Yes, there is something to be said for tradition.
It gives us reference and association.
I recall watching a football game ...and when a commercial came on, it wasn't one of those stupid ones, nor the ones that you send your young one out of the room to get you a glass of water. I felt it was a really good commercial. It appeared like it was a homeless man, rather tattered ...walking to a large gathering around the town's Christmas tree.
The man had an iPhone, or something like that ...and I always wondered how such a large number of the seemingly poorest people have gadgets. Admittedly, I was still thinking about the game, as I'm one of those strategists ...having grown up on football, and having played it in high school. So, I could be wrong, as I was not paying strict attention to the commercial as I do that game ...but suddenly, I saw the commercial was a longer version than I'd usually had glimpses of, and I noticed the supposed homeless man pick something up out of the snow. I suddenly commented, "So, that's where he got that!" This was my comment which answered my own question in my head ...of where he got the gadget.
But, it created another question ...of how he was so quickly able to figure out how to use it. I had no choice but to conclude that he was smarter than me. I guess our country has been saying for a long time there are lots of smart people who could have jobs if jobs were available.
I was touched by the commercial, and stated aloud, "That's one of the best commercials!" Then I commented that I wished they wouldn't shorten it.
Another keen observer in the room, mentioned that they'd seen the full length commercial before, but once they run the full version enough times, they can shorten it, and our minds fill in the blank part which is not seen, but which we've seen before ...and it doesn't cost the advertiser as much for that expensive air time.
Tradition does much the same thing ...as when we've heard or seen something enough times, it gives us immediate association.
And that can be a good thing.
Yet, though it may not necessarily be a bad thing ...it can be wrong.
For instance, the majority of people probably would say the wise men were at manger scene when Jesus was born. Most manger scenes purchased for part of our Christmas decor, whether as outdoor scenes, in children's books, or table scenes and on the mantle ...include the wise men.
The Gospel According to Luke, Chapter 2, clearly puts the shepherds in the scene ...but the Gospel According to Matthew, Chapter 2, clearly does not put the wise men there until much later. Tradition is so strong, that it has imprinted a slight inaccuracy in our mind ...though, in this case, it is not something to be overly concerned with. And most people can read these verses and more clearly see how it actually was.
Yet, there are traditions or traditional ways of thinking that are not clearly seen, nor stated. And what can we say of that??
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