tradition

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, so I'm sure most of you are getting your plans in order as we speak. Getting a reservation or coming up with a unique way to celebrate with your loved one can be stressful, which is why so many couples come up with a Valentine's tradition to rely on. My parents have been doing the same thing for years now — it gives them something to look forward to — but what about you? Do you and your significant other have a Valentine's Day tradition? If so, tell us about it!

Source

The overturning of the ban on same-sex marriage in California has changed many lives and simultaneously sparked a slew of arguments. In fact, as reported by the Sacramento Bee, a recently wed couple — Rachel Bird and Gideon Codding — are starting their own debate over the wording of the new gender-neutral marriage license, which has changed the traditional reference of Bride and Groom to Party A and Party B.

Bird offered her own explanation, saying: "We are traditionalists — we just want to be called bride and groom," and for this couple, anything else is unacceptable; they refuse to sign the license as-is. The article also mentions that this particular fight is a personal one, rather than religious. But whatever the motivation for standing their ground, I find the attachment to these two words interesting. They do represent tradition and their cultural significance is vast, but are they truly necessary? When it comes down to it, do these types of traditional titles matter to you and your relationship?

Source

Something borrowed, something blue, and something . . . . totally bizarre. Don't you sometimes wonder where our weirder wedding traditions come from? From throwing rice to wearing blue, lots of things happen at weddings that I've never totally understood. Mental Floss has a fun list of eight weird origins of wedding traditions. Here are five of my favorite back stories from MF's list of bizarre traditions.

• Brides wearing white. Apparently, it wasn't until Queen Victoria donned a white gown that this virginal shade became the wedding-dress color of choice. Before that, a bride was merely expected to dress in her finest finery.
• Dads giving the bride away. The tradition of fathers walking daughters down the aisle actually goes back to the days when dads used female offspring as bartering tools to pay off debts or make peace.

Three more fun facts, so read more

As the custom goes, any two people who meet under the mistletoe are obliged to kiss. When I was little, I always thought it was a kind of creepy tradition (because I thought kissing was so gross), but now that I'm older, I think the idea is actually kind of sweet.

Not everyone agrees with me though, so I was wondering: How do you feel about this tradition? Do you hang out by the mistletoe or do you avoid it completely?

Source

I love the smell of Thanksgiving, and in my opinion, it's the holiday that brings family and friends the closest. Every year, my parents host, our immediate family and close friends come for dinner (we don't eat until 6), and we always keep a few extra chairs handy in case someone drops by. We have the same menu year after year, and while the kitchen is bustling, football is on the background, a fire is burning in the living room, and the phone rings off the hook with Thanksgiving cheers. I love Thanksgiving because I get to see all my friends who have moved away, and it gets me all that more excited for the Christmas season.

Thanks for letting me share my memories with you. Now it's your turn. Ladies, do tell: What's your Thanksgiving Day tradition?

Source