M: traditions.

Ahhh yes, the Christmas season is upon us. Or as we hear on the ads all day long, the Christmas shopping season is upon us. Well that's a whole different post in itself that I'm sure we'll be getting to at some point in the next month, so for now I'll let it slide. This post on the other hand, is about traditions. Or, more specifically, about new traditions.

There's a lot of traditions that have come about in the past few years, and I am here today to suggest that we stop those traditions. Here's one for example: the tradition of eating so much holiday food and treats that we feel sick to our stomach and by New Years Day can't stand the sight of another iced cookie. Or the tradition of thinking about decorating only to be sorely disappointed by my decorating motivation and skills. In this spirit, I propose some new traditions.

• When you're going to buy a Christmas tree, take an extremely reliable vehicle. Or better yet, walk, and bring a skateboard for the tree transport.
• Rely on the past few years of Chanukkah candles to get you through this year. No, I will not remember to light them every night, no matter how hard I try. It's silly to have four different half-full sets of candles sitting in my refrigerator. And really, isn't Channukah about the miracle of one candle lasting 8 days? These remaining sets of candles better last!
• Actually send holiday cards. Buying them is not enough.
• Don't get sucked in to the shopping frenzy. Don't get me wrong - I love giving gifts, but it's just so easy to get dragged into the craziness and buy for the sake of buying. (Yes, I had to go there. Sorry, I couldn't let it slide.)
• When people get that quizzical look from the top two points on this list (Christmas and Hannukkah?) don't try and explain that your dad is somewhat Jewish, your mom is pretty much atheist, your grandma is Catholic, and you really only have a tree and a menorah for the tradition of it all. Just smile and nod. Tell them you think it's pretty. It's a whole lot easier that way.
• Don't try to spell Channukkah. It's impossible.

Okay, well it appears that this list is really just for me. I'm not sure if any of these apply to anyone else (except for that top one, and you know who you are, and if you want help walking your tree home this year, let me know - we can rig up a sled on a skateboard and help Luna find her sled dog roots), but I'm throwing it out there just in case.

More new traditions are welcome.