21-gun salute (n.) is a naval tradition older than most of the navies that fire it.
21-gun salute (n.) is applause, delivered by artillery.
21-gun salute (n.) is the greeting a country saves for heads of state.
21-gun salute (n.) is a cannon's way of saying it means no harm.
Christmas (n.) is a poor excuse every 25th of December to pick a man's pockets.
Christmas (n.) persecutes the lonely, the frayed, and the rejected.
Christmas (n.) is Judgement Day, but for kids, where Santa is always watching and has a list of kids who have been naughty and who have been nice.
Christmas (n.) is the glorious time of great Too-Much.
A Great tradition (n.) is a formalized, complex set of values (e.g. Orthodox, mainstream religions) with historical appeal. Little traditions are local, often peasant-based, oral, and informal.