Family Traditions

When it comes to family time, what do you remember most?  What you got in your Easter basket/Christmas gifts/birthday presents?  Or do you remember trekking to the pumpkin patch each year?  Or other family traditions from being a kid? 

In today’s world of internet shopping, instant communication, and satellite tiv, it’s easy to forget, but things and toys are rarely what stick in kids’ minds- what they remember is what we  do with them, and how we spend our free time.  Make family traditions- they can be as simple as a certain kind of dessert at Easter, or as elaborate as a special summer vacation spot, or even making caramel apples in the fall. 

Our family has tried to implement a handful of activities we do regularly- Daddy cooks pancakes every Sunday morning.  Every Christmas we try to find a tree farm to cut a fresh tree.  (We’ve lived in 3 states- In New Mexico, you can buy a $10 permit to cut your own from the National Forest.)  We have a special bedtime routine.  And Mom and the boys make chocolate chip cookies regularly. 

And every Friday night is PIZZA NIGHT.  No takeout or delivery involved.  We get a kid movie from netflix, and dad makes pizza to order for each person.  It’s the one night the boys are allowed to eat in the living room.  [as an aside, this post sounds like mom doesn't cook, which isn't true... not sure why dad's cooking seems more special... I do mix the pizza dough when I arrive home from work, and it rises until dad is ready to cook.]  Pizza night is special, and our kids look forward to it all week.  By about Thursday, when they are exhausted, the words, ‘one more night til pizza night’ is enough to get them going.  In a few years, they’ll be too big and busy for family pizza night,  but while they’re little, we are soaking it up.

Our routines are not perfect for anyone else- each family has to create their own traditions and special activities for themselves.  They can be simple or involved.  The important thing is that you make it special and fun for your family!  Just think, in 25 years or so, your kids may be telling their own kids, ‘when I was little, we would always…….’