Traditions and time

It's Christmas Day and I'm full of turkey and sherry and sitting in the quiet of the kitchen after the maelstrom of presents, people and food. Our two children (28 and 20) both were here from last night and they still got a 'Santa's Sack' of small presents -- a family tradition that has yet to fade out -- though these days we sneak in the sack when we wake up and they are still out cold rather than trying to stay up later than them.

Traditions are interesting patterns in the way that we behave that often have limited rational reason, yet we keep them up as it gives us the comfort of familiar repetition. They are also ways of holding back the apparent passage of time, and perhaps by keeping up the Santa Sack we are trying to hang onto our children as children in some ways. Yet we also love them dearly and know we have to let live in their own time and find their own way.

Growing up and growing old are each new journeys, one out of the safety of childhood into the self-dependent responsibility of adulthood and the other out of endless work and towards an uncertain oblivion. Each has its challenges, though I'm finding growing older easy than growing up. I found difficulty thinking of myself as a man for many years, even though I was married with a mortgage at 23 and have worked hard to provide for my family. Perhaps sliding into old age might be easier, but I've not yet got to the stage of permanent ache and being surprised to wake up each day and find myself still here.

2010 is nearly on us. We're going to my sister's for the New Year's traditional transition -- this year into yet another new decade. Gosh how the time has flown.

If it is something you celebrate, do have a good seasonal break, with all its traditional festivities. And whether or not Christmas or New Year is significant for you,. do make the most of the time you have.

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