tradition–worth it? or not?

By Hayley Morgan •  Updated: 06/06/12 •  2 min read

The pomp and circumstance, the year-in and year-out, the just-so’s and the not-yet’s.

Tradition. Is it going by the wayside?

An article ran on Huffington Post/The Styleist the other day about 9 houseware products that are going “extinct”. I nodded my head in agreement to most of the items, and then was shocked to read the comments. At the time I read, nearly every commenter called out the lack of class and tradition of the writer. I had agreed with her! Was my non-fussy self really classless and lacking in tradition?

All images via The Telegraph

I am reading a book that is peppered with real-life journal entries from as recently as the 1970s. The cadence and verbiage is stunning–and these were just private thoughts, not carefully worded prose. Have we lost the fine art of crafting our thoughts well in order to craft our thoughts quickly?

Today, while dreaming my favorite dream (having a multigenerational family lake house) I read about a family who had been on the same lake for 6 generations. Six generations! A lot of time, it is difficult to get people to commit to something 6 months out.

What are we sacrificing for ease and rapidity and busy? I want to have little fuss in my life, but I do not want the important things to be lost. There is something to be sad for making the small things in life special, and the big things in life memorable.

This year is the Queen of England’s Diamond Jubilee. Last year, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate!) got married in the most amazing wedding in decades. The English Monarch clearly knows how to do tradition–and their countrypeople clearly appreciate the pageantry.

What is the most important tradition in your family today? What tradition do you remember most from growing up? What responsibility/desire do you feel to create and perpetuate tradition in your life and relationships?