Just about every family has its own set of traditions, whether it is the date the Christmas tree goes up or Mom’s favorite chili that gets served every Super Bowl Sunday. Establishing family traditions is sometimes intentional, such as families that commit to eating dinner or doing devotionals together each night. They can also be established through routine or habit, such as the big snowball fight during the first snow of the season or the gag gifts that were passed around one Christmas and then somehow stuck. We have insight on the value of establishing traditions within your own family and a few ideas to get you started building traditions your entire clan is sure to love.
The Benefits of Family Traditions
There are many reasons to incorporate traditions of all kinds into your family routine, including:
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The opportunity to bond together as a family and build closer relationship with one another
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The ability to build a strong family identity that helps children withstand peer pressure and gives them accountability
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A segment of time, intentionally carved out to allow family members to enjoy spending time with one another
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Creating a reflection of how family members interact with one another and their community
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The formation of a family history that is unique to that particular clan
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The cultivation of a sense of belonging and importance for each family member
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An effective method of building fond memories of times together
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A way for family members to feel good about themselves and one another
Strong traditions typically build stronger family units, so now is the time to begin incorporating some unique family traditions into your own clan. We have ideas to help you establish traditions that are unique, positive and just plain fun!
Times to Add Traditions
The best times to begin establishing positive family traditions are during special events or dates like the following:
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Christmas or Hanukah
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Thanksgiving
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Birthdays
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First or last days of school
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Valentine’s Day
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Super Bowl Sunday
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New Year’s Day
As you can see, nearly any day can become a special date for family traditions, as long as it has some significance to all of the family members. Other traditions might involve simple family activities like family nights or vacations. You might also weave family traditions into daily routines like bedtime or dinner time.
Think about the times that you commonly spend together as a family, whether it is a daily, monthly or annual event. Determine how you could make that event or ritual more special by incorporating a family tradition into it. Keep in mind that more frequent traditions may be much smaller and simpler than those you establish for annual celebrations like Christmas. The last thing you want to do is become so bogged down in maintaining your traditions that you no longer enjoy your family time.
Hold a Meeting
Once you determine the time you would like to begin a family tradition, hold an informal meeting with your entire clan to get an idea of what your tradition would look like. It might be based on an activity that you all enjoy together, such as pizza and game night on the first Friday of every month. It may also involve preserving special memories, like taking photos of the kids on the first day of school that you frame and display in a special place in your home. Maybe it is something you do already but you want to become more intentional about making it a habit, like reading a special book together at bedtime.
Other types of family traditions might cultivate values within your family that you want to subscribe to, such as adopting a family at Christmas that needs food and gifts for their children. You might also establish a “thankfulness” tradition that involves listing the blessings in your life before eating Thanksgiving dinner. Using your traditions to establish family values offers the dual purpose of helping your family bond and setting a moral standard for your group at the same time.
Features of Family Traditions
No matter what traditions you decide to establish for your family, they should include the following features:
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They should provide time together as a family
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They should be easy to maintain
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They should be something all family members enjoy
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They should build positive memories
Family traditions are a wonderful way to draw closer as a family by spending high quality time together. Make this holiday season the time to establish special traditions your family will be sure to love and remember.
