Breaking through a lifelong cynicism toward tradition

Cultural traditions are the building blocks of identity. From the time we take our first breath, we wear the shoes of our ancestors to climb ladders they built in the hopes of navigating life's trials. Or so I've been told.

My family eschewed faith and organized religion and opted to form its own secular path. I remember my mother dismissing traditions as thoughtless exercises in nostalgia.

By the time I became an adult, I considered Christmas decorations gaudy. New Year's Eve was an arbitrary moment in Earth's orbit, and if people truly loved each other, they wouldn't need to waste money on cheap corporate gifts on Valentine's Day because they would declare it every day.