When I was a kid growing up in rural Oklahoma, we would drive twenty miles to a neighboring town at Christmastime each year. We would wind through neighborhoods illuminated with yard decorations. After doing this for years, I anticipated some of the special displays that would be around the next corner.

Santa mechanically rising from a chimney.
Rudolph’s nose blinking to show the way.
Baby Jesus surrounded by adoring visitors in the nativity.

We four kids would sing Christmas carols together with Mom and Dad, repeating our favorites and humming through parts of songs we never could remember.

When my wife and I take our kids to see Christmas lights, these childhood memories come flooding back. They fill my heart with the warmth of a cozy fireplace and make the current moment richer.

A tradition is bigger than one moment. It carries the power and weight of history on its back.

When we experience a tradition mindfully, it becomes a ritual.
When we go through the motions mindlessly, it becomes a routine.

But we can do more than follow traditions. We can create them.
We can create meaningful traditions throughout our day in how we…

• … answer the telephone
• … respond to customer complaints
• … show we care for a struggling coworker
• … look our server in the eye as they ask for our order
• … actively listen to our children’s requests
• … react to a car cutting us off (covered with political bumper stickers opposing our positions)

Enjoy this time of year. Enjoy the traditions and let them remind you of what is really important.

And realize you can find meaningful reminders every single day of the year.