Family Tradition Ideas

Celebrating Old and New Family Traditions

Family tradition is the glue that binds. Traditions are especially important to our children.

Families are more mobile today... at least our family has been!

My career has kept us from living near extended family for the better part of twenty years. My wife, Sheri, and I have a large family of six children and travel "home" for the holidays was seldom a possibility...due to the expense.

This distance from extended family is more and more common in today's world. We move around, change jobs and travel much more than before.

For us, this has increased the importance of our family traditions.

Traditions play a huge role in creating an identity that our kids can relate to and take comfort in.

The house we lived in may have been different. The town we resided in may have changed, but the way we observed and celebrated at various times during the year always remained the same.

Blending Old and New Family Tradition Ideas

Her family opened gifts on Christmas eve and my family opened them on Christmas morning. Well, when we still lived near home, this made it easy for us. We spent Christmas eve with her family and the next morning was spent with my family.

When the kids came along, though, we had to "compromise".

In her family gifts from Santa came wrapped...in mine, all the gifts from Santa were unwrapped and set out on display. This was important to me because, as kids, we were allowed to get up early and play with gifts from Santa. But the wrapped gifts from family and friends weren't to be touched until mom and dad were up.

Well, we "compromised" ...we did it just as her family did! lol :)

Seriously though, she made concessions as well. Our kids have always opened their gifts on Christmas morning...just as my family always did.

Thanksgiving was easy. The more food the better, right?

So our Thanksgiving table consists of all the very best family recipes from her family and my family.

Year Round Family Traditions

1. All the other holidays such as Easter
2. Birthdays
3. How we celebrate high school graduation
4. How we welcome in the various season of the year
5. Opening day of the NFL football season (this is one of ours)
6. How about your Super Bowl ritual (tradition)?
7. When our children come of age.
8. Sunday dinners

Then, when we get the Christmas stockings out again the next year, we all can read and decide whether or not we met those resolutions. It just sounded like a great idea. We are going to try it this year!

Life wouldn't be nearly the same without family traditions to cherish and look forward to.

Our children will never forget us, but it will be during the observance of long-held family traditions that their memory of us will be the strongest.