Simple thoughts about our traditions

Today is Christmas Eve, and in mid west Ohio we have something new this holiday season...there's more than a dusting of snow on the ground! This is the first time in my memory that there has been enough snow to consider it a white Christmas in my lifetime. I have lived here outside of South Charleston on my dead end street for 20 years and I've never seen this much snow before Christmas. Which is why we went ahead and treated ourselves at Standing Oaks Enterprises to a new Christmas present, we got a new snow plow.

Now what does this have to do with diversity? not much, I wanted to test my ability to upload photos to my blog. I'll go ahead and give myself a ten on this one. But diversity has a lot to do with my life, actually with everyone's life. One of the great things of living in America.  I have received much more diversity while at college than I probably will ever receive, especially here on my dead end on both ends road in good ol' "South Chuck" as we call it. 

My friends from Northern Ohio (Canton, Salem, Ashtabula, Akron, Fayette) all receive much more snow than I do "down south" as they sometimes say. Theres's some diversity for ya. Tradition is important too, think of all the important traditions you had as a kid, what you've brought with you as you grow up and what you'll pass on to the next generation. We have a Christmas tradition here at home, it's different than most though. 

Two traditions are important on Christmas in my house, first is serving my parents breakfast in bed. Christmas is my mothers birthday and we try to do a couple cute things for her every now and then. My sisters started making breakfast in bed for them about ten years ago and they still do it every year. The other tradition is we open stockings without my dad. Dad is always MIA for stocking opening and the beginning of eating candy on Christmas because he has an important commitment to America. Dad gets up on Christmas, eats breakfast with my mom in bed and then goes straight to work because SOMEONE HAS TO FEED PIGS! 

As producers we have to put our responsibility to the farm first. Many times I have wished that dad could just stay home and open gifts with us then go to work when I'm busy playing with new toys. But the older I get the more I realize it is important to put the animals first. Now that I am a "grown up" I appreciate the traditions we have as a family and I do what I can to help keep them going. 

Be sure to think about the traditions you have in your family and if you live on a farm, be thankful for your traditions and how you have built character in yourself through your commitment and tradition. 

Now its time to go get some cookies, egg nog and watch a Christmas movie I suppose. Hopefully I'll get lucky and get some leftover breakfast tomorrow morning :) 

Merry Christmas, from an Ohio farm kid.