Preserving Our Families Traditions

We have just begun a new year and during the past few months many of us celebrated the holidays with our families and friends. Thou you might not have notice, but during those holiday festivities, subconsciously or not, certain things happened that we had none repeatedly from years past.

 



Rockefeller Center

It could be the way you decorated your home with ghosts and goblins, that special recipe that Mom or Gram liked or cooked every Thanksgiving, going to the “Tree” at Rockefeller Center or the telling of stories around the dinner table, the games played after “the meal” or photos viewed from days gone while on the porch. These are the family traditions that we all have and are sometimes lost as time slips by.

I mention this while in the mist of packing for a move. With so many things to box, both large and small, I’ve asked all members of our family if they would like some things before we sell or donate them. My one nephew quick said “Yes, I would like the old buffet cabinet”.  I was surprised, the buffet cabinet was my parents, solid wood, 30’ish design but it was well used, wobbly and it didn’t really “fit” with his house, but was more than happy to say “OK”.  As I did, I asked him “Why the interest in that piece of furniture?” His response was clear as yesterday, it was related to an old tradition that my father did every Christmas at our old home in Irvington when we both were much younger.

As part of the holiday decorating, Pop would get corrugated paper with a red brick like printing on it. He would then use this to wrap around the upper part of the buffet and also wrap it around the two side storage areas of the cabinet. The center area was left open.  Mom would use the top of the buffet for other Christmas decorations, sometime a little village, other times just candles, fruit, pine cones and other trimmings. With the buffet transformed, it now looked like an open health fireplace with mantle, the perfect spot for Santa’s present on Christmas morning!  Donald had remembered that from his youth and he wanted the buffet cabinet to be able to not only remind him of that tradition, but to duplicate it for his family’s children.  Even if the cabinet never gets transformed again, I know that piece of furniture and the story about it will live on. That’s a nice feeling.

So, on at the next birthday, anniversary, family picnic, wedding or whatever occasion you and your family gathers, sit back, observe, think and remember the times, ways, activities and wonder of the traditions your branch continues to past down to the next generation.  If you would like to share any of them with our, please do. The Bolles Family Association newsletter is a great way to let others enjoy your traditions too.

 

To be continued.......