New Year, New Family Traditions- By Holly A. Keadle

Oh, the old adage, New Year, New Resolutions, upon us once again. Do you find yourself creating new resolutions, goals, or bucket lists that never seem to come to fruition or “kick the bucket” after a few short weeks? Well, I definitely do! I have decided instead of creating a new resolution this year that I will look for a way to create a family tradition. A tradition, according to Mirriam Webster Dictionary, is the tradition of handing down information, beliefs, or customs from one generation to another. To me, the idea of a tradition family can carry on means fond memories. Memories that can last longer than lifetimes. Memories to carry with you when a loved one has left for Heaven. I remember the first year we were married and not having ornaments for the Christmas tree. I decided to start a tradition and buy an ornament with my boys each Christmas. Now that they are getting older and moving out, they take their ornaments with them and the memories they carry. My son Avery recently had to leave us to go to Heaven. We now have an ‘Avery’ Christmas tree with all of his ornaments on them. Each of the family members picked one of his ornaments that meant something to them or contained a special memory. This simple tradition became a time of healing for our family. Now, what traditions can be envisioned this year? That will be the challenge I choose this year, not another resolution that I will not follow through with. What traditions do your family have, or what traditions do you wish your family had? It's not too late to start. Start a new tradition of making memories this year!