A Very Mittelstaedt Christmas: TSA Pat Downs and Other Traditions
- By Lex Flamm
- Reading Time: 2 mins.
A few days ago, I was talking to my wife and kids about family holiday traditions when one of our sons piped up.
“I think getting stopped by TSA is our holiday tradition,” he said.
He actually had a point—we’re not world travelers, but on most holidays we visit family, and both sets of our parents live a plane ride away.
Wandering for Christmas
Growing up I traveled a lot on Christmas as well. My grandparents lived near New Orleans, so we often traveled there on Christmas Eve. Each Christmas was a little different. What we ate varied depending on the grandparent we were dining with (one favored pot roast, which I loved).
We weren’t big bakers, so no Christmas cookie traditions. Sometimes, we would go to church on Christmas Eve, and my sister and I—who love to sing—would belt out Christmas songs. But sometimes, we wouldn’t go. It was flexible.
We did always listen to Christmas carols while decorating the tree. We often opened a present on Christmas Eve (just one) and woke up early on Christmas morning and lounged all day. But beyond that, I’ve been struggling to come up with something we did every year at Christmas no matter what.
Our Real Holiday Tradition
As I write this from my parents’ house, where I’m staying with my siblings (Chris is here!) and their families, I realize the tradition is being with family. Some years it’s my wife’s family, some years it’s mine. One year (pre- wife and children) it was just me and my folks. But no matter the combination, we’ve always tried to get together with as many family members as we can.
A friend of mine recently asked, “Don’t you just want to wake up in your own home on Christmas?” Maybe one day I will. But for now, waking up with loved ones is more important. So I’ll keep our traditions of security lines and airport traffic and trying to stuff presents into too-full luggage, as long as our family is together.
Spread Cheer in Your Community with Donate-a-Crate
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