Oh the Glitz and the Glamour!

Posted by Carina | December 5, 2007 | 37 Comments

Carina will be blogging with us during the month of December. She is an admitted nomad who has lived all over the world but after having settled in Provo, says she loves it best. Some guy talked her into marrying him and then they were persuaded to welcome two rapscallions into their home. In addition to absent-minded housekeeping and working outside her home, Carina specializes in Young Women, baking, collecting obscure bits of knowledge, and introspective discussions into the wee hours of the morning. Come over for a slice of pie anytime. She blogs at The Jet Set. Welcome Carina!

I think I might still be a little Catholic.

My mother is a convert to the church. She left her Catholicism behind, dropped it onto the streets of Montevideo, Uruguay and fully embraced the church. Although I am not the convert, it’s almost as if centuries of Catholic blood still pulls at me; my veins carrying a marker for saints, cathedrals, and small rituals. For instance, my family eats seafood on Christmas eve, which is a Catholic tradition. We don’t, however, eat seafood on Fridays. We do make wise cracks about indulgences over Scrabble games. We don’t actually get indulgences.

Can we cherry-pick the traditions we keep when transitioning faiths? My grandmother, although she is a more recent convert, still looks up the saint’s days for her great-grandchildren. My mother, in keeping with Spanish tradition, always wanted to celebrate Three Kings Day on January 6th, the day where the kings reached the Christ-child, offering their gifts at His feet.

I even have a fascination with the archetypal Virgin Mary and the patron saints. Do I honestly believe in intercession? No. Do I believe in the concept of the immaculate conception–that the Virgin Mary’s mother herself was a virgin? No and no. Do I sometimes like the statues and relics of Catholicism? Yes. Even my sister isn’t immune, she uses La Virgin as part of her blog header. You can blame it on years of touring cathedrals if you like–I certainly do.

I had a friend whose parents converted from Judaism. They kept a mezuzah on the door of their home and still celebrated some elements of Passover.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I love and cherish the simplicity of our LDS faith; it’s not complicated, although we at times needlessly try to make it so. And since this incarnation of our church is relatively new, we don’t have elaborate traditions, unless you count the 6th Ward Primary Program as elaborate–let me testify, sisters! It’s possible that too much ritual and tradition can even stymie growth, obscuring a deep and personal relationship with our Heavenly Father.

It has me wondering, are there genuine LDS traditions? I’m not talking about cultural tradition–the first person to mention Jell-o salad gets a time out–or even our doctrinal traditions. I mean physical manifestations of our faith. Are there certain gospel traditions that we hold dear? Are they enough to satisfy the pageantry that a girl likes sometimes in her worship? I’m not saying that we need to start swinging around the incense during general conference, but I don’t know if a simple MoTab concert does it for me at Christmas time. Am I looking for a show? Probably not. Would I turn my back if one crossed my way, absolutely not–why do you think I love testimony meeting? Is it harmless to keep a few tokens of a previous life and faith?

When we forsake all else to follow the Lord, are we truly forsaking everything?

Even the clam chowder on Christmas Eve?

Category: Daily Special

Comments

37 Responses to “Oh the Glitz and the Glamour!”

Sharlee
December 5th, 2007 @ 9:09 am

Carina wrote:

“It has me wondering, are there genuine LDS traditions? Iâ€™m not talking about cultural traditionâ€“the first person to mention Jell-o salad gets a time outâ€“or even our doctrinal traditions. I mean physical manifestations of our faith. Are there certain gospel traditions that we hold dear?”

Of course. Just look to the temple.

I loved this post, Carina. Thanks.
Dalene
December 5th, 2007 @ 10:21 am

Having spent some time as a missionary in Western Europe, I have observed how religion and tradition become a part of one’s blood. It can be a beautiful thing.

I do have to say, however, that I remember being so surprised when it finally occurred to me how much ritual and tradition we have in our own faith. Maybe not specifically over the holidays, but in our meetings and at our temples. I guess because I grew up with it I never quite saw it in that way.

Great post. And now you have me reminiscing about how lovely the Strasbourg Cathedral is at Christmastime.
Jia
December 5th, 2007 @ 10:54 am

Thank you!

