Yesterday with Betsy and Lauren at a performance of The Nutcracker, it flashed through my mind that it wasn’t really Christmas until the tree was touched with magic and grew to reach the top of the stage.

That’s the thing about traditions. The special things that get repeated perhaps only yearly, but stay in your mind as something to be cherished. We started taking Lauren to the Commonwealth Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker at Regis when she was five years old. For the three of us, it has become an important part of the holiday season.

In past years, Lauren was very interested in staying to meet the dancers, especially the young girl who danced the role of Clara. As an eight year old,  that was no longer her focus. Watching her notice and respond to different aspects of the performance has been part of the fun of our yearly viewing of the ballet.

Another first this year was her interest in the fact that I went to college at Regis. She’s known that over the years, but this year she was interested in visiting some of the buildings and asked questions about what kinds of things people studied there. Love seeing her maturing mind in action.

When we took Lauren to her first performance of The Nutcracker, it was simply a production, but it has evolved into a cherished tradition.