For the past several years, my grandma, mom, and I would drive 6ish hours to my aunt’s house for Easter weekend.
It was a nice little family tradition that gave us long car rides to chat the deeper than usual chat and catch up with my aunt and her family who we only ever saw that weekend-ish.
We would watch movies, get live piano and violin concerts in her living room, play board games, tour the local book shops, airplay photo albums on their giant TV recapping the highlight moments of our year, take long walks, explore local parks, and of course eat fantastic meals.
Earlier this year, my aunt and her family decided to move across the country and so our little family tradition unfortunately ended.
This is a reminder that at some point, your family tradition(s) as you know it/them—will end. And to go into family tradition weekends with as much presence and warmth as you can.
This isn’t to say that they can’t/won’t change for the better… it’s merely to say don’t take them for granted. Change is always, inevitably, on the horizon.