Birthday Traditions

It's my birthday today! In that vein, I'm looking for birthday traditions people celebrate. For example, my dad, for decades, always gave me flowers on my birthday. Another example, family friends whose tradition was for the birthday person to cut the first piece of cake for him or herself from whatever part of the cake and in whatever shape he or she wanted.

So what are the birthday traditions in your family? Or how about one you've heard about that you'd like to try yourself?

Autumn Traditions

Autumn has struck here with a vengeance. Lots of wind and rain--and the small power outages that tend to come with the wind and the rain. I love autumn, though. I love the wacky weather. I love the colours that the leaves turn. There are a couple of streets near me where the trees all look like flavours of jam. There's apricot and plum and golden raspberry peach. Makes me hungry for a PB&J just looking at them. Halloween decorations are appearing in people's yards, too. I put mine out Saturday--just before the weather hit. I haven't done that the past two years because I haven't been home on Halloween, and I've missed the ritual digging out of the big plastic bin and the unpacking of the decorations.

Another autumn tradition I enjoy is roasting pumpkins. I'll do that next week. It makes the whole house smell pumpkiny good! I'm a freak for autumn foods, you see. Last night it was butternut squash enchiladas. Last week it was pasta with mushroom sauce. The week before was sweet potato and chick pea stew. Mmmm! The flavours of fall!

Let's not forget the tradition of watching Kenneth Branagh's Henry V on St. Crispin's Day. (That was yesterday, in case you didn't know. This year is the 595th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt.)

And last but far from least, there's the autumn--or more specifically November--tradition of NaNoWriMo. I'm participating again this year. This is year five for me. I've "won" every year, but this time I'm not so sure I'll make it. I'm even less prepared than usual, I'm afraid. We'll see. I am a competitive person, even when I'm just competing with myself, so perhaps I'll bring in another one. ::fingers crossed::

So, what about you? What autumnal traditions do you most enjoy?

Holiday Traditions

Everyone has something that's a tradition, right? And many people have holiday-related traditions. Whether it's the family trip to find the right Christmas tree, or making Grandma's "secret recipe" latkes for Hannukah, or going from one friend's home to another delivering Solstice prezzies. Around here, a big tradition is the annual Rankin-Bass Gingerbread party. I posted about it last year, too, so even that's become a tradition. ;) This year's decorating was tamer than most. There was no gay frat house, no gingerbread brothel, no Victorian home that was crashed by a satellite or the object of a drive-by shooting. (Yes, we've made all of those in the past.) Just an Eye of Sauron, a gnome impaled on a tree, and a monkey in a tar pit, among other random things. (What's a Swiss chalet without a giraffe out back, right?) But really, that's not the point but simply the excuse to get together with friends and family. Hanging out, talking, laughing, eating, and being silly. It's been a rough year around here, both in my and my husband's life and around the area generally. Too much death and sadness, you know? So having a tradition like this, which is utterly bizarre and absurd, is a wonderful thing to have. A few hours of fun to remind us that life can be good and that people can be good, too.

So how about you? What traditions do you have that you look forward to each year? They don't have to be Decemeber ones, either, just those things your year wouldn't be complete without.