This too has been bothering me! Though I am not Catholic, I am of Irish decent. I have been trying to bring in old traditions into my family, but they seem to be mostly surrounding the Saints. I was worried about this too, so I sent a question to AskGramps. This was his, well worded reply:

“Do you celebrate Christmas–Christ’s Mass? Back at the Counsel of Nicea in 350AD, Constantine, in a attempt to unite the pagans and Christians, changed all the holidays they were celebrating at that time. He used the pagan holidays and gave them Christian names. The Savior was born in April. The Pagans worshiped the winter solstice. So Constantine named the pagan worship of the winter solstice, the Mass celebrating Christ’s birth, and so we have Christmas. The story of Easter is the same thing. It was also a pagan holiday changed to a Christian holiday. The Church actually let’s the children celebrate Hallow’een–another Catholic holiday, Holy Evening, the evening before All Saints Day. ….. So I’m sure that the Church has nothing against celebrating national holidays, ….. or other holidays that have religious origins.”
Justine
December 5th, 2007 @ 11:29 am

You’re freakin me out. My mother was Catholic, too, and my father Jewish. They both converted when I was a wee lass. We’ve had lots of strange judeo-christian traditions in our home — eating Jewish rye bread and prayer bread, and observing lent-lite (which mostly involved me giving up sweets for about a day).

And although we don’t have incense and incantations, we do have events and traditions that grow through individual wards. Some may be silly (our 530th annual dutch oven social), and some may be more serious (Christmas musical firesides and such), they are nonetheless traditions that people look forward to, so I think they should count.

And watching deacons pass the sacrament is every bit as ritualistic as watching young catholic deacons during mass.
Sue
December 5th, 2007 @ 11:50 am

I think embracing the cultural traditions you’ve inherited is a wonderful thing. You aren’t being idolatrous, you’re expressing your affecti on for something that has been meaningful to you, your parents, their parents, etc. Traditions have meaning, even if they aren’t LDS traditions. Goodness can be found all over the place, not just within our relgious traditions.

I’ve often wished we had equivalents to Catholic cathedrals (temples are not equivalent, I’m sorry), that we had rituals like Christmas mass with its the pomp and ceremony of Mass (although I wouldn’t want it every week), and that we had our own Baptist style gospel choirs. But we don’t. Ours is a pretty simple, unadorned faith in terms of ceremony – pioneers just aren’t all that fancy, and that’s where most of us hail from – good old pioneer stock.

So embrace those traditions, I think they make your life richer and more colorful.
michelle
December 5th, 2007 @ 11:57 am

I love this post and relate. My mom is also a Catholic convert and we have done the whole fish thing at Christmas too. I grew up with having a respect for the Catholic faith and for it’s physical customs- I think they are beautiful, but I think that way about most religious customs. You’re right our faith doesn’t have many physical markers- maybe temples or missionaries? Most of our physical markers our secret/sacred and I kinda like that. It helps me move fluidly with people and places- I don’t like wearing my faith on my sleeve because there is so much more to me than my faith. I remember the first year I lived out here in Buffalo seeing people with black marks on their forehead- it totally freaked my out I thought I was having some kind of Twilight Zone experience. Maybe if the physical markers of our faith were harmless and beautiful then I wouldn’t have a problem. I think there is nothing wrong with holding on to your Catholic roots because at least for me it’s holding on to what I feel is beautiful about religion.
Cindy Mindy Pindy
December 5th, 2007 @ 12:05 pm

Hmm…maybe an iconic Christmas card?
bek
December 5th, 2007 @ 12:19 pm

One of my favorite members in our ward grew up Baptist (and I grew up WITH Baptists..) and for her testimony, she stands and sings. I miss the enthusiasm and music of the Southern Baptist worship tradition and I love that she has kept that (even it if does tend to freak out the new students in the ward..).

