My husband and I have a tradition on Canada Day. (July 1 for anyone who isn’t familiar with it.) We get together with some good friends and their kids, one of whom is our goddaughter. We have known both of the kids since they were born and love them dearly. We do something different every year for Canada Day. A few years ago, our goddaughter had a school assignment about traditions. She had to pick one, and include things like “what do you wear, what do you do, what kinds of things do you eat?”. I don’t know what she said exactly, but that was the moment when we all realized that we have been getting together on Canada Day since before she was born.
So, last week, as we were on our way to this year’s Canada Day adventure, I was trying to figure out when we started and all the things we had done. We started when her older brother was just a baby. (He is in high school now, which is absolutely shocking.) We have been to a honey farm, parks, a bird farm, biking, played tennis and mini golf, gone to a conservation area to see the birds, historical sites, each other’s houses, we have celebrated virtually, and one year we went to a small town to support the local economy because they had just been through a terrible flood. We have had picnics, ordered lunch at drive-in restaurants, eaten at each other’s houses, and joined in a small town Canada Day barbecue. Phew!
Traditions can be wonderful. And this one is. We enjoy each other’s company, get to do something fun and maybe even learn something, and have yummy food! (Is it bad that I was looking forward to Canada Day weekend food for several days??) Some traditions like Christmas or Canada Day involve holidays, and some traditions like Sunday dinner are specific to our families. Regardless of where they come from, we all have our own traditions. I don’t know about you, but some of our traditions are silly. Does anyone remember saying “Punch buggy no returns!” to their siblings when they would see a Volkswagen Bug? (There was usually a punch along with it, which wasn’t so fun if you were on the receiving end.) Or maybe there is a song that is played at every football game? Or as a kid getting a lollipop after seeing the doctor?
One of my favourite childhood memories is grocery shopping with my mom. Not the actual shopping. I don’t remember it, and it probably wasn’t super fun. It was what came after shopping. And made it all worthwhile. We would go to the bakery at the end of the plaza and get a treat. I got a cherry danish every time. I still love them. And then we would wait for our taxi with our cart full of groceries. It was fun. And it was yummy. And all these many, many years later I still remember it.
It occurred to us this year when we realized how long we’ve been doing it for that we don’t know how many more Canada Days we will have with the kids. How long will it be until they have plans with friends, or are busy with other things? For now, they still love to see us and give us big hugs that we cherish every time. It makes me sad to think of that, so I focus on the time we have with them now, the laughter, the hugs, the giggling. And all the Canada Days we had before this one. I made a chickadee house with them one year. I still have it. No chickadees have ever moved in, but I still love it. I remember one year when our goddaughter was just a baby, I was lying on the grass in the park holding her up in the air and making her giggle.
So, let’s spend time making memories. The kind of memories that we can not only look back on fondly, but cherish. The kind of memories that we can hold close to our hearts when life changes.
Those are the kinds of traditions that I love.
What kinds of traditions do you have?