Autumn Traditions

Dear Moms,

Autumn is a time of change. The weather is changing to those crisp Fall days, that make us grab a coat and shout “HOORAY.” Ok, maybe only if you live in Georgia, the other “SUNHINE STATE,” with an over abundance of hot, Summer humidity. The leaves are changing and falling to the ground, making it the best backdrop for lots of Autumn pictures of the memories you are going to make when you begin these Autumn Traditions. So, let's Brainstorm and Share Ideas.

The first Autumn Tradition that always went on at the Mongan Household, involved the first day of school. I would call all the children into the Great Room, line them up in size order against the wall, or was it age order--bear with me, it’s been a long time--and take a Kodak moment. That was way before Digital Pictures. This was a yearly event dreaded by teenagers, but it brought smiles to the face of my Kindergarteners. No matter how late we were running for carpool, we always had time to pose and Make a First Day of School Portrait. My only regret, was that, if I were to do it over again, I would have bought a collage picture frame and had each year pictured in it. Now these pictures are lost in the archives of millions of old-fashioned photo albums. Talk about hunting down a dinosaur! Why, it would be like looking for a needle in the haystack!


What Tradition did we have when the first day of school ended? You may have heard my children shout, “I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM,” as they walked out the school door. Yes, they were excited, because it was the family tradition to go out for ice cream after the first day of school. We would go to Baskin Robbins or Dairy Queen for our favorite Cool Treat. The excited children would then talk, yes, all at the same time, sharing about their first day of school. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It wasn’t only the ice cream that said, “I LOVE YOU;” it was taking the time to listen and be family together. It was something they could count on happening year after year. It was T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N.
October would bring a controversial Holiday called to the World, Halloween. In the Christian circles that we fellowshipped with, we all opted to celebrate All Saints Day instead. It was a beautiful way to honor our Lord Jesus, and those Saints, who have gone before us who served Him with their whole heart, their whole soul, their whole mind and their whole strength. Some Saints had even chose martyrdom, rather than give up the faith in our savior Jesus Christ. Many feel that Halloween is a pagan holiday, but by having the children dress up as their favorite Saint, it was a way of celebrating this Holiday in a better light. If I had to do it over again I probably would have let my children Trick or Treat, with proper guidance and through knowledge of what we believe. At our All Saints Day Celebration, there were, games, food and even a costume contest, and of course, lots of candy. They were with all their friends, but my children felt that they had missed out on the fun of Trick or Treating. Don’t ask me why? But, if you think about it, St. Francis begged for food, so I guess if you think about it that way. Like I said, it is kind of a mixed bag, if you know what I mean. It is a problem for some Christians and not for others. Remember, we are in the world but not of it? Wasn’t it St. Paul who said, “ BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE?’ Do my grandchildren go Trick or Treating? Of course they do, and I can’t wait to see my oldest grandchild, Corbin, age 8, in his Indiana Jones costume. Now if you knock on my door this Halloween Night, I will have lots of candy to give you., and probably a GOD BLESS YOU book mark as well . “ In everything you do , do all as unto the Lord.” That’s what the bible says, and I try to live that and try not to judge others. The Bible goes on to say, “Judge lest you be judged.”
The Last Autumn Tradition involves Thanksgiving. I must say Thanksgiving ranks among one of my favorite Holidays. Why, you may ask? For me, Thanksgiving involves no cooking because my mom cooks the entire Thanksgiving Dinner, even at eighty-two years old. It involves no gift buying, wrapping, giving, except for that of giving Our God a grateful heart. The entire family gets together to just be together and enjoy each other. Our Family Traditions are many on this holy, happy day. We gather at my mom's, and we usually take our family portrait for our annual Christmas Card. Then, we eat appetizers. Before dinner is ready, all the women, and those men brave enough to get a little dirty, make gnocchi’s together. Gnocchi is an Italian pasta. Yes, we have homemade pasta , as well as, Turkey. It‘s Tradition. Of course, we take lots of pictures. Then, we pray as a family and eat, talk, eat some more and talk some more. Lastly, our new tradition is, we play Flag Football, a family favorite, especially for the son-in laws. Lastly, someone usually brings a Thanksgiving craft for the little ones to do. So how do we honor the Lord on this great holiday besides cultivating a thankful heart? It is simple; we live out the second half of the Great Commandment: we love our neighbor as we love our self.

Whether it be the first day of school, or dressing up for Halloween, or a Thanksgiving celebration, Autumn is a season full of Traditions and definitely a time to make memories. What traditions make your Autumns come alive? Please share.

E- Mail ELLEN