Family Traditions ~ Creating Special Family Moments
Originally published in the Parents’ Resource Guide Fall/Holiday 2018 issue
Fall is a great time of year to think about creating family traditions. Family traditions can be meaningful ways to develop positive relationships, build a strong sense of family identity and have a ton of fun. Special traditions can create a sacred sense of the seasons, family relationships, and life itself.
Sacred Time
Whether it’s a ritual of gratitude at Thanksgiving, enjoyable gatherings such as pizza and game night, or attending church, temple, or mosque, every family can create simple traditions in alignment with their values. If you’ve ever thought, “Hey that’s cool that our neighbors have such & such special family tradition”? Just remember, you can have special traditions too.
Memory Makers
When I was little, my family went camping every summer to Carlsbad Beach State Park. Even now when I drive past the place I feel a bit wistful for the old days. I can still remember the taste of the sandy peanut butter sandwiches (crunchy not creamy!) and the store brand grape soda we had at the campsite picnic table.
A tradition that we started when our daughter was young was getting together with close friends for—brace yourself, it’s kind of corny—a sing-along. We started at Christmas time and would get together and sing carols. Did I mention we all have mediocre to terrible voices? Not a problem—we enjoyed the heck out of it. We even began doing it in the summer time also so we could decimate a lot of other good songs. Actually, we are not too bad on Ring of Fire, by Johnny Cash. We definitely have the accent down!
A Fall Favorite
My favorite Fall tradition is creating a Thanksgiving centerpiece that the family participates in all month long. First, the family takes a walk in the woods and chooses a beautiful Manzanita branch. The next step is to cut out leaves for the branch from fall colors of construction paper. Every evening at dinnertime, family members write down on a cut out leaf one thing they are feeling grateful for and attach it to the Manzanita branch. On Thanksgiving Day, the family can light a candle and read the leaves and think about all that they are thankful for as a part of the holiday tradition.
Keep It Simple
What traditions do you think your family might enjoy? Take a few minutes to give it some thought. It doesn’t have to take a lot of work, and it certainly doesn’t have to be expensive. Just keep it simple. With a bit of planning, there is no reason you cannot bring about some more family fun and closeness and create memories to last a lifetime.
