Inherited and Chosen

Journal Entry: 20th Feb 2026

Growing up, I always loved traditions.

The idea of them. Always knowing that everyone would get together at the same time each year. And being a part of a community that celebrates each other’s presence.

I did not grow up in a traditional family. I grew up surrounded by different cultures, backgrounds, and traditions. My ethnicity did not match the culture I was raised in, and for a long time, I didn't question that.

It was normal. It was home.

That’s one of the things about growing up in the United States. Blended families are common. Mixed backgrounds are common. You see different cultures living alongside each other, sometimes blending together and sometimes remaining distinct.

And that is one of the things I love about the U.S.

You can experience different traditions without having to belong to just one.

My own family is a good example of this.

Even within my family, Christmas does not look exactly the same depending on where we are. One side might have a big celebration with a feast and games. Another might have church, dinner, and a tradition that has been repeated for years. Christmas Day might mean gathering at one house, then another. Sometimes we watch movies. Sometimes we play board games. Sometimes we just sit around and tinker with whatever is in front of us.

They are all traditions.

Just different ones.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to become curious about other families that embrace each other to create blended traditions.

There is a difference between ethnicity and culture.

They can overlap seamlessly. Sometimes they don’t.

When they don’t, you grow up creating your own version of tradition. A mix of what your family celebrates, what your friends celebrate, and what the community around you practices.

And in that mix, something new forms.

For years, I didn’t think much about the traditions connected to my ethnicity because of my amazing blended family.

In the last couple of years, that changed. Which is one of the reasons I love traveling.

When you travel with the intention of observing culture, you start to notice something interesting. Even in countries with deeply rooted traditions, those traditions are not frozen in time.

They shift.

Festivals are still celebrated, but now there are phones in the air recording them. Religious ceremonies remain sacred, but younger generations interpret them differently. Family roles adjust. Gender roles soften. Recipes evolve based on what ingredients are accessible.

I’ve learned traditions don’t have to be static.

They can adapt with time.

And that realization excites me.

It showed me that embracing tradition doesn’t have to mean perfectly replicating it.

It can mean learning the history. Trying the recipes. Understanding the language, even if you speak it imperfectly. Asking questions. And listening more than speaking.

It can mean honoring where you come from while also acknowledging the family that raised you.

Both can exist.

There is something beautiful about traditions that survive.

There is also something beautiful about traditions that evolve.

Because traditions are not only about what happened before us.

They are also about the people who are here now.

The people we grow up around. The people we meet. The places we live. The places we travel. The things we learn and decide are worth carrying forward.

Culture is not preserved by keeping it untouched.

It is preserved by allowing it to breathe, adapt, and be practiced in new environments.

Traditions are not just inherited.

Sometimes they are chosen.

Sometimes they are rediscovered.

Sometimes they are built from scratch.

And sometimes, without realizing it, we create them simply by bringing different pieces of our lives together.

I think that is what makes traditions so special.

Not perfectly belonging to one place. But carrying pieces of everywhere you've been.

I hope my traditions are a little like my accent. No one can ever quite pinpoint where it comes from. It ebbs and flows depending on where I've been and who I've been around, while the core words stay the same.

Some things will stay. Some things will change. And some haven't been created yet.

To the traditions that will evolve, and the ones we haven't imagined yet.

See you next time,

SK:)