I think we can (usually) easily distinguish between The Tradition and a tradition, and use each expression validly as long as we remember the distinction. Many years ago, it became a tradition at the Songsmiths Folk Club for us to sing "On the road to Mandalay" as the last song of the night; it certainly isn't a traditional song! Of course, tradition--and The Tradition in particular--is a living thing, not a dead stuffed-and-mounted-in-a-glass-case-in-a-museum thing, and we keep it alive by hands-on enjoyment of it, not by displaying it and saying "don't touch!"; and we add to it as we go along, so that our children's Tradition will be a little different from ours, as ours is from our parents'.

Gosh, I'm getting all philosophical! I'd better go and lie down ...

Steve