Dear Golden Calves,
Christmas is full of traditions.
Some are deeply rooted, passed down through generations, like the sturdy branches of an old family tree.
Others are like golden calves – shiny, revered, but perhaps not as essential as we’ve made them out to be.
Traditions can ground us.
They can remind us who we are, where we come from, and what we cherish.
They offer comfort, a familiar rhythm in the chaos of life.
But there’s another side to traditions, one that we often overlook:
Traditions can trap us.
They can box us in, create pressure, and fill our hearts with anxiety when we feel compelled to perform them, even if they no longer serve us.
Think about the story of the girl who asked her mother, “Why do we always cut the ends off the roast before we cook it?”
Her mother didn’t know, so she asked her own mother.
And when that mother didn’t know either, they asked the grandmother, and then the great-grandmother, who finally revealed the secret:
The tradition of cutting the ends off the roast started because her roasting pan wasn’t big enough to fit the whole roast.
But somewhere along the way, that practical solution was forgotten, and the tradition was passed down without ever questioning why they were doing it.
And that’s the thing about traditions.
We get so caught up in doing them that we forget to ask the most important question:
Why?
Why do we gather at certain times?
Why do we decorate in specific ways?
Why do we give certain gifts, or eat particular foods, or follow the same rituals year after year?
If we don’t know why we’re doing something, then maybe it’s time to pause and evaluate.
Maybe it’s time to ask ourselves:
Does this tradition ground me, lift me up, and connect me to what really matters?
Or does it weigh me down, cause unnecessary stress, and keep me from fully experiencing the joy of the season?
So, let’s start a new tradition this year –
a tradition of questioning our traditions.
Not to throw them away, but to let them evolve.
To shed the rituals that no longer serve us and embrace the ones that truly enrich our lives.
Let’s ask:
Which traditions ground us in love and connection?
Which ones fill us with joy and gratitude?
And which ones do we do just because “we’ve always done it this way”?
If we don’t know why we’re doing it –
maybe it’s time to let go.
Because at the heart of it all, Christmas is about one thing:
Love.
Everything else is just window dressing.
So this year, let’s celebrate the traditions that truly lift us,
and let’s have the courage to leave behind the ones that no longer serve us.
Because, in the end, it’s not about what we do –
it’s about why we do it.
And the reason should always come from a place of love.
~ The Radical Left