There Will Be Rolls

I've been thinking a lot about traditions in the past few weeks. After all, it's Christmas, and nothing says "We will do it the way we've always done it, and we will be HAPPY!" quite like this second-most sacred of holidays.

Unlike Easter, which occupies the top spot in the sacred holiday list, this is the sacred holiday we're allowed to glom up with commercialism and stress. Don't believe me? Count how many times you've said to yourself "I really have to..." during the past week, multiply by pi(e), add number of ugly sweaters, give that number the exponent of days remaining until Christmas, then feel your blood pressure rising in an unhealthy way.

My personal antidote for holiday stress has always been unbending tradition. That way I don't have to make decisions--"Of course we're opening stockings before presents. It's tradition." "No, we're not having  fajitas for Christmas dinner, we're having ham. It's tradition." "How can we not put out the dueling Santas? It's tradition."

The traditions themselves, of course, evolve from stories. And what are our memories, really, except stories we tell ourselves?

"Remember that year Grandma got us the second dueling Santa because she forgot she had given us one the year before?"

"My mom always made peppernuts--it just wouldn't be Christmas without them."

"You can have anything you want for Christmas dinner as long as you make rolls."

But the empty nest does funny things to traditions. The very best changes also bring complications as wonderful new family configurations require our children to have the wisdom of Solomon in deciding when and where they're celebrating with whom. We don't want to cut that baby in half so this year we won't see Boy#2 and Lovely Girl#2 at all; Boy#1 and Lovely Girl #1 might be able to meet us for New Year's, or maybe not.

The tradition of opening our presents on Christmas Day goes out the window when Christmas Day might be celebrated Dec. 31, so this year we'll be opening stocking on actual Christmas with whomever is in the actual house. Everything else is up in the air.

The dueling Santas are already in place, and I've thought of my mother as I rolled out peppernuts. Sometime during the calendar year end we'll declare the day of the Christmas dinner, and then there will be dinner rolls.

We will do Christmas however we do Christmas, and whatever we do, we will be HAPPY.

It's tradition.