Christmas traditions have always been very important to me.

I remember when I was a little girl, my family would pack up the car and we would all travel to Cleveland every year.

Christmas Eves were spent with my dad’s family and Christmas mornings with my mom’s.

It was fun getting to visit with my grandparents and all my cousins and there were always presents galore.

However, as my brothers and I got older, things changed a little, and our relatives started coming to Vicksburg.

New traditions were born.

Then, when I began having my own family, the traditions grew to include the kids and some of our holiday rituals included wearing matching pajamas. We would also ride through neighborhoods to look at all the Christmas lights and when the children got older, we started watching National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation.”

In the last few years, we have added to these family traditions, and one of the newest practices revolves around the placement of a particular Christmas tree ornament. Today will determine where it will reside on the tree.

With the final score of the Egg Bowl, our Bulldog ornament will either hang on the front of the tree or dangle from the back.

You see both hubby and I are Mississippi State University graduates, as are three of my children. Number four is a freshman there this year and is even a member of the Pom Squad.

Some may say we are pretty steeped in maroon and white at our house, and clearly we are, but if the Bulldogs don’t have a good season, the Bully ornament is banished to the back of the tree.

I can’t exactly remember when we decided on this Christmas tree rule, but it has been going on for some time now, and is as much of a tradition as hiding the pickle on the tree.

Fortunately, for the past three years the glittery ornament has hung on the front of the tree, with 10-3 and 9-4 records, and of course two years ago, when MSU rose to number one in the nation, Bully was placed near the star!

This year, however, the Bulldogs have had a less than stellar year.

The win over Texas A&M gave me hope, and there seemed like a first quarter chance with Arkansas, but with a 4-7 season and pretty much no hope of a bowl game, the only thing that could redeem the canine ornament from a backside position on the tree is if the Bulldogs can pull off a win against Ole Miss.

However, even if MSU walks away with the coveted Egg Trophy, the ornament may get a mediocre place in front, probably it will be down low and maybe between some branches.

I guess he can always hope for next year.

Go Dawgs!

Terri Cowart Frazier is a staff writer at The Vicksburg Post. You may reach her at terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com.