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Posts Tagged ‘family traditions’

Family Traditions ? 30 Fun & Meaningful Ideas for Any Family (Part 1)

Family traditions help provide to each family member a home, environment, and relationships of purpose in a world of confusion, disorganization, and decreasing morals and values. Traditions provide families the desired foundation of comfort, familiarity, and consistency, which certainly helps ensure that family disunity, dysfunction, and eventual separation does not occur. And yet, the most effective family traditions are not those that only occur annually on certain holidays – they are made evident in daily and weekly habits and actions that are simple, yet significant.

No, these traditions are not about large meals, big events, fancy decorations, or annual celebrations – these are the very traditions that help define who we are, determine our personal and family happiness, and even the eventual outcome of our children. As you will see below, there are 15 family traditions listed (the remaining 15 are contained in part 2 of the Family Traditions article series), and there certainly could be hundreds more listed. These 30 listed, however, are traditions that make a difference because they require effort, creativity, consistency, and most importantly – the ability to make time for the most important relationships in life – our family!

Old Family Traditions and the New Generation

Old Family Traditions And The New Generation

Carried forward through the years by each new generation, old family traditions are a powerful means of strengthening the bonds that hold families together. Old family traditions often serve to connect the older generation with the new generation, encouraging interaction through shared activities, and can also offer a way for families separated by distance to feel close.

Family Traditions ? 30 Fun & Meaningful Ideas for Any Family (Part 2)

Family traditions help provide to each family member a home, environment, and relationships of purpose in a world of confusion, disorganization, and decreasing morals and values. Traditions provide families the desired foundation of comfort, familiarity, and consistency, which certainly helps ensure that family disunity, dysfunction, and eventual separation does not occur. And yet, the most effective family traditions are not those that only occur annually on certain holidays – they are made evident in daily and weekly habits and actions that are simple, yet significant.

No, these traditions are not about large meals, big events, fancy decorations, or annual celebrations – these are the very traditions that help define who we are, determine our personal and family happiness, and even the eventual outcome of our children. As you will see below, there are 15 family traditions listed (the first 15 are contained in part 1 of the Family Traditions article series), and there certainly could be hundreds more listed. These 30 listed, however, are traditions that make a difference because they require effort, creativity, consistency, and most importantly – the ability to make time for the most important relationships in life – our family!

Establishing Family Traditions

As Christmas is drawing closer, I find myself remembering all the family traditions my parents established long ago. Even now, as a married young adult, I still look forward to my family’s annual Christmas-Eve Family Program with childlike excitement. I have reflected lately on what it was my parents did to instill in me the innate desire to participate in our family traditions; whether it was over the holidays or throughout the year with our other special annual family events, I have always anxiously anticipated our gatherings. So, what is it that makes a family practice a “tradition?” I believe there is a basic format to creating family traditions, and it involves three things: attendance, preparation and timeliness.

In order to create a family tradition, strive to have all family members present during the initial “formation” process. Having all family member present gives children a sense of belonging and comfort, and children will also understand that this new event/ordeal is special because everyone is gathered together. Make it a point to engrave in everyone’s mind the importance of the tradition you are trying to establish and encourage involvement and ask for others thoughts. Those in attendance should have a say in how activities and events are orchestrated. Traditions will provide children and adults with something to look forward to throughout the year, so it is important that everyone give their input on how they want to celebrate a particular family activity. Before these traditions are set in stone, they have to be held regularly at least two times in a row and all family members should try to be present; this will engrave upon the minds of all present that this family gathering is more special than the typical, every day happenings.

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