Friday, November 24, 2006

Turkeytime Traditions

Although my brother and I are coming home from further distances every year, it is funny to think about how somethings never change. It is as though everytime we get together, no matter how long we have been apart, my parents, brother, and I break into a routine. We have our usual places we sit in the car, the usual order we stand in family pictures, the even usual foods that we cook for Thanksgiving. My dad does his pecan pie, my mom handles the multitude of side dishes including her Vietnamese salad, I am on stuffing and cranberry sauce duty, my brother always has to have his green bean casserole, and the turkey is a collaborative effort.

And perhaps one of the most memorable Thanksgiving traditions in our family is one that stirs up the most trouble: taking the annual Christmas card picture. You wouldn't think a picture would take so much work, but it does. We have to decide what we are going to wear: to coordinate or not coordinate? And then we have to decide where to take the picture. And then once we start taking pictures, the chaos ensues. "Andrew, stop making silly faces." "Kristina, stand up straight." "Mom, you're smiling funny." "Dad, NO MORE PICTURES!" After taking about 20+ pictures, the debate begins about which picture to pick. No easy task when it seems like in every picture, someone is concerned that they look funny.

Everytime we get together, my brother calls me a conservative (I'll add this onto the list of traditions). And while I am far from it politically, one could say that's how I am perosnality wise since I love routine, order, and traditions. Even the ones that cause us temporary strife, like taking family Christmas picture. Because even better than the comfort food of Thanksgiving, is the comfort zone I get from being around my quirky family.

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