Traditions

The date os this blog is 12/7/09 but I didn't really start it until 12/14/09 so. . . Yesterday Leland I had the opportunity to meet with Pres. Freckleton (sp?) as we enter the final weeks until the wedding. He was talking about traditions and it got me to thinking, "what are some of my family's traditions?" Many of my family traditions all have to deal with food. I guess that's why I am such a foodie and lover of all foods. Birthday traditions involve Mom slaving over a stove/oven cooking our favorite dishes. Mine usually changed all the time depending on the year and what new foods I was introduced to during the previous year. Eddie usually went with white chicken enchiladas, Dad was meatloaf, but Mom never really said what she wanted so I made whatever I could or we took her out to eat. That was birthdays in my home growing up. Christmas was always fun, especially when I started cooking. We would always do chili and tamales (yum!) with a really good dip and crackers, triscuits, wheat thins, oysters (for everyone but me, gross!) and egg snot, I mean egg nog. And that was just Christmas Eve. Since my mom usually worked on Christmas Eve she was never home to enjoy the meal with us. It wasn't until around the time I was in college that she started working more normal hours. When Mom got home Christmas morning she would make chorizo and egg tacos and we would begin the gift opening. Good times! In high school we started doing the neighborhood luminaria lightings on Christmas and Christmas Eve and that still goes on today. Ever since then that has been family's Christmas Tradition. Now, it is time to start new traditions with my new family. I don't know what the tradition will be, maybe a comination of my family's and his family's traditions. We shall see.
Another one of my favorite family traditions is the parade clean-up after the Sun Bowl Parade in El Paso every Thanksgiving. I started doing the clean-up in 2000, my first semester at UTEP. It was just me at first then I got my family involved the following year after they moved to EP. This year I got Leland involved. he thinks it's a strange tradition, but I love it! What a great way to show gratitude for everything that has been given to you! Now, I do regret that I have missed a couple of years of clean-up. Even though I am not there, my family still participates and I am grateful that I was able to start that for my family. Every time I go to EP for Thanksgiving I will still clean-up as long as I am able.
There really aren't any other set-in-stone traditions from my side of the family. I am excited to be able to start new traditions. Indeed, I look forward to it.