Holiday Traditions

This evening, I was reminded that it is nearly time for what has become an important holiday tradition: Titus Andronicus.

It started innocently enough.

I read the play on Christmas day sitting on my parents couch.

When I got to the penultimate scene, dinner was ready.

The next year, I purchased the Julie Taymor film version, and screened it just before the holiday to get myself in the correct mood. The year after that, there was an added twist. I timed baking a cherry pie to coincide with the final scene in the film, as I screened it with my girlfriend.

She brought it up today: “It’s just about Titus time isn’t it?”

It’s curious how these little traditions are formed. Rather than Frosty the Snowman or a Charlie Brown Christmas, I’m in the mood for Titus. It may be macabre, but it’s true.

It’s a wonderful life, eh?