I know, I know.  It's a holiday tree now.  And the box in the garage says "Alpine Fir."  But for us it is still the hugely intrusive decoration we put up the Saturday after Thanksgiving (in between football games) and take down in mid-January.  For us it is a Christmas (season)  tree.

For us it is also a source of amusement, angst, and argument.  An essential element of the season is the annual "discussion" of when, where, how, and who, with an occasional why?  Why bother with a tree?  The children are gone; we will be traveling over the holidays; it's so heavy; it takes so much time.

Once we decide "Yes" to having a tree, then we walk through the house evaluating each potential location.  I like having it warm the family room with twinkling lights; others prefer the traditional living room location, even though it involves pushing the piano to another part of the room.  What about the bay window off the kitchen?  Then people on the golf course could enjoy its beauty?

We clear a path through the house from the garage to the living room and begin dragging in the "parts" of our newly purchased 20 foot pre-lit greenery.  No point in having cathedral ceilings if you don't fill them with lights and stars and garlands once a year, right?  Each section of the tree is more heavy and awkward than the one before.  By the time we are ready to assemble Section C, someone is already on the ladder and complaining about something.  Then comes the engineering feat of "inserting the orange male plug into the orange female plug...and Ta Dah!  the tree comes alive with blinking lights of every color.

The family gathers 'round, hot cocoa and cookies are served, and holiday music from the CD player fills the air as the cat climbs up the branches and knocks the herald angel to the floor for the third time!

All our organizations have traditions. It is up to us as leaders to evaluate the role those cultural events play in the lives of our folks.  For some they will always be very, very important and must be carried out in a particular way.  For others they are nothing but a big "bother" that take time away from the real business of the group.
I suggest using the "Christmas Tree" yardstick to evaluate customs and traditions:

1. Does the tradition bring people together in a common activity?
2. Is there civil discussion when changes are suggested?
3. Do you have everything you need to "make it happen?"
4. Is there a shared vision of the desired outcome?

As the new year approaches are there traditions that should be evaluated in your organization?  What ones have outlived their original purpose?  What new ones might be established?  Which ones do your folks need to honor to be effective?