My extended family can be set in their ways. Very set. Especially when it comes to the holidays. Thanksgiving at my aunt's house. Christmas at my grandmother's. The kids all sit on the floor and the adults in chairs when we unwrap presents, and we eat our weight in peach pies at New Year's, to name a few traditions. Growing up, it helped that we knew what to expect during the approaching holiday season, but as we became teenagers, my brother and I soon began to grow restless, and started hoping to make some new traditions during our holiday breaks from school. One year, we had the opportunity to do just that, much to the consternation of some of our relatives. A close family friend invited us to a house she was renting on the beach for Thanksgiving. It was cold and dark, especially since most of the other homes in the area were empty for the season, and we had a blast. I brought along my best friend for the adventure, and I will always be able to think back on the wild times we had, such as racing along on a golf cart in the dead of night, and trying out standup paddle boarding for the first time, in the middle of November no less! I do still love my family's regular traditions, but every so often it's good to break the mold and try something different. Traditions are fun, but don't let them stop you from making new ones too.