Family Traditions

    With Memorial Day right around the corner, it is nice to look forward to time with family and friends and to participate in ongoing family traditions. A family tradition is something that is recreated year after year.  Each holiday is special in its own way and can be celebrated as such.  Every Fourth of July, my family hosts a party filled with food, games and ending the night with fireworks. Each year at Halloween time, my husband’s family will get together and spend an evening going to haunted houses. Perhaps not a typical family tradition, but one their family has done for years – and one everyone looks forward to. A less frightful Halloween tradition that is observed by one of my good friends and her family is camping every Halloween weekend. Another tradition in my own family that I look forward to every year is gathering in my mother’s kitchen to bake pies and other desserts for Thanksgiving and Christmas. A good time is always had; and now that my own children are getting older, they are getting roped into the baking as well.

    Families that share in their own traditions provide a sense of comfort and security to their family members, especially the children involved. Children love routine and consistency; a family tradition provides this year after year. It also helps the children manage the changes in the year and gives them something to look forward to.

    In addition, family traditions enhance family and personal well-being and can also add to the family identity. Strong family bonds are created and reinforced with traditions that are upheld and maintained. As children grow and mature, traditions can also be altered or changed to accommodate each family’s needs. For example, perhaps a family with young children has a tradition of singing