692 - What traditions do you love?

If there was one time I would have chosen not to have a child, it would have been at Christmastime.

Here we are, it's December 21st and today is my son, Philip's birthday.

I have known many people with birthdays close to Christmas who say their birthdays were overshadowed by the #holidays.

We decided to make it a point not to do any decorating until after his birthday party.

Each year, he had his party and when it was over, we would go out and let him pick out the Christmas tree as part of his birthday celebration.

All it takes is forethought and planning.

We created a #tradition that lasted almost 20 years.

Now that Philip is grown, our new tradition is that he gets to choose the restaurant where we will all have dinner. It's always interesting what he comes up with, like the time we went for Ethiopian cuisine (which was delicious).

What about in #business or #entrepreneurship?

Many businesses create traditions by and for the employees, which is a great way for teams to get to know each other better.

Some traditions have a company or industry theme, while others are more personal.

It doesn't have to be extravagant. For example, there are companies that give employees a holiday turkey or ham.

Some businesses hold an annual #Holiday party, with the added perk that employees' spouses get a chance to mingle with the people their partner works with.

One #realestate agency in my town has an annual open house. The 30 or so agents make all the food, and they don't spare any details. The boardroom table is spread with homemade delicacies.

Clients and other local businesses are invited, giving the new homeowners the chance to meet some local service providers.

The agency invites clients and local business owners. This gives the new homeowners the chance to meet some local service providers.

Do you have a personal or business tradition that you look forward to each year?