The topic of TRADITIONS has been on my mind lately due to a new upcoming year, and a fantastic book I'm reading titled The Joy of Family Traditions.... The book has been great to explain all holidays beyond the ones that I am familiar with along with certain food customs of different countries and cultures that has really opened up my mind to the possibilities of more family fun! Here are a few of my recent favorites for you to enjoy thinking about adapting to your own life - please share your favorites too!
New Years:
-one family video tapes each other every New Years Eve - the adults talk about goals, jobs, hopes, predictions, the state of the world, or whatever is meaningful to them . On alternate years, the family watches last year's video.
The Nativity Scene:
-display your nativity but don't include Jesus until December 25th...let your children place a blade of straw in the manger every time they do a good deed.
-if your child is adopted, a creche from the land of her/his birth can be one way to incorporate her cultural heritage into your holidays.
Christmas:
-make Christmas a season not just a day - especially for children on step families don't push all your traditions on them, or feel like the day needs to be a rush..create new traditions that aren't date specific like picking a tree/ making a wreath / baking etc...
My friend hosts a Valentine’s Tea Party for her daughters and their friends. She serves pink rosehip tea, pink sandwiches, and pink cookies.
March 8th: International Womens Day- Choose a memoir or biography of someone you admire to read with your children.
4th Thursday in April – take our sons or daughters to work day
May 1st May Day leave baskets for neighbors with cakes or freshly baked goods…This tradition stems from an ancient belief that the baskets could ward off evil spirits. A great tradition to revive in one’s neighborhood.
Cinco De Mayo May 5
-learn how to make authentic enchiladas, tamales, menudo, and carnitas
Last Day of School
-with your children invite their teacher(s) over for brunch, lunch, or dinner at the end of the year. Let the kids help plan and prepare the meal
-make a sign for your front door “ Congratulations Mary! You’re going to be a 5th Grader!”
-Thank the school that has done so much for your children. Offer to buy library books, art supplies, musical instruments, or sports equipment for the coming year.
Father’s Day
-Ask your child to write a poem and illustrate it
-give your dad a fruit tree – watch it grow and bear fruit and enjoy eating it together
-hang a map of the US / World in your child’s room, and after each trip find the place you’ve visited and mark it with a sticker.
-write your baby a letter within a week of his birth, while you still have the emotional intensity that you won’t remember six months later. Or start a collection of letters you write on each birthday.
BIRTHDAYS
-Some people celebrate ½ birthdays. Serve half a cake, half the birthday candles, drinks half full, sing half the birthday song, and give a gift that’s half of something.
-in one house little wrapped gifts appear throughout the day – a present on the child’s chair or near his/her toothbrush, perhaps a scavenger hunt
-Gertrud Mueller Olson gives her children two envelopes on each birthday, one marked New Privilege, and the other New Responsibility. She found that her kids enjoyed the new responsibilities every bit as much as the privileges, because the responsibilities marked their growth and maturity. [privileges include: larger allowance, later bedtime…./ Responsibilities include: feeding the dog, setting the table, emptying the dishwasher….]
-take a parent / child trip
-take a grandparent / grandchild trip
-start tucking notes into your child’s lunch box.
-create an anniversary quilt by asking friends to decorate a single square in any way they like, with their names embroidered or appliquéd someplace on the square. I put together a quilt for my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary; friends and family members embellished their squares with memorable sayings and delightful embroidered scenes.
-when the moon is full go out on a walk and dance in the moonlight…obviously this works better with 8 year olds vs. 3 year olds who can stay up a bit later and want to get into lengthier topics such as tides/nature/astronomy/space/history/mythology/etc…
March 8th: International Womens Day- Choose a memoir or biography of someone you admire to read with your children.
4th Thursday in April – take our sons or daughters to work day
May 1st May Day leave baskets for neighbors with cakes or freshly baked goods…This tradition stems from an ancient belief that the baskets could ward off evil spirits. A great tradition to revive in one’s neighborhood.
Cinco De Mayo May 5
-learn how to make authentic enchiladas, tamales, menudo, and carnitas
Last Day of School
-with your children invite their teacher(s) over for brunch, lunch, or dinner at the end of the year. Let the kids help plan and prepare the meal
-make a sign for your front door “ Congratulations Mary! You’re going to be a 5th Grader!”
-Thank the school that has done so much for your children. Offer to buy library books, art supplies, musical instruments, or sports equipment for the coming year.
Father’s Day
-Ask your child to write a poem and illustrate it
-give your dad a fruit tree – watch it grow and bear fruit and enjoy eating it together
-hang a map of the US / World in your child’s room, and after each trip find the place you’ve visited and mark it with a sticker.
-write your baby a letter within a week of his birth, while you still have the emotional intensity that you won’t remember six months later. Or start a collection of letters you write on each birthday.
BIRTHDAYS
-Some people celebrate ½ birthdays. Serve half a cake, half the birthday candles, drinks half full, sing half the birthday song, and give a gift that’s half of something.
-in one house little wrapped gifts appear throughout the day – a present on the child’s chair or near his/her toothbrush, perhaps a scavenger hunt
-Gertrud Mueller Olson gives her children two envelopes on each birthday, one marked New Privilege, and the other New Responsibility. She found that her kids enjoyed the new responsibilities every bit as much as the privileges, because the responsibilities marked their growth and maturity. [privileges include: larger allowance, later bedtime…./ Responsibilities include: feeding the dog, setting the table, emptying the dishwasher….]
-take a parent / child trip
-take a grandparent / grandchild trip
-start tucking notes into your child’s lunch box.
-create an anniversary quilt by asking friends to decorate a single square in any way they like, with their names embroidered or appliquéd someplace on the square. I put together a quilt for my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary; friends and family members embellished their squares with memorable sayings and delightful embroidered scenes.
-when the moon is full go out on a walk and dance in the moonlight…obviously this works better with 8 year olds vs. 3 year olds who can stay up a bit later and want to get into lengthier topics such as tides/nature/astronomy/space/history/mythology/etc…
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