LDS traditions…. CTR rings?
Susie
December 5th, 2007 @ 12:20 pm

How interesting that I came to read this today. This very topic has been weighing heavily on my mind the last few days as I’ve decorated my house for Christmas, reminisced old family traditions and been reminded of my wonderful Dad who passed away Dec.8 1999, a great man and a devout Catholic. I was raised in a strong Irish Catholic family. My Aunt is a nun at Notre Dame (the University), so you can imagine how well that went off when I joined the church. Not well, in fact, I was basically disowned. My grandparents attended mass almost every day, and the summers I spent with them in Boston were filled with hours on my knees in prayer, reciting incantations to appease my grandmother and blessing myself with holy water as we entered their 300 hundred year old cathedral almost every day. I can still smell the church to this day, a combination of age and incense. I received my first rosary at my first Holy Communion when I was 7. That was a very special day in my life and my whole family was very proud. But what I miss the most was the traditions during the holiday season. Mostly Christmas and Easter. I’m still tempted to go get my palm on Palm Sunday and hang it above my bed for a year. In fact, on Christmas Eve I still do my best to go to mass, there is just something special about it, maybe it’s the nostalgia of it all, but I try my best to go. I especially miss the music, oh the music. The acoustics my church growing up were amazing and the choir would bring chills to your body. It’s easy when I’m in Ohio, there tons of Catholics there. It’s harder when I’m here because there aren’t too many places to attend mass, especially in English. As far as LDS tradition go, that’s a hard one for me. The Temple is the best I can think of. Don’t get me wrong, I love the church. But there’s still a lot of “Hail Mary” pumping through this body. I suppose it will always be there.
AzÃºcar
December 5th, 2007 @ 12:21 pm

Yes! Michelle, I like that our physical markers are sacred and not scattered about like pearls. I guess I just don’t think of the temple in the same way–the temple is like going home.

Jia- I had a line similar to what your grandfather outlined and edited it out. After all, Christmas trees, Santa Claus, mistletoe, and Christ-mass itself are an amalgam of pagan and Christian traditions that we all have agreed are (mostly) OK–although the gospel itself doesn’t mention any of those trappings.

Justine- those little things that we keep fascinate me, as if we are unwilling to give up some of the emotional ties to our old lives.

Sue- The other half of me is pioneer. Can we claim that now as an ethnic origin? I’m going to write that on the next census, “Pioneer.” The pioneer half of me thinks that all the frippery and ostentation are to be disapproved of in most cases.

I concur, the temple is one of the most beautiful physical manifestations of tradition. I’m sure that the temple is just as mystical in the eyes of some non-members. I remember a man in Washington D.C. telling us that the placement of the D.C. temple, combined with the way it appears from the freeway, was responsible for a number of car accidents–it just appears to float on a cloud of trees.

How about the twisted tree at the SLC temple where practically every bride has her picture taken?

Cindy- Ha! No.
AzÃºcar
December 5th, 2007 @ 12:26 pm

Bek- Ding-ding! CTR Rings!

Susie-
I know you have a testimony of the gospel. I vote that you still go get a palm for Palm Sunday.
cjane
December 5th, 2007 @ 1:10 pm

This reminds me, last summer I was trying to find an encyclopedia of the Saints and couldn’t find one anywhere in this valley.

Maybe our tradition is keeping other traditions out?
LG
December 5th, 2007 @ 1:13 pm

Interesting topic, and one I’ve thought a lot about. My family has no such heritage, but other experiences in my life have influenced my feelings. I’ve got a master’s in music in organ performance–my whole academic career has centered around immersing myself the musical traditions of other faiths because that’s where organ music has developed. Many, many times I have felt envious of some of those traditions and wished we could have just a tad bit more grandeur in our own worship. I am also easily swept away by the magnificence of a cathedral or beautiful church and it’s organ and other furnishings.

Now, I have a strong testimony and I think on one level I do understand the need for simplicity and how all these traditions, as good as they are, can lead us away from what’s really important. But there is something about it. I have worked as an organist in a Protestant church, and wished that we could have a Christmas Eve candlight service like the one I played for there–it was so beautiful.

I don’t know so much about specific traditions (though I agree about the temple), but I do know that our Church has an incredibly rich heritage. I have an affinity for all things “pioneer” and love that part of our past. I think that immersing oneself in the heritage of our own religion can bring about an appreciation for the simplicity that we claim. I started to appreciate our musical traditions more after reading a book on the history of music in the Church and understanding where that simplicity originated from.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with incorporating certain traditions into your own family if you are careful and prayerful about it. My family is celebrating Advent this year. We made candles and are lighting them each Sunday night while we read scriptures and sing carols. I wrestled with this for months before deciding to do it. I think it’s a beautiful tradition, and what could be wrong with doing something special on a weekly basis to remind us of the coming of the Christ child? But I did struggle with the idea that it is a liturgical tradition from other faiths. I finally made my decision when I heard that some wards had made “Christmas Countdown” candles in enrichment night, burning the candle each night and reading scriptures. I decided it was no different than what I wanted to do. I am not calling what I am doing “Advent”, but it is the same thing, and I am viewing it as a time of reflection and waiting prior to Christmas.
AzÃºcar
December 5th, 2007 @ 1:51 pm

LG- I cry every time I sing Come, Come Ye Saints, yes, every time. There is, for me, very few equals to that hymn.

