By Contributing Writer, Jennifer Ross
Not too long ago craftsmen would build homes with attention to detail. Think of the beautiful Victorian homes with all that intricate woodwork. Just a few little touches made all the difference. Traditions in our lives are similar to detailed woodworking on a simple home. It just adds that something special.
Tradition. It’s something worth establishing in our own families. If you don’t know where to start, just think of a few things you’ve done around the holidays that your family has enjoyed, and if it is something you can do again and again each year, you’ve just created a tradition in your home.
Thirteen or so years ago my parents had invited my husband and children and I to their home for Thanksgiving dinner. They also invited extended family. Mom needed some help getting everything ready for the day, so we had planned to be at their home early that day. We thought it would be a treat for us all to get donuts before heading to my parents. The kids loved it!
When Thanksgiving came around the next year, someone mentioned donuts for breakfast. I thought it would be a treat again for the family, and again the kids loved it and a tradition was born. Need a few ideas for family traditions?
- A special breakfast on Christmas Day
- Opening gifts at midnight on Christmas Eve
- Decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving
- A family picture on Christmas morning with the family in their p.j’s
- Making ornaments with the children each year
- Delivering home baked goodies to family and friends Christmas day afternoon
Family traditions… the stuff memories are made of!
About Jennifer Ross
We never have done the Santa Claus thing, but one year, when the children were very small, the mayor of our town came by dressed as Santa handing out goody bags. Each lunch-size paper sack contained an apple, an orange, a Hershey bar, and a can of Pepsi. We moved from that town soon afterwards, but I decided to continue preparing goody bags not only for Dad, the children, and me.
Sometimes I would decorate the bags, and I eventually changed the 12-oz. can of Pepsi to a 16- or 20-oz. bottle of their individual favorite soda. I suppose this was our version of the stocking tradition, but it is one which still continues to this day.
That is similar to what our church did last year! Bags with fruit and candy were passed out. I love the tradition of giving!
Some of my favorite family traditions are:
1. We always decorate our house the day after Thanksgiving.
2. We always listen to lots of Christmas music- especally in the car and while we bake.
3. Baking lots!! of Christmas goodies and sharing them with our neighbors.
4. The last few years we have gone to a Christmas concert at churches and that is so much fun– it always reminds us of the Real meaning of the season.
5. Getting hot chocolate and going to see Christmas lights in different areas of town.
6. Our local zoo decorates for Christmas so we always go see that.
7. We watch the Christmas specials and movies on TV.
8. The past several years we have had a special breakfast on Christmas morning.
9. Our New Year’s Eve tradition is fun as well– we make lots of snacks and watch the New Year’s Eve special on TV and see the ball drop at midnight– we have been doing that since I was very little.
I love this time of year and also learning of other ideas for traditions to start.
God bless you and Merry Christmas,
Libby
Baking! Yes! And the Christmas music, and special breakfast. Great ideas and traditions
I love number 5, getting hot chocolate and going to see the Christmas lights in town!
I started a December 1st tradition for my family. I give each person a small gift on December 1st. When my daughter married…this became a small family gift. Examples: a Christmas cd or dvd, a Christmas book to read, a Christ honoring Christmas ornament…these are just a few examples. This always puts us in the mindset to honor Christ at what has become a very materialistic driven holiday. Thank you for your post.
We just had our 3rd annual Christmas bonfire the 1st Saturday of December. We invite all our friends. This has become the event my kids most look forward to, and it is something many of our friends look forward to as well! We ask everyone to bring a canned good, which we gather to give to a family in need.
Each year, my aunt wraps up 24 books and mails them in a box to us. Each night of December leading up to Christmas, our kids take turns opening one book. This has also become a favorite tradition.
I love that book wrapping idea…