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Traditions


Creating Lifelong Memories: The Joy of Hosting a Neighborhood Holiday Get-Together

A new to me tradition is our Community Holiday Party (Outdoor Get-Together and Potluck). We started this last year, and now that we are having another one, I guess it is now a tradition!


When I think back over the years, things that I had thought were steadfast traditions have come and gone. They have either outstayed their welcome or 'things' (situations and people) have changed. What once perhaps brought me joy, no longer holds the same value for me. Or, the change could be if someone in my life is now gone, either due to a difference in our relationship, time commitment pressures on either side, a relocation to a different area, or in some cases, the death of a family member or friend.

A light skinned woman wearing a black top and blue jeans plus a festive Christmas apron, stooping down next to a light skinned man sitting in a chair, wearing a grey top and blue jeans and a Santa hat.

Traditions can Change

And really, not all traditions are ones that I would want to keep. Having to prepare a turkey every year is a tradition in my family, but not one that fit with my personal preference over the years, so I have changed this tradition as of late.


While my family still has turkey served for their Christmas Day dinner, it is no longer prepared by me. Unless you call heating-up-turkey-cleaned-cooked-and-sliced-by-someone-else-then-placed-on-a-platter-and-thrown-in-the-microwave a Christmas Day dinner prep.


Passing the Joy through Generations

I am very happy to now add our neighborhood holiday get-together on my list of traditions. It's fun to get together with neighbors who I have known for almost forty years, or have just recently met or all of the ones in between. Hosting a gathering of folks just out for an afternoon of fun, good food, beverages of all kinds, music, raffles, arts & crafts, games and entertainment options, is a wonderful feeling. Seeing the smiles on faces of friends and neighbors, all the way from newborns to age 95, is a real treat.


Hearing from families that they appreciate the lifelong memories I am helping to create for their children is a reward beyond words. It makes all of the planning, logistics of set-up and take down, overseeing the activities and making sure that everyone is comfortable and has enough to eat is what brings me joy and helps me create my own memories of the event.


It's a tradition that I hope to keep for a long, long time.



 
Debra Elaine is a California-based Voice Actor and Medical Narrator delivering professional voice over from her home studio via ipDTL & Source Connect. Learn more >>

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