Creating traditions

A Rasmussen Family Tradition: Getting the annual Christmas tree at Kluck's Nursery.

Pascal is eyeing the tower of hay bales with the slide behind the camera.

Thor figured out early on in our marriage that we take different approaches to creating traditions. "Traditiooooon. Tradition!" - think Fiddler on the Roof. But I digress.

I tend to want to be very intentional about creating traditions, especially for celebrations/holidays, from the very first year with the intent to continue each one year after year.

Thor says, "If you happen to do something two years in a row, it's a tradition." Very casual, that one.

The downside to my approach is that sometimes it feels forced, like I'm trying too hard, and I worry that it might not be something that is worth continuing if it doesn't turn out to be as much fun or special as I thought it would be. The upside: At least we have a tradition or two in place:)

The upside to Thor's more laissez faire (I think I'm using this word mostly correctly) is that traditions can evolve, letting each opportunity for creating one be low-pressure and a try-out, and allowing for the ones we really do enjoy as a family to remain. The downside: What if we don't create any traditions? Well, that's not likely to happen since we tend to be creatures of habit and enjoy predictability.

So after 4 years of marriage, I find myself adapting a more relaxed attitude when it comes to tradition-building. And I kind of like it better that way.

What's your approach to creating traditions?