Traditions

My Dad always likes to say that traditions can be bad. He often points to slavery as an example of a bad tradition. Because of this my whole family has kind of adopted the view that traditions aren't really all that great of a thing. So there are very few things that my family does ritually. The things that my family does are usually more spontaneous than anything and don't tend to continue to be done for very long periods of time.Somehow despite everything my family does to push back against traditions we still have one that we do every year without fail.

It is Christmas Eve day and the whole McConkie family has gathered together to my parents house for a celebration. From about ten o'clock in the morning to six o'clock at night the kitchen at the house will be full of activity. My Mom, my Dad, and my sisters busily work on making nutballs, toffee, fudge, and Norwegian cookies. When a batch of these sweets is finished they are placed on plates and wrapped in plastic. My brother and I then hurry out into the streets with the plates of sweets and deliver them to our neighbors.

Once all of the candy is finished and delivered my parents start work on the real reason everyone has come to the house. Lasagna noodles start to be boiled, sausage is cooked, and the french bread is buttered. All of this is in preparation for the Christmas Eve dinner that night. As the lasagna cooks the rarely used dining room table is set with my Dad's Finnish glass dishes. These dishes come out only once a year and are immediately put away after being washed. Everyone in my house can tell that we are going to have a good dinner tonight.

When the lasagna is finished it is placed on the table with many of the other foods that have been bought and purchased for this special night. My brother and I eat tons of lasagna and down lots of Cherry Seven Up. My Dad shares stories while we eat and these stories have us laughing and crying as we hear them. It is pretty easy to see why my family has waited all day long for this dinner. As we finish the meal my brother and I help clean the table and take the dishes to be washed in the kitchen sink.This is the only time of the year that my brother and I don't care too much about performing this chore.

Once the dishes have been cleaned and my Dad has carefully placed them back in the buffet it is time to go and brave the world. My Mom puts on her large winter coat and the rest of us put on our winter jackets and prepare to head out into the cold December night. We walk down the street from our house towards the courthouse. The whole way we toss snowballs at each other and slide on the ice. At the courthouse we look at the lights and make obnoxious comments about the silly Christmas displays that have been setup. This is just the first part of our trip this night. Once we have had enough entertainment at the courthouse we make the walk to the Tabernacle for our last stop of the evening.

At the Tabernacle my family finds the same old Nativity scene that sits on the lawn of the Tabernacle every year. My brother and I fight to see who can push the button in front of the Nativity. Once I finally am able to push the button a Narration echoes from the loudspeakers and begins to tell the story of the birth of Christ. Lights flash first on Mary, Joseph, and the Babe, then onto the shepherds, and finally upon the Wisemen. As we watch the scene it is hard to forget the true meaning for Christmas and why my family has gathered together this night. Once we have listened to the narration several times my family leaves and heads back to the house to go to bed.

It has always been funny to me that my family has kept this tradition because no other traditions have ever really lasted. But every year on Christmas Eve without fail we find time to get together as a family, to share a meal, and to then go see the Christmas lights. This is a tradition that I don't mind because it helps to bring my family together and to help us reflect on why we have Christmas. We have it for our families and to help remind us of our Savior, Who makes it possible for us to have families. I will always be thankful for Christ and His birth because without it I wouldn't have my family.