiday concert.

For me, traditions instill a sense of camaraderie. When I joined the North Star Destination Strategies family and saw the special holidays speckled throughout the calendar, I knew I had come to the right place. For the sake of space on this page, I will name only a few:

• In the summer we appoint a day to pile onto the boat at our nearby lake, where memories of hot childhood summers run together with memories of Boat Days past.
  
  
  
  


• As the leaves start to gain full color on the trees and the air turns crisp, we have Chili Day. Although we all arrive to work in our best Halloween costumes, this day is named after more important matters: Giant crock pots brimming with steaming homemade chili.
  
  
  
  

• Long after the leaves are gone and the winter coats are dusted off, we have our holiday party. We take turns grabbing “gag” gifts out of an anonymous stack and trading them off for the next best thing (if you’re really lucky, you might leave with something you’d want to keep!).
  
  
  
  

Tradition is not confined to individuals or families. Communities have traditions as well. All across this nation, you see towns – big and small – creating traditions that they build on year after year, month after month.

Tradition takes a community from next-door to neighbors. Traditions allow people to set aside their differences and enjoy camaraderie . . . even if just for a day. They provide comfort, familiarity and a higher quality of life, all of which make them worth any additional planning and effort. Plus, it’s always fun to tie in your community brand to make tradition truly representative of your community’s spirit, history and people.

What do you do to instill a sense of tradition in your community?

~ Erin