AskReaders: What is a dying tradition you believe should be preserved?

We asked our regular contributors through e-mail, What is a dying tradition you believe should be preserved? We got many interesting responses. Here are some of them. We have just copied and pasted their responses, not editing them in any way.

1. Whenever I travel, I love to send postcards to my young family members. Sometimes I go to an antique store and find vintage postcards from the area I’m visiting.

I’ve gotten positive feedback, they all seem to think it’s neat to get them, but recently I received one from a young family member and it was a nice surprise!

– obscurityknocks

2. Harvest festivals. It really only works in small to medium agricultural towns, but it really grounds one to the seasons and agricultural production. Right now in Lodi California, we are having the annual Lodi Grape Festival, themed after the winegrape harvest season, and it’s been going for something like 60 years.

– Vitis_Vinifera

3. Trick or treating. It seems like a lot of families today are opting for the convenience of “trunk-or-treating,” where everybody gets their cars and park in a cul-de-sac and hand out candy from their trunks. I’ve heard people call it “safer” but honestly, walking around and seeing everyone’s house decorations and costumes was the fun part, not just getting the candy. I think it’s kind of sad that a lot of kids are missing out on the experience =(

– Sarcasma19

4. Local split-screen multiplayer on consoles :'(

– SomeMagicHappens

5. Competitive Board games with family, it’s a nice time to spend with them.

– NicklerTheGreat

6. Castles, no one builds a good castle anymore. I mean sure there are “castle-like” buildings but not a good 11-foot thick wall of the stone castle.

– havock

7. RSVPing, saying you’ll be somewhere and actually showing up, consistency, etc.

– fitnessisking

8. Been a while since we had a good gladiator match.

– OneStepMoreAbsurd

9. Sobremesa.

That time at the end of a big dinner with friends and loved ones where you just sit around the table drinking wine and shooting the sh*t. Forget doing the dishes. Forget running off to go and do whatever. Just make some time to sit and spend time with people and enjoy some good dessert and a nice glass of whatever without getting drunk for the sake of it.

– Portarossa

10. Sitting on your porch.

– LOL3334444