I do not want to be misunderstood: the gospel lacks nothing. I do not need any of the trappings to help advance my own faith. I am ever mindful of the admonitions of Paul, and the other apostles of the early church, who counseled against keeping the traditions and beliefs of previous faiths. Maybe the line is that I don’t need those traditions, that the gospel needs no augmentation to make it whole, but somehow a small emotional tie remains.
Susie
December 5th, 2007 @ 2:19 pm

Carina-I also get teary when I hear “Come,Come Ye Saints”. It is one of my favorites along with “How Great Thou Art” from back in my Catholic days. I still cry when they play that one in church. I had the opportunity to attend a concert in Cincy this summer where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang with the Cincinnati Pops. I took my brother. You have to know him to experience how rare it is for him to go to something like this. But he agreed, and and we had a fabulous time. It was at a outdoor amphitheater. The choir sang beautifully and finished with “Come,Come, Ye Saints”. Even though 95% people there were not LDS, everyone was touched I’m sure. I began to cry it touched me so much. They sang it acapella and you could have heard a pin drop. It was a special moment. Afterward, my brother thanked me for taking him. He told me he really enjoyed the concert. My brother’s not one to express himself, so that meant a lot to me.
kiki
December 5th, 2007 @ 3:02 pm

I have nothing to add here. I just want to say that tiny man-Jesus in la Virgen’s lap has always frightened me. Babies are chubby and don’t have beards.
Kalli
December 5th, 2007 @ 3:59 pm

I love the simplicity of the gospel, and I love how complicated I make it sound when I try to explain it to others. Because I’m an over achiever like that…

I am thoroughly fascinated by the religious traditions of other. Judaism has held my interest forever because of the symbolism and the meaning associated with their traditions. Catholicism is much the same. It’s always fascinating to me to go back and understand where these traditions became rooted and how they’ve progressed through the generations of time.

The truth of it is that those traditions are deeply rooted in your genealogy and you should fully remember and appreciate them!
Christy
December 5th, 2007 @ 5:19 pm

Our old house was directly across the street from the only Catholic church in town. Every Sunday (or was it Saturday? I’m not up on my Catholicism and I can’t remember), we loved to sit at the window and watch the priest come out in his long, brilliantly colored robes and say goodbye to the Catholics filing past.

I always had strong mixed emotions watching them. On the one hand, it was all so weird to me – the stained glass Virgins in the windows, and the bright green and purple robes – on the other hand, I love color and aesthetic beauty, and I sometimes thought about sneaking into a meeting so I could see it all up close.

I think it’s natural for us to be attracted to things that are both beautiful and meaningful – I don’t know any Mormon who doesn’t love the sight of a temple, and I could sit in a Celestial room and just take in the pretties for hours. I think that’s why we love Christmas so much – it’s intensely meaningful and incredibly sparkly all at the same time.

Oh, and I think clam chowder on Christmas Eve is a great idea.
Michelle
December 5th, 2007 @ 5:47 pm

I tend to like the simplicity (and yet amazing depth and meaning) of our rituals.

I was thinking, though, about the big celebrations (jubilees? what are they called?) that Pres. Hinckley has encouraged with temple dedications. I think he has wanted especially the youth to have an anchor experience where they were celebrating and worshiping with song and dance and jubilation. The youth have also done other such things around landmark anniversaries like Joseph Smith’s birthday.

And we have more productions, like Savior of the World at the Conference Center. Not quite the same, but they elicit a different kind of emotion than the quiet rituals we have.
Sue
December 5th, 2007 @ 8:40 pm

Christy – I guess I am really weird then. I don’t think most of the temples are beautiful. I’m not a fan of faux Aztec architecture, and the inside – well, they have nice chandeliers and windows, but they kind of remind me of really nice, white model homes or relief society rooms. No reflection on what we do in the temple or anything, but the decor, for me – not so much.
Christy
December 5th, 2007 @ 9:40 pm

Wow, Sue, you ARE weird. But you’re probably not the only one . . . it’s more the temple grounds that I love than anything. And the cleanness of it all.
Erin
December 5th, 2007 @ 11:47 pm

I read this post, and I know exactly what you’re talking about! I was raised LDS for the most part, but attended a Jesuit University for my first three years of college. I’ve always been intrigued by different faiths and cultures, and would often feel left out of beautiful, large buildings designed to draw our eyes toward heaven and art work and symbols meant to teach us through what we see.

