Holiday traditions are a treasured part of the season. They bring families together, connect us to the past, and sometimes—even unknowingly—carry unexpected lessons. Take, for example, the story of a husband and wife hosting a Christmas brunch where an age-old family custom became the centerpiece of an unforgettable moment.
A Curious Tradition
As his wife prepared the family’s holiday ham, she performed a peculiar ritual: cutting off both ends before placing it in the oven.
Watching from the side, her husband asked, “Why do you cut off the ends?”
Without hesitation, she replied, “That’s the way my mother did it.”
Coincidentally, her mother was attending the brunch, so the husband posed the same question to her. Her answer was identical: “That’s the way my mother did it.”
Luckily, the grandmother was also at the gathering. When asked about the tradition, she burst into laughter and explained the origin of the ritual.
“When I was young, my roasting pan was too small for the ham, so I had to cut the ends off to make it fit.
But there’s no need to do that anymore!”
The Bigger Picture
This humorous anecdote highlights how traditions often persist without scrutiny, even when their original purpose no longer applies. Over time, what begins as a practical solution can transform into a ritual, passed down unquestioningly from one generation to the next.
This phenomenon isn’t unique to holiday meals; it’s a powerful metaphor for life, business, and innovation. Whether in family traditions or corporate practices, we often cling to routines simply because “that’s the way it’s always been done.”
Questioning Old Habits
The Christmas ham story teaches a valuable lesson about questioning why we do things the way we do.
Do you know if the methods we use still serve their intended purpose?
Could there be a better way?
In personal life, this might mean reviewing habits or routines that no longer serve us.
In business, it’s about keeping a culture of continuous improvement, where every process is subject to all of the time.
Tradition Meets Progress
It doesn’t automatically mean discarding rituals. It just means preserving the elements that add value while discarding those that don’t.
In the case of the ham, the family could still enjoy the whole ham.
Similarly, in life and work, it’s possible to honor history while embracing progress.
By balancing respect for tradition with a willingness to innovate, we can create meaningful experiences