Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, the start of Church year when, traditionally, there is purple in the church. This is a period of time when people may be considering lots of traditions. I was asked the other day when we put our Christmas decorations up – I couldn’t really answer; all that I knew was that it wasn’t until mid December and that we only put up a tree and our nativity scene, and my friend knew that the wise men were put on the piano so that they could journey to the manger arriving at epiphany!

When we think of traditions we think of things that have happened over a number of years. A couple of weeks ago it was Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday when there is a two minute silence. There may be family traditions for Christmas or for other things. When I first met my husband I was intrigued to discover that the traditional meal for Mothering Sunday was from a well known Chicken place!

We may think that traditions can’t change and yet they have to. There may be certain things that stay the same, but it is the nature of life that things develop and change. Mine and the husbands traditions are a hybrid of each of our families as well as our own.

Even national traditions change because they will be affected who is participating and how technology has developed.

Traditions can play an important part in passing on information and stories from the past; but we shouldn’t be afraid of developing those traditions to fit with the times and the people we’re sharing the traditions with.

May you have a blessed Advent.