Nick Tomasso, a 44-year-old dad from Glenwood Springs, Colorado, has a pretty awesome annual tradition going on. Every year, he and his son Jackson recreate one of those winning photos to delight the world. This touching tradition started eleven years ago, just after Jackson was born. What started as an unplanned occurrence quickly turned into a unique INFORUM tradition. Today, it is a yearly celebration of the close relationship of father and son.
A few months after Jackson was born, Tomasso started the Stansel tradition. He outfitted both of them in complementary Batman T-shirts. As years passed, this seemingly mundane chore grew into an invaluable time capsule for the family. Jackson, now 11 years old and in sixth grade, wears his new Batman shirt every year with excitement. Tomasso has his original shirt folded neatly and stored in a box, only taking it out for their reunion photoshoot.
And every annual visit, the duo take a selfie in Jackson’s room. When possible, Jackson is now on the special chair that has become the important and fun element of their tradition. In year two and three, Jackson made the mistake of sitting in that chair. Since then, it has re-emerged as a testament to their shared prosperity. The final shot usually shows Jackson contentedly curled up on Tomasso’s lap, underscoring their bond.
Back in September, Tomasso posted to Reddit with a year’s worth of photos stitched together, all taken at the same location every year since 2014. Her post immediately went viral, inspiring hundreds of thousands who deeply understood the spirit behind the tradition.
“We realized that it really is a cool time capsule to see how much he’s growing,” – Nick Tomasso.
Yet as Jackson gets older, Tomasso confesses while fighting back tears that he’s cognizant this tradition won’t last much longer.
“We agreed that we’d try to keep it going as long as we can. It may end next year. It may not end for 10 more years. It may not end for 20 more years. Who knows, but I would imagine once he gets older, it’s not going to happen anymore,” – Tomasso.
As Tomasso recognizes the transitory reality of time, she urges other parents to soak in every minute with their kids while they still can.
“As a parent, just make the most of the good times and bad and the big moments and the small moments, because time will go by very quickly,” – Tomasso.
He’s a staunch advocate for having parents with their kids, saying,
“You can remember every single thing that happened in each one of those years. But when you look at it from a total perspective, sometimes you take for granted how quickly time actually goes. Just be there for your kids, show up for them,” – Tomasso.
Nick Tomasso marks his son’s progress with this beautiful ritual. He motivates countless others to develop deep, lasting relationships with their families.
