My wife and I often talk about creating and maintaining family traditions. It feels like a good way to bring the feeling of community and togetherness into our world.

We also often lament the lack of our own traditions, feeling that many of them are lost to time or our respective family histories.

I realized the other day that we have a wonderful family tradition, that is all our own at the end of the year.

On the last day of the year we join some friends (who invited us to join their tradition) of watching the sunset over the ocean. It is a fantastic way to end the year and everyone gets to be in bed long before the ball drops!

Then, for the last two years we have gone to Vasquez Rocks on the first day of the new year, and thus is born our family tradition! Below is the proof.