I guess the best way to describe my family holiday traditions would be to say they were very similar to the TV show the Waltons on Waltons mountain. Like the movie there was mom and dad and seven of us kids, 4 boys and 3 girls. Our age differences were very similar to the Waltons. And like in the movie we were poor when it come to money but rich when it come to a family that cared for and there for each other during the good & bad times.
We would all get together at Mom & Dads house during Easter, Birthdays, Holidays to celebrate the good times and support each other through the bad times. When we were younger we didn't have to have a holiday for us to come together although holidays were one of many reasons that brought us together.
But there were things like the birth of a new addition to the family was enough reason alone to get us together. And the men in our family always held our traditional deer camps that we held for around 35 + years. During the summers during those years we would set trot lines and hold fish fry's fill the freezers with fish. Really enjoyed frog gigging. Then it was traditional to hold dove hunts, duck hunts, used dogs to hunt rabbit and deer. Even though these were family events we had probably more friends attending our family traditions than actual family members. We didn't have to have necessarily a holiday or tradition in order to get together with family and friends. A lot of times during the summers all it took was setting up stakes to play horse shoes and the yard would be full of family and friends that would a lot of times lead to making home made ice cream.
I could ramble on a lot more about traditions but as far as picking anyone of these things out and saying it was the most special to me. I can't do that because they were all special to me.
But also like the last episodes of the Waltons where Grandpa Walton dies and Grand Ma Walton has a stroke, John Boy gets married and moves to New York along with the rest of the cast members each go their separate ways. Friends and family members get families of their own and move away or in some cases pass away changing traditions.
I am 63 now and don't by no means consider myself over the hill but do have problems with my back that interferes with me doing some of my personal traditions like hunting and fishing that I used to really enjoy doing. And will also interfere with doing anything that would require much walking or visiting other than at home. I didn't see this coming as I guess most of us don't when we are younger and in good health. Knowing what I know now I would highly recommend to anyone who is in good health to take advantage of it and spend as much time as you can with family and friends while you can and while they and you are both able to. Because tomorrow is not a guarantee that you or the people you care about will get to spend time together or ever see each other again. Make it a point to spend every holiday or tradition whatever and whenever that may be with your family and friends.
I wish you all a Happy New Years, Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas.