Family Cruditions: traditions turned into fun

How many Cruditions do you have in your family? We have some. I wanted to share some of my favorites and encourage you to develop some Cruditions in your families as well.

What is a crudition? You ask… How could you? A family tradition just got hilariously funny because it didn’t start out as a tradition. Many of our Cruditions are words and phrases that melt my heart, as I hear my babies say every year (or in some cases, almost every meal).

My baby is 21 years old. Brenna is in her fourth year of college this year and about to become a grandmother, but this Crudition will go on forever as it started with her. For her third Christmas, we were busy cooking the traditional family dinner and she stood in the high chair watching as she cut the onion and celery for the dressing, “Mom, is that a crudition?” I don’t remember my answer, but from that moment our Traditional Christmas Meal became a Crudition.

Then a few months later, he told his friends about my career. “My mom is a Mazagine writer.” And now, 21 years later, I’m still writing for Mazagines.

When little sister Tatia showed up, we reconsidered the idea of ​​peanut butter sandwiches. Tatia was our little Peanut. We all hear fits of embarrassed giggles when someone mentions peanut butter in her presence; She has heard the story many times about the origin of her nickname. (She uses your imagination!) Ella She has long since outgrown that nickname and grown into a beautiful young lady.

Tatia’s first word, still her favorite word, was “fourth.” I was running a sales route, always the entrepreneur, and she loved to play. At 16, she has learned that quarters make dollars and she wants lots of quarters.

Sean frequently reiterates his first line, “No more coal, peese.” Pronounced at 8 months of age, his cry was heard by the Dr., the Nurse and the Mom, during his first visit to the emergency room. From eating handfuls of grass and ‘poisonous mushrooms’ back then to flipping his bike and breaking a collarbone, his favorite way of announcing our next trip to the ER is “Mom, I don’t want any more coal, peese.” Whether he is the victim of his own injury or we go for someone else, it never fails to remind me of that terrifying first visit to an emergency room in a strange city far from home. At 13, his emergency room visits have gotten a little more expensive and usually include more than one bite of weed.

Kenton inspired the Oreo Cry in our house. After shopping trips where a bag of Oreo cookies and glasses of milk were regular treats, he dazzled us with pleas for the Ultimate Oreo Cookie; especially after we realized why.

Did you know that the last Oreo cookie is significant? Like a Crudition, or Mazagine, or Peanut Butter, or even Charcoal, the Ultimate Oreo Cookie is meant to be savored. The former can be special, because it’s new and delicious, the latter, whether it’s an Oreo cookie or the youngest child in a family, requires an extra savoring moment to enjoy.

My little great-nephew started a new generation of Cruditions with his happy little reply to Santa Claus: “I want to see Ho Ho Ho.” This year reminds me that Family Cruditions are even more “special” because they involve children, innocence, and a miraculous new understanding of the language of love.

If you haven’t started your Family Traditions yet, keep a notebook handy and remember to write down those valuable thoughts, words, and comments. Encourage kids to keep using the best, even when they know better. Promote Cruditions to your family and ring in the New Year with a keepsake basket.