Superbowl Sunday has definitely become a family tradition for us. My kids know what to expect and if we don’t deliver, we’d be in trouble. For me, it’s precious family time that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Even if the Patriots did lose in the play offs.
The list of food is crazy (okay, not that crazy) and it’s just for my family and my dad. Chili, chicken wings, veggie dip, cheese curls. I’m not sure how the cheese curls managed to sneak into the menu. I think that was the influence of my sons.
This time my husband made homemade mozzarella sticks, and I do believe they’ll become part of the tradition.
We’ve been invited to other homes, but we turn it down. Not that it wouldn’t be fun to be with friends, but a certain member of my household likes to actually watch the game. He doesn’t like to talk while glancing occasionally at the television.
So we’re at home and will continue to be.
But it got me thinking as to how huge a role traditions play in our lives. So many of our childhood memories are based in them. They become important and how dare we try anything different or change them.
I think that’s why it was and is so hard for some writers to accept or experiment with self-publishing. We’re breaking tradition. And that’s always hard. Whether it’s trying a new revising technique, or a new genre, or…etc. The list goes on.
Favorite commercial (from the ones I saw): The old people going out and partying. I can’t even remember what the commercial was for.
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What are some of your favorite traditions?
This is a great post. I’m about to self publish my first novel (a mystery) and boy am I a traditionalist. I knew I was going outside my comfort zone to self publish, but I always thought it was because my dream has been to have a book “really published.” I never realized until I read this that it is also because it brushes against something that I value so much — tradition. Thank you!
I struggled with the breaking of tradition when I self published too. But I don’t regret it. Really, our dream is to reach readers and possibly earn an income, but it’s hard to separate that from what used to be the only plausible way to make that happen.
Awesome. I don’t watch the super bowl, but I DO watch every LSU game… LOL! I’m usually by myself for those, though, with the occasional little girl drifting in the room for a few minutes. (Hubs couldn’t care less!)
But we have other traditions, and I like how you tied this to publishing. I think you’re onto something there~ :o) <3
I stay for the food and then sneak out to read or write by the wood stove! 🙂
I love traditions, but I’m all for change, too. Just as long as I like the change that I’m supposed to embrace.
I missed the Superbowl. Even with three males in the house, sports are not a part of our lives. It was the same with my parents, too. My mom watched the sports (sometimes three different games at the same time). My father didn’t. He only went to games because Mom wanted to go.
Definitely Stina! Only embrace a change of tradition if it makes sense and is appealing to you! 🙂 Great addition. We liked the mozzarella sticks!
So great to have a family to keep up with the traditions. I miss so many of mine. Superbowl was never one of mine, however I my older brother works in a bar and his tradition for the past twenty years is to tend bar, drink, bet, hopefully make some money, and forever scream at the big screen… LOL.
Ha ha! We all have our traditions!
My funny story – the thing that really started changing the way I perceived self-publishing was when I read Beatrix Potter’s journals, and discovered that Peter Rabbit was self-published before Frederick Warne acquired it. Well, I thought, turns out there IS a tradition of authors who write outside the mainstream genres publishing themselves. I can follow in those footsteps!
My husband thinks most traditions are pointless. I think they’re very important. Which makes family celebrations interesting, to say the least!
I can’t remember off the top of my head, but there are lots of authors in the past who self published to start! I’m pretty sentimental, so some traditions I like to keep, more for the experience, not b/c I have to.
We don’t go out either, although we often have friends over.
Besides the movie ads, best commercials were the Best Buy ad and the NFL commercial with Deon Sanders.
I missed those ads! 🙁 I don’t like the movie ads esp. with my young sons watching. Though you won’t hear them complain!
Took me 3 years to “let go” of finding an agent and getting trad. pubbed. At this point, I don’t even want to query again. I want to continue small press and self-pubbing.
Nice post!
We have the super bowl tradition too. I don’t watch football but it’s a fun family thing to do together. I think Indie vs. traditional publishing isn’t always about a refusal to let go of traditions. Some of it is whether you can wear all the hats of a self-published authors. Working full-time, I’m not sure if I could handle all that too. Being published traditionally feels like it’d be too much some days.
I think that was for Taco Bell! It was my favorite commercial, too. I hope I’m that “young” when I’m in my 80s! I also liked the Doritos one with the little girl bribing her dad and his friends to dress up as princesses with her. Too funny!
Breaking tradition can be hard. But sometimes changing, doing something different, is necessary in order to make new traditions that just might be more beneficial in the long run!
It really is hard to break tradition! But I still think things can meld together as well. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! LOL
I’m trying to remember what that ad was for…Taco Bell, maybe? And you are so right about breaking tradition, especially when you’re like me and you’re terrified of breaking “the rules.” 🙂
My son made piles of food for the Superbowl – chili cheese fries, nachos, wings, veggies & dip,… good times! As an added bonus – his Ravens won 🙂
I do love those traditions 🙂