Some Traditions

Some traditions are born out of careful deliberation.  A husband and wife sit down when the woman is 8 months pregnant with their first child; and they decide that every Easter, they'll make Resurrection cookies, every Thanksgiving, they'll serve a holiday meal in a homeless shelter, and every Christmas, they'll give their child three gifts (after all, Jesus got three from the wise men, so why mess with a good thing?).  Such strong traditions on which to build a family!

But then there are other traditions:  the ones that just sort of happen.  The ones you never sat down and planned out, but they gradually became part of the family rhythm as the years went by, and now no one can imagine not having them.

In the latter category falls our tradition of having a piñata on the boys' birthdays.  It just kinda sorta happened.

The first time I remember celebrating one of their birthdays with a piñata was probably June of 2006, our first summer here in Virginia after moving back from Israel.  Josiah turned four; and among the guests that day were the Shanks, our Old Order Mennonite neighbors.  I'm certain their girls had never been part of a piñata celebration before!

I don't know for a fact that we've had a piñata for Josiah's birthday every year since then...and for David's birthday, once he was old enough to understand the concept...but I do know that by this point in time here in 2011, we would have some very downcast boys if we suddenly decided to forgo the piñata ritual.  

When David's piñata from his birthday came through relatively unscathed, I thought we would patch it up a little and use it for Josiah's birthday.  However, as that event drew near, our firstborn voiced his opinion that for his 9th birthday, he really did not want to have a Thomas the Tank Engine piñata!  I hadn't thought about it before, but it makes sense; after all, I remember being little but feeling So Big, and wanting to put childish things behind me and grow up faster than the calendar was telling me I could.  I remember wanting so desperately to not seem babyish.

So, we went shopping, and Josiah picked out a big, colorful Nemo piñata.  One of these days years, I might summon up my courage and try my hand at making one; but the mere thought of that makes my non-crafty-mom bones shudder.  ;-)

The beating of the piñata occurred on June 15, two days after Josiah's birthday, in the backyard of some good friends who had invited a few other families over for dinner anyway.  It made it a whole lot easier on me to not have to plan a separate birthday party, and Josiah was very excited about having these friends be a part of this celebration.  Win-win, for sure!  :)

The first hit...

Tobin gets a turn...

David's first turn...(and Emily's rescue of a getting-too-close Tobin)...  :)

Joelle takes a swing...and Tobin gets a new "hat"...

Everyone else got a turn to hit it, but I'm skipping all those :)...now, back to Tobin hitting it...meanwhile, Josiah sped up the hill to report to me on how things were going...

Can you tell Josiah was a little excited?  :)...and Tobin, too--hear his "Mommy, candy almost going to come out!"?  :)

I skipped some more turns, but here in this final video, Grant had the bat and that was the final straw...candy poured out, and eager children pounced.  :)

By the way, right at the end of that video, I caught Julie interacting with Deborah's foster baby...so if it's unclear what Julie (and Becky) are focused on, it's him.  :)

Time to find every single pack of Smarties, every little Warhead, every piece of bubble gum that might have flown through the air a ways, or be hidden in the grass.  All must be found...

...and counted and sorted and maybe traded and exulted over.  :)

Shav was happy with his prize...

 ...a single lollipop some kind soul gave him.  There's beauty in contentment.  :)

There is also beauty in traditions; and even the breaking of a piñata--complete with excitement, laughter, shouts, anticipation, minor squabbles over whose turn it is with the bat, a mad dash for the candy, and finally, a sugar high--can be a shiny, strong thread in the fabric that knits the hearts of a family together.