Our buildings are made to be changeable and cleanable and to fit as many people in as comfortably as possible- which I can appreciate.

I attended mass quite often in my early adult years as an attempt to learn more about the Catholic Church, and while I maintained my own faith, I grew in appreciation of beautiful things. The first time I went to the temple I thought, “Here it is. All the things I felt I was missing.” We’re not missing it at all- we just hold it sacred. I think it’s actually an answer to the problem that I heard a lot from my Catholic friends- how do you keep ritual fresh and stop it from becoming and empty action? I think the answer is in our temples! Leave the world! Change your clothes, keep it sacred. Those are some of the conclusions I came to when considering the question you asked.

Oh yes, and you don’t have to toss out cultural or family traditions just because they don’t originate in our faith. As long as they don’t contradict with the truth of the gospel- they can enrich your life and help your family find identity together.
rynell
December 5th, 2007 @ 11:47 pm

Perhaps I am too smug in my traditions, or maybe I just fail to think of them in terms of their origins and more in terms of what they mean to me. We light Advent candles (each of the 4 Sundays before Christmas), we recognize Day of the Kings, although without much ado. I also appreciate many sorts of religious music. So, for me and my house, I guess it all comes down to what feels right to us and our reasons for embracing traditions.

I remember admiring cathedral after cathedral in Europe, wanting to light candles and thoroughly confused by the spirit I felt there and then realizing that there is truth and goodness in many religions. (My disclaimer is that I was only 17, and it was kind of a process.) My world religions class was an eye opener. Keeping my testimony intact includes appreciating beauty wherever I find it.
LG
December 6th, 2007 @ 12:17 am

Rynell, I know what you mean about feeling the spirit and being confused. When I played for a Presbyterian church, I absolutely felt the spirit during their communion every single time. It bothered me at first, especially to feel it during a sacrament that I knew was done without proper authority. But I realized that that spirit was there not because the ordinance was proper, but because the people were paying homage to the Savior and showing Him their devotion in a very personal and tangible way, and I think the Spirit will always honor that. How would anyone ever desire to seek more of Christ if they didn’t receive spiritual fulfillment and peace from the steps they were already taking?
La Yen
December 6th, 2007 @ 12:45 am

I hear you, Sister Azucar Katherine.
For me, it is the idea of having a little bit of the intangible become tangible. Something that I can see that reminds me “Oh yeah, let me think about God for a second again.” Or whatever. (I mean, I think about God all of the time, but it would be nice to see a mezuzzah outside the kid’s door and touch it and think “Heavenly Father, please bless this baby” instead of thinking “Man, I am so glad that my kid is asleep in her room. She is a demon.”)My biggest hang up is not wanting to damage the sanctity of something for someone else. I just don’t want to be a hater, you know. Which is why I don’t have the Virgin de Guadalupe on my car window, even though I LOVE HER. And why I don’t have a rosary to worry between my fingers when I am anxious, so I use a marble turtle. Because no one worships turtles.
Wendy
December 6th, 2007 @ 12:03 pm

Hey, I say celebrate however you’d like to, I think it’s great to have some of those old traditions that you love. But most of all you have my mouth watering thinking about our seafood for Christmas Eve (maybe we were once Catholic and I didn’t know?), but our is Maryland style, “old-bay” seasoned steamed shrimp. . .messy fingers and all. Yum!
Geo
December 6th, 2007 @ 1:44 pm

This is an enjoyable discussion, and I wanted to make the CTR bling point, but someone beat me to it. So I guess I have nothing much to add.

Except for this. And it’s not meant as a funny. I know a woman who lost her only son some time back to a wintry avalanche, and she now has a chronic problem with stealing baby Jesuses from displays. Somehow for me this ties in to the current topic.
Laquina
December 6th, 2007 @ 11:03 pm

It’s time for confession, and not the Catholic kind. I lived in LA for almost two months this summer and bought rosaries for each of our rental cars so we could fit in the neighborhood better. But it doesn’t stop there, I am also harboring a sheet of saint stickers covered in glitter, a bandana with La Virgin and one of the rosaries has a permanent place on the back of my door unbeknowst to my formerly catholic mother. Every time I see or hear the rosary on my door it makes me feel good and reminds me of the family I miss far across the ocean in Spain that I grew to love but rarely get to see. I can still my aunt Rosita’s room with her dark wooden rosary draped beautifully on the wall. I went to mass numerous times with her and for me it connects me to those I love who I cannot be with. I celebrate the things I know are important to those I find important. And besides, they are just beautiful.

