new year's and silly rituals

a tradition is nothing more than a habit, really. we are creatures of habit, and we tend to be drawn to things that are familiar to us, as we fear change.

most people have their traditions or rituals over the holidays. and they do them only because they've always done them. my mom has always given us a pair of socks for christmas. 2006 was no different (thankfully, the socks are new!).

on new year's eve for the past five years, my brothers and i and our families and some friends meet at one of their homes and go for a mountain bike ride on some local trails. whether it snows or rains, we still do it. we insist to newcomers to this silly ritual that the ride will be a relaxed, fun ride, but it never is. my brothers are both type-A and they're always trying to impress each other. so it always ends up with them taking off, full-speed ahead, with me trudging along at a relaxed, fun pace. everyone (except me) gets caught up in this macho-fest. last night was no different. this time, there was no snow, but the trails were muddy and slippery.

halfway through the ride, we stop at a little picnic area and indulge in another silly ritual of downing a shot of scotch. i'm not a drinker, but i have a small sip. after this, the ride continues at a pace that is far from relaxed. the ride was reasonably fun for me, because i didn't get caught up in the speed-fest. i also took a short cut home with a couple of our friends.

why do we partake in this rituals/traditions? is the need for familiarity that strong?

oh i forgot to mention that after we got back to the house and cleaned up, the dinner was a sushi fest! this is one tradition that i can certainly support!

happy new year!