The neighborhood in which I grew up was one of those communities that really came together during the holidays.  Almost every single street had its own representative Christmas figure which was placed in front of each of the houses on that street.  One street used candy canes, another had snowmen, and so on.

Whenever a new family moved onto my street, they would purchase an angel and stake it on the front lawn next to their mailbox during the holidays.  When people drove down our street, they would see, on either side of the street, a line of identical gold-haloed angels, constant and unbroken – until they reached our house.  Yes, we were the only family on the entire street that refused to buy an angel.

I guess we were more interested in preserving our heathen “oriental” ways than integrating into this exotic western culture.  Thinking back, it was sort of an F.U. to the entire establishment.  I mean, how easy would it have been to just buy the damn angel for 20 bucks and have it poked into the dirt for one month out of the year?

With this story in mind, it may surprise readers to learn that I was quite insistent on having a Christmas tree in our house each year when I was a kid.  I even remember decorating the tree by myself for many years.  Since I left home, I haven’t been as meticulous about following that particular tradition, but this year I again experienced the joy of tree decorating.  The best part was, I didn’t have to do it alone.

Happy holidays!  I hope you are sharing some time with people you cherish.

And remember, only sell out your own traditions as much as is necessary to avoid being set upon by an angry mob of pitchfork-wielding villagers.