Celebration for Traditional Women

Hello and welcome back to the Celebration Series my dearest Reader!

Today we are going to continue our series on celebration with a discussion on celebration for the "Traditional" woman. I know that not all of you beautiful readers are traditional, but I wanted to take a moment to talk about traditional living in regards to celebration, and how we as modern women can step into that mantle, even in the 21st century!

I feel that celebration has gotten confused in the West. It feels like it has lost all meaning.

Christmas has turned into a shameless corporate cash grab. Thanksgiving has been overrun with Black Friday Sales, and even a normal Friday night has been polluted with raucous partying without any real reason to party. Chaotic drug and STD infested music festivals are popping up across the country, and the expectations for Bachelorette parties and birthdays has gone from a nice dinner with friends to a 3 day trip to Tulum!

Modern celebration is expensive, frivolous, and empty. Instead of making memories with family or taking a moment to observe our religious holidays, we seem to grasp for parties that create enviable Instagram photos and vapid memories.

Taking a traditional approach to the practice of celebration can set the tone for your life.

Celebrations are supposed to be the high moments in life where you get to recognize the milestones in life. They are moments and times where we can observe our religious holidays, and draw attention to the memories of those who have gone before us. Instead of filling up every weekend with a party, or wasting away Christmas vacation by drowning in wrapping paper and credit card debt, try becoming more traditional.

Traditional celebrations are frugal; they are connected to other people and they are connected to our faith. Traditional celebrations aren't about spending money; they're about making memories and connecting with the natural creation. Let's unpack this.

When to celebrate

Traditional women should celebrate the traditional milestones and season shifts in life.

Celebrate the traditional milestones in your life like turning 16, getting engaged, getting married, or having a baby. Celebrate when you graduate high school, and celebrate when you reach milestones in your faith journey, such as a Baptism, a Profession of Faith, or a Confirmation. Celebrate buying your first home with a housewarming party, and in general, focus on the familial-related celebrations.

Traditional women can also celebrate faith-related holidays and milestones as well.

Celebrate the holidays on the liturgical Christian calendar, and observe Lent and Advent. Celebrate the Day of Ascension, and observe Good Friday. Observe these Christian and faith-related holidays not by throwing crazy parties, but by gathering together with other believers, sharing a meal, and lighting a candle. Avoid taking part in distractions on these religious holidays, such as the Easter Bunny or anything that is not traditional.

Don't forget to celebrate holidays related to your country and culture!

We celebrate Christmas and Fourth of July along with everyone else in the US, and we even enjoy the Hallmark holidays like Valentines Day. Taking time to celebrate with your countrymen and women can be really wonderful and help you feel more connected to your nationality. Try to learn more about your country, and teach your children about the holidays and their roots! If you have special Independence days, or yearly reflections on people who had a big impact on your country or culture, always celebrate!

Celebrating the seasons as well.

Mark the end and beginnings of seasons by merely observing their passing. Have a special meal, or light a candle. Taking more time to get in touch with the seasonal shift can help you feel more connected to Creation. Go for regular walks outside and observe the bird migrations and shift in vegetation. Recognize the seasons, and celebrate them. Have a Midsommer party, or a Harvest party with family to welcome in the Fall. Take time to invite in the new season, and in general, get more in touch with nature and the traditional seasonal shifts.

Finally, I encourage you to celebrate the milestones of other people.

Celebrate when others reach success or new moments in their lives! Mark your husband's promotion at work with a special chocolate cake. Take special care to plan out your son's birthday party with the friends he wants. Send a card when your niece graduates, and in general, get more plugged into the big events in the lives of others. This doesn't always mean an expensive gift if you cannot afford it; simply acknowledging someone's milestone or success with a kind word of encouragement or homemade gift can make all the difference in the world.

How to Celebrate

Instead of celebrating monotonous nothingness whilst high on drugs or alcohol in the company of strangers, I highly recommend a low-key and family centric approach to celebration and observance.

Make the celebrations centered around the company of others.

This could be family, but it could also mean friends, neighbors, church friends, or anyone who is life-giving and pleasant to be around. Invite other people into your life and to your celebrations, and always do your best to attend the celebrations of other people. Instead of worrying too much about the look of the celebrations you host, try to focus more on the people that are attending and their experience. Remember that it is more important to show love and make memories with family than it is to have a chic dinner menu.

Try to keep the celebrations frugally minded as well.

Do not pay any heed to the modern magazines or blogs that urge you to spend more and more money on taco bars, doughnut stations, or any other trendy way to celebrate. Of course, if you have the money, I'm not going to stop you, but try to focus more on what would make the event feel warm and inviting, rather than what would make it look better in the Instagram photos. Remember, traditional women don't celebrate to make photos for other people online; we celebrate to make memories with our families and friends.

Finally, celebrate traditionally by keeping traditions.

Start new traditions if you need to, but invite your family in on these traditions as well. Something as simple as an annual baking of a lemon cake on the first of June can become a treasured and comforting memory for those you love. Create new traditions in your life, and keep them year after year. Instead of viewing this as a sign of the mundanity of life, consider it a treasured honor and blessing to have the opportunity to live another year to have another slice of lemon cake in June with your husband.

They don't need to be crazy expensive or wild traditions, just remember to do them every year.

Alright my loves! That is it for today. I hope you feel encouraged in your traditional living and know that we are not going to do it perfectly, but it doesn't mean it's not worth attempting.

Sending you so much love today,

xoxo,

Cait