Now I can’t claim that excuse for the Buddhist medallions you will often find around my neck that I bought in Thailand. But until you meditate in a room next to a giant gold Buddha you will just never understand.
~j.
December 6th, 2007 @ 11:22 pm

la yen — my stepsister worships turtles.
~j.
December 6th, 2007 @ 11:22 pm

ps – Brother Mitt TOTALLY bogarted some of his idea from this post.
~j.
December 6th, 2007 @ 11:23 pm

idea*S*. as in, during his talk today. geez, time for bed.
Dalene
December 7th, 2007 @ 12:17 am

Sue–you should see the inside of the Helsinki Temple. I practically melted for the love of great design and beautiful materials.

Geo–I totally get that.

Oh, and I did think of something nice to say about our buildings that maybe can’t quite hold a candle to cathedrals–central heat and central air.
soybeanlover
December 7th, 2007 @ 7:04 am

I’m all about celebrating things like Advent, St. Nikolaus Day, 3 Kings Day, because they have become cultural rather than religious. If only I could I’d make us eat fish on Christmas Eve too.

I do think we have a lot of little traditions(why does my child have to wear stupid white frilly stuff to get blessed?), not so much big ones, but I think that leaves us open to incorporate the Gospel into whatever culture we are from, and makes it much more of a worldwide Church. It is really helpful here for instance, not having all the traditions at Christmas(candlelight midnight mass, etc.) because Christmas is not a national holiday, so it gives a bit more breathing room for saints in other places.

That being said, keep the I agree, keep the traditions that don’t interfere with your faith, and make your own pomp. It is kind of like a white plaster model, you buy the base, but you add your own color and decoration to it.
soybeanlover
December 7th, 2007 @ 7:31 am

Ok, sorry really bad comparison. Let’s say gingerbread house. Everyone gets the same cookies(i.e. church), but you add your own candies decorations, etc. Ok, yeah that makes more sense.
Lindsey
December 7th, 2007 @ 2:47 pm

I think it’s perfectly fine to embrace other church’s traditions if they are part of your family traditions. Why not? For me it has never detracted from how I feel about the LDS church or our belief system. In fact, it helps to solidify it. And I think it’s cool. And when I was in Italy a long time ago, and I was cute and thin and had gorgeous short curls, and I was in a cathedral in Firenze, an old Italian man told me I looked like a cherub from a Fra Fillipo Lippi painting. I’ve loved him and Catholics ever since. AND I went to the Uffizi to find the painting he was talking about.

We have some old lithographs from early church history that look very Catholic–so much in fact, our Catholic landlady comments on it every time she comes up to our apartment.

Yes–I say embrace it!
Jennifer B.
December 8th, 2007 @ 8:56 am

I think I’m starting a new tradition this year. Clam chowder? Mmmmmm.
Liz Robertson
December 8th, 2009 @ 11:43 am

Ha, ha! funny & thoughtful posts, all. Humans NEED physical reminders of intangible things, & traditions. Think: children of Isreal and their rituals—-Temple ceremonies—-church ordinances—weddings (rings & tall cakes, etc)

I think LOTS of traditions from other faiths and culturals are fantastic, creative expressions of inner feelings. I like the Islamic tradition of writing scriptures on walls of homes. I like the GINGERBREAD analogy; many traditions are on a ward or family level.

Some LDS traditions, (not doctrinal) I see are:

+ At baptism: giving CTR rings, white towels, first scriptures, new suit, or going out to dinner.
+ Pioneer Day: Reading pioneer stories, eating schones, dressing kids up for a parade, Pioneer Day Broadcast
+ LDS Movie Musts: Saturday’s Warrior, Princess Bride, Johnny Lingo
+ Holidays: Relief Society March Birthday party, Mother’s Day gifts after sacrament mtg, First Pres. Christmas message, ice cream or donuts after General Conference priesthood session
ETC.

I didn’t like the lack of traditions around Easter (too short, all about bunnies & candy) so I bought & followed “A Christ-Centered Easter” (Hales) & invited friends over. Don’t have enough MORMON traditions? Start some!!!!!!