Tradition!

We're reaching that time of year when traditions seem to hold more meaning than at other times of the year.  Thanksgiving rituals seem to include hunting at dawn, preparing the turkey feast and gathering around the television for parades and football games.  One tends to expect turkey and dressing, green bean casserole made with soup and French-fried onions, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie.  My immediate family was small, our holidays were quieter and our traditions were somewhat fluid, unlike the large families I knew that seemed to be bountiful in people, food and ritual whenever holidays rolled around.  In some families, those traditions and rituals seem to have traveled from generation to generation.  I read that the word tradition comes from the Latin word tradere, meaning to transmit or hand over for safekeeping.  In our fast-paced lives filled with rapidly changing technological wonders, it's heartening to know that there is still value in traditions and rituals, that they continue to hold meaning and are important enough to be handed over, like a priceless treasure, to the next generation for safekeeping.