The Twelfth Day of Tradition

As I made my list of traditions to talk about on the blog, I decided to save "Church" for the twelfth day. It seemed perfect to write about that topic after coming home from Christmas Eve service, our first at Joy. I had looked forward to this particular service all month. The kids would wear their Christmas outfits for the first time and my parents were coming with us. Then, I could talk about it here. Oh, what a beautiful service I thought it would be.

Then the snow came. We got our first blizzard warning ever. As the snow fell faster and the wind blew at unheard of speeds, we started to question whether or not we should go to church. Yes, it was something our family had been looking forward to but would it be safe. We certainly would never endanger our children - just how bad was it? Finally, we conceded that driving would not be in our best interest, and we would have to miss church. Five minutes after making that decision, my phone rang. It was our dear friend, telling us that church had been canceled. Ironic that I saved this tradition for tonight, isn't it?

Looking back over the twelve traditions that I have described over the past week and a half, I have seen how they have changed over time. Some have been done for years (such as the ornaments, which we have done since Sister was born) others are new (such as the Christmas Performances). Some have stayed consistent year after year (such as getting a new Christmas outfit), others have undergone changes (such as church being canceled). Nevertheless, these traditions are important parts of our lives and will continue to be so over the years.