Nozlee Samadzadeh on Nontraditional Traditions – The Morning News

I’m a condiment person. Some people just are. When I order a sandwich, mustard and mayo come first. Sometimes I eat ketchup packets, plain. At one point when I was five or so, I looked up from my gravy-covered cranberry sauce to announce to the table, “The best part of Thanksgiving is the gravy, because it goes with everything!” It was cute, everyone laughed, and the next year someone brought it up for me to say again. And the year after that, and the year after that—it’s our only tradition. In actuality the best part of Thanksgiving is being together with family, but now with us three kids scattered across the country, the next best thing is to text that old worn-out phrase to my parents’ and sisters’ phones every last Thursday in November. Traditions can adapt, but family stays constant.