I’ll have you know, dear reader, that though I might shout my love for the Berkshires from the digital rooftops through this blog as much as I can, I’m not there as much as I’d like to be!
My home base is New York City, Coney Island to be exact. And though I love the foliage and scenery that a wintery Berkshires brings, around this time of year my favorite place to be is NYC, and it’s because of and for the holidays!
The holidays in the city are a special time, and like nowhere else. Why is that? Easily, and very simply put, it’s tradition.
The holidays in NYC always bring me the same amount of fuzzy warmth that carries all the way through the New Year, and that’s largely in part to the consistency and determination of carrying holiday traditions here and in such a massive way! No expense is spared for a Rockettes show!
But why is this so important? Why do we celebrate our Christmas traditions year after year, sometimes regardless of finances, scheduling inconveniences, or otherwise?
Holidays = Human Dignity
The essay Preserving Culture and Heritage Through Generations states how “Culture and its heritage reflect and shape values, beliefs, and aspirations, thereby defining a people's national identity. It is important to preserve our cultural heritage, because it keeps our integrity as a people.”
Our traditions are our cultural heritage. Regardless of your background or whoever you are, your traditions are your personal cultural heritage. Furthermore, what makes NYC so incredible is a population of humans who not only come with a wide variety of cultural heritages, but live in a place where they know they can live their lives as they see fit, and live through their traditions year after year.
This is a cornerstone of America at large, of course, but I’m just focusing on NYC because I’m maybe a smidge bias.
But as a huge lover of the Berkshires, I just love saying how important the recognition and understanding of cultures is paramount to the area, as well. With organizations like BRIDGE we can see advocacy for understanding and mutual recognition of our lives and who we are in respect to each other. And ain’t that just a wonderful thing?
Traditions In The Time Of Zoom
But how do Christmas traditions sustain themselves now? We all were subject to thinking about holiday celebrations and vacations and traditions during 2020, and though 2021 might be a bit of a more relaxing environment, it’s still a new normal.
A new normal we are all navigating.
And we’re navigating it together! As a collective of humans with our own unique experiences and traditions that we’re individually bringing to the table.
So this year, look at what worked last year and try that again. How does what you’ve done and what you’ve had to pivot to combine into something new?
Because any Christmas tradition has to start somewhere.
