Traditions

We’ve reached the time of year again when the hunters of Pennsylvania head off to camp.  My family has some traditions that go along with this that have been going on since I was a little girl.  Some that we have changed in the last decade or so. 

The week before Thanksgiving my Dad would head off to bear camp.  So this weekend my Mom, my sister and I would usually clean the house and do some baking to get ready for Thanksgiving and have a nice supper out just the three of us girls.

Dad always came home sometime on Wednesday while we we’re at school.  He would be home for Thanksgiving and then it was off to deer camp in the early morning hours of what is now known as Black Friday.  This was a special day when I was little.  Back then it wasn’t Black Friday yet.  There weren’t giant shopping centers everywhere you turn like there are now.  So on this day we would get together with my Grandma and all four of us girls would go to what at the time was a big mall to go shopping for the day.

This tradition continued for many years.  Eventually it got to be too much for Grandma, my younger sister moved away and I had children of my own.  This was when I discovered that boys do not like to shop at any age.  I think it’s in their DNA.  So we started a few new traditions.

My boys love to get to have one on one time with Grandma Green.  So when my Dad goes to bear camp one of my boys gets to spend the night at Grandma’s by himself.  Then the following weekend the other one gets his turn.  And Black Friday has become Cookie Day.  We don’t go anywhere near town, unless it’s to the grocery store.  Jeff always has to work that day so my Mom comes over and we bake our Christmas cookies.  The boys love it!  Especially because this is the only time of year that we make cut out cookies and decorate them. 

I know there will come a day when they will want to go to camp with Grandpa.  I’m just enjoying the special time we have now and hoping it lasts as long as possible.