What's happened to family Holiday tradition? Have we become so self absorbed that we forget what going to Grandmom's; Mom's; Mom in Law's; etc. was all about?

This was my first Holiday in Texas.  I had huge plans for a wonderful Easter supper (ham, potatoes, asparagus, homemade rolls..you know, tradition), children altogether, and the joy of this Season. Unfortunately, my plans did not go the way I envisioned.  Oh, I had the children here and we celebrated the Day, but everything else fell by the wayside.  I'm still without a house so no traditional meal.

Remember when we were kids and we would dress in our Easter finest to go to Sunrise Service, then come home for a huge breakfast? It was the traditional thing to do, right? I grew up in the 60's so matching hats, gloves, shoes and purse were still the rage.

Rising on Sunday morning, I dressed in my Easter finest; awakened the rest of the family and made certain they too, were smartly dressed to go to Church.  Stepping inside the Church for Mass, I was shocked to see how dressed (or undressed) the congregation was. As my MeMaw always used to say, "God doesn't care where you go to Church, as long as you show up."  I guess that can apply to the dress code too.

Driving through Dallas, I looked out the car window and saw the most unusual site.  Children's soccer leagues play-off games.....  ON EASTER SUNDAY!!!  I deduced that the calendar wasn't out when they scheduled the games and kept my comment to myself.

This year I couldn't help but find a restaurant to dine; I haven't the space to cook.  We walked into the vestibule and I noticed that we were not the only ones who could not cook this Holiday.  What made me sad was that, according to the women I spoke with, cooking isn't their thing on a Holiday...too much of a hassle, they said.

I remember after my Mom passed, my sister, Debby and I took over the role of  Holiday Hostess and had the family to her house for Easter Supper.  There we were year after year,  standing in the kitchen, tired from the endless preparation, cooking,  and of course the tremendous help we got from our children and relatives cleaning up.  Every year, we would  proclaim, "Next year, we're going out to dinner."  Now I can honestly say, "been there, done that, won't do it again!"

Deep down and truth be told, I enjoy the preparation, the all day cooking, and the family gathering around my dining room table. The cleaning up part really is the pits. At the end of the day, it's being with family and celebrating the reason for the Holiday that makes it so special.

Next year, I'm back to the traditional Holiday celebration.  Rest assured,  I will complain every step of the way and love every minute of it at the same time.

How was your Holiday?