DIGITAL EDITION

Holiday 2021

We launched this magazine two years ago. Tamale Box was on the cover of our first issue and the kicker read "new traditions." Our feature stories were about tamales and how they are tied to holidays for many families, enjoying fall treats at Green Bluff, how family farms struggle with extreme weather, the Gass brothers at YaYa Brewing, and a look at some sweet events around town.

In November of 2019, no one knew how much the world would change over the next two years, and the ones who had ideas were still relegated to proselytizing from some of the darkest alleys of the Internet. We didn’t know about COVID, “global shutdown” was a term reserved for when you forgot to pick up something from the store on a major holiday, and the only masks we had on hand were to prevent smoke inhalation during fire season.

I like to think that I’m not overly sentimental, but that would be a lie. I like to take a trip down memory lane and think about the good old days, but my family has never been one big on traditional “traditions.” The lone exception would be for something we affectionately refer to as “Pork Fest”—an early- to mid-morning extravaganza of porcine perfection in various forms and flavors. One or two family members stand at the stove, supervising sizzling skillets, cooking up bacon and sausage for a hungry crowd milling about the kitchen, chatting and snacking until they’ve had their fill. Pork Fest is how we celebrate Christmas, and Easter and birthdays that happen to fall on the weekend. And the irony is not lost that I grew up culturally Jewish and celebrate Pork Fest with the same zeal as I do Passover or Purim. It might not look like the traditions that other families have, but in the end, traditions aren’t for anyone but the people who set out to enjoy them and to be invited into someone else’s traditions is one of the greatest compliments you can receive. 

Obviously, the holidays of 2020 were not normal for most. I’m sure there are many who missed out on carving the turkey, lighting the menorah and unwrapping presents with their families and friends and all the things that make us look forward to this season each year. Missing those traditions is natural—I haven’t had a true Pork Fest in almost two years—but getting pushed out of our comfort zones is exactly the way for new traditions to be established.

Right around the time the magazine launched in 2019, I went with my nephew to a local pumpkin patch. His 18-month-old legs were so short that he kept tripping through the field, but he found a good pumpkin, got some donuts and then went home for his nap. We didn’t make it to the pumpkin patch last year which made it that much more fun when we picked him up last week to do it again. He didn't miss a beat or bemoan the fact that we didn't take him last year. He had an amazing time in the moment, going through the maze, blowing on the donuts until they were cool enough to eat, and picking out pumpkins for everyone in his family. And next year, we’ll be able to bring his new baby brother along for the fun. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new tradition or an old tradition, it’s our tradition. In a world that is constantly changing, we get the opportunity to decide what things mean the most to us and which “traditions” have worn out their welcome.

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