Traditions...

I’m writing this on Deer Hunting Eve in Minnesota. On the day before firearm season opens, roughly 400,000 optimists make their final preparations for opening day. Only an optimist would sit in a tree all day in freezing temperatures, believing deep down that a deer will appear.

For most hunters, the season represents many things — camaraderie, the outdoors, quiet reflection — but perhaps most of all, it’s a beacon of tradition.

To quote Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof:

“Because of our traditions, everyone knows who he is and what God expects him to do. And how did these traditions start? I’ll tell you… I don’t know. But it’s a TRADITION!”

I confess that I’m a sucker for traditions. They connect the past, present, and future.

When I was fifteen, I received a slightly used red Woolrich flannel shirt as a Christmas gift. It was just worn enough to be comfortable, and a little big on me. That following November, I decided I’d wear it on Deer Hunting Eve. In fact, I decided I’d wear it on every Deer Hunting Eve. I’d make it a tradition.

For 36 consecutive years, I’ve done just that — with the exception of 1991 (in the Year of Our Lord) when I was in advanced training for the Army. The two years that followed, I slipped it on for the last few hours of the day in my barracks room in Germany, just to keep the tradition alive.

When each of my boys turned sixteen, I gifted them their own red Woolrich flannel shirt — connecting them to a decision I made nearly four decades ago. Today, we’ll all be sporting our “Deer Hunting Eve Shirts,” and I take comfort knowing we’ll do it again next year. It’s connection to each other and to time itself — past, present, and future — all bundled up in a wardrobe selection.

What traditions bring you a measure of joy? Even if you can’t quite recall how they began, traditions can evoke more than nostalgia. They foster connection, enrich our lives, and as recent prevention science reminds us, they can even serve as powerful protective factors.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a shirt to iron.