Family Traditions: They’re Well Worth the Effort – What Are Yours?
Think back to some of your favorite childhood memories. What do they involve? You got it. Traditions!
Even Hank Williams Jr. felt the need to write a song about them:
Country music singers have always been a real close family
But lately, some of my kinfolks have disowned a few others and me
I guess it’s because I kind of changed my direction
Lord, I guess I went and broke their family tradition…
Why Family Traditions
Psychologists are saying that study after study is proving that what we remember and enjoy the most about our time in our parents’ home is the family traditions. It’s the activities that bring our families together and give us the feeling that everything is right with the world and with our families that shine in our hearts the longest.
Just think about the stories you hear people tell from childhood, “Every Christmas we would, my cousins and I would always, my dad used to always take us camping to…” This will be our children someday. What stories do we want to give them to tell?
After reading these statistics, I had a conversation with Chris about it. We concluded that we didn’t have as many as we would have liked, and we weren’t being consistent on some of the ones we originally planned.
They need to be your own and feel natural to the family! Children can research and suggest traditions, or a family vote can be done.
Ride the cotton picker with Grandpa at harvest time
Make Time for Family Traditions
In a time when priorities are prioritized, technology and the pace of life are frantic, it is more important than ever to tattoo these remarkable times onto our children’s memory. Yes, there is work pressure, bills to pay, Little League, Girl Scouts, piano, and the list goes on.
No one has the answer to how your family can find time for family traditions, but it is worth you figuring out how your family will carve out the time from your busy schedules because many are convinced that traditions are the key to everything. It’s a conscious decision for us to choose our priorities every day, or the world will gladly choose them for you!
Support Your Alma Mater
In all the chaos in the world and the busyness in households, children love the predictability and routine. Traditions give the family their identity. Family traditions help children to know their cultural heritage. They are the ties that bind us and give us a sense of belonging. They give children something to look forward to.
Creating a Legacy
Many children go on to pass these traditions to their children. If you do not already have traditions in your family, consider what you can add to your family’s agenda so that you are leaving a legacy of unforgettable times, connecting your generations, and building security and values in your children.
Go to a pumpkin patch every fall
No one can tell you what your traditions should be. I researched traditions for my own family because we had a couple of traditions from our childhood that we wanted to pass to Luke and Jock, but we also wanted to add some.
Family Tradition Ideas
- Going to a certain team event every year (Ex: Go to the Mets vs. Red Sox)
- Make a recipe from your culture on a given holiday every year
- Go to church as a family every Christmas at the same time and day
- Google Christmas traditions. There are tons.
- Do something for each day of Holy Week before Easter. Again, tons of ideas if you Google.
- Volunteer at the same place for years
- Birthday traditions such as pick what I cook for you on that day
- Go to a family reunion every year
- Pumpkin carving
- Gardening or going berry or pecan picking
- First and last day of school (Do the same special thing on those days every year)
- Notes in the lunch box
- Always eat dinner together
- Yearly carnivals or fairs
- Yearly hunting trips
- Musicals, symphonies, theatres
- Pray as a family before meals and bedtime
- There are plenty of Thanksgiving traditions, again Google if interested.
- Have a weekly family cleaning night, movie night, dance night, or board game night
- Pick a chapter book that the family will read together each night
- Read the Bible as a family
- Children should see that there are traditions between husband and wife too: date night, anniversary celebration, Christmas gift giving, always dance to a certain song
- Marshmallow roasting
- The same water park every summer or family river floats
- The same yearly camping trip
- Something the kids enjoy every year (For us it’s Monster Jam Feb. and Oct.)
- Horseback riding
- Family Game Night
- Special morning kisses
- Crazy handshakes
- I Love You Hand Signal
Make a Family Tradition Plan Today
The possibilities are endless. The main thing is that your family does something that gives it a personality and uniqueness from other families.
No one can tell you what your traditions should be. I researched traditions for my own family because we had a couple of traditions from our childhood that we wanted to pass to Luke and Jock, but we also wanted to add some.
Jellystone Park each October
Don’t forget to take pictures. You can even make albums of certain traditions.
A tradition chose by Jock, 3 years running – Monster Jam
Traditions are something that won’t be regretted. Don’t look back and wish you had. As Gretchen Rubin would say, “The days pass slowly, but the years pass quickly.”
Leave a Comment
What is your favorite childhood family tradition? What family tradition do you and your family do that the rest of us should consider? We would love to hear from you!
Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours! Remember to have fun, laugh and give God the glory! I love you! SS
