I find the most interesting life lessons in the most unusual places at the most unexpected times.

I attended the local Folk Music Festival and was relaxing on the hill when an artist I didn’t know and hadn’t heard before started his performance with a story as an intro to one of his songs. It was about the Christmas ham.

He watched his Mom prepare the Christmas ham. Part of the process was to cut off a little bit of each end of this ham. It was always so, and he didn’t give it a thought. At least until he was at the dinner table.

He pulled his chair closer to the Christmas table, anticipating his slice of Christmas ham. Then, without much thought, he asked his Dad, why Mom always cut off the ends of the ham.

“Ask your mother,” he answered.

“Mom, why do you always cut off the end of the ham. Those two pieces are on the serving platter with the rest of the ham,” the performer-in-the-making asked.

“I watched my mother cut off the ends of the ham, so I’ve always done it.”

Fortunately, Grandma was coming for a visit on Boxing Day. The youngster waited eagerly to track down the mystery.

Ding-dong, the side doorbell chimed out around noon on Boxing Day.

“Grandma, Grandma, why did you cut off the ends of the Christmas Ham?”

“Wait until I get settled in. At least time to take my shoes off.”

Time passed slowly.

Finally, everyone looked settled, and he asked Grandma again.

She seemed disinterested but said, “my Mom always did cut off the ends of the ham.”

The singer found this quite unsatisfactory but set the little piece of information aside for later. A month or two later, the family visited his Great Grandma in a long-term care facility.

“G-G, I have a question. At Christmas, Mom cuts off the ends of the ham. Why does she do that all the time,” he asked.

“I love reminiscing about my good old days. Christmas time with family is one of those cherished memories. Well, my family didn’t have a lot of money. We lived in a small apartment. The appliances we had were small too, including the stove with the built-in oven. We cut off the ends of the ham because the oven was very narrow.”

“That’s it,” I exclaimed! “But we have a big oven. I watch Mom bake some biscuits while the ham is finishing cooking.”

“That’s it. Now you know why,” G-G closed the conversation.

Habits and rituals.

I hope the performer still cuts off the ends of his Christmas hams. Now it’s not out of necessity but out of respect and a way to honour his ancestors. It connects him to his past. It reminds him of the sacrifices that others have made to help him have the life he has today.

Please give this a bit of a think. Are there rituals or habits in your life that have no apparent rationale for doing? Are they somehow satisfying? Is it time to stop or change the ritual? There are no right or wrong answers to this question, so just enjoy a few moments of reflection.

I am curious about your thoughts. Please comment below or send me an email with your bit of a think.

Photo by AI request: Create an image of a family of 2 adults and a son and daughter sitting at a middle-class dining room table set with a Christmas theme, with Dad cutting the Christmas ham.

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glenn.walmsley@icloud.com