Nick loves holidays. He looks forward to each one and remembers in great detail our family traditions surrounding that holiday. These traditions need to remain the same year after year or he is upset with us.
Tomorrow is Valentines Day, and Nick told me that we needed to wear red tomorrow and have cards to give out. I wished that he had reminded me last week, because sometimes I am not very good at remembering all of the things that I am supposed to do. The red shirts we have, it is the Valentines Day cards that I forgot to purchase.
I told him to say, “Oh well.” He didn’t want to, but he finally agreed to say it.
Halloween is another holiday that has specific requirements in Nick’s life. He used to dress up as a clown, and then I found an adult sized Scooby-doo costume and that was good for a few years. Lately, since his older brother Ryan became a commercial pilot, Nick has wanted to dress up as a pilot. He looks pretty cute in his uniform.
When we are at home for the holiday, he insists on going trick-or-treating. Some people in the past have been a bit cranky when they have seen a grown man, dressed in costume, standing on their doorstep, waiting to get some candy. I usually have to prompt him to say “trick or treat” and then they usually understand that he is special. But sometimes they have still been cranky. Now we specifically select the homes that we are going to visit so that it is a positive experience for everyone.
Nick also loves the 4th of July. We have a parade in Carnation in the morning, followed by a BBQ with family and then fireworks at night. It is tradition. He really loves fireworks.
This past October, we had the brilliant idea of taking him to Ireland for Halloween. You may not know, but the celebration of Halloween started in Ireland. Derry City in Northern Ireland is known for its amazing celebrations. They have a parade and fireworks and everyone dresses up to attend the fireworks. Nick loved it. I think that we might have found a new tradition.
It can be difficult to convince Nick that it is ok to change traditions. I had to use the same Ninja Turtle cake mold for his birthday cake for over 12 years, until one year, I told him that I had lost it. I made a regular cake that year. He didn’t look too happy in the pictures when he was blowing out his candles, but by the time he had his cake and Neapolitan Ice cream with chocolate and strawberry sauce drizzled over it, covered with whipped cream, he wasn’t mad anymore. I am a mom, I have experience with making it “all better.”
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