Traditions

This is the time of year for family traditions. Years ago my Grandma Thornhill and I started a tradition of Christmas baking I would come up and stay the night and we would bake all day and all night. One year we made 28 dozen cookies, 3 batches of fudge, 4 pecan pies, and 2 pumpkin. This was the best time of my life. Before she passed away (4 years ago this month) she made me promise that I would keep the tradition up. Since then I have continued the tradition and instead of pies I do baklavah now. This holiday season I have made 22 dozen cookies, 3 batches of fudge, 1 batch of candy cane bark, and 3 pans of baklavah. I look forward to when my kids are bigger and can help more. I miss baking with someone else and sharing the traditon. This year the kids were finally big enough to help with the Christmas decorationg and as they grow bigger I am sure they will help me with more of our traditions.
A new tradtion that I started when the kids were born was having both sides of the family over Christmas morning for a big Southern style Breakfast we are doing it again this year and will have about 20 people crammed into my tiny house. I look forward to Christmas and can't wait to spend some time with my family.
As I think about traditions I have realized how important they are and they really keep the memory of those who have passed. I miss my Grandma dearly and think about her all of the time but most of all I think of the wonderful family values she has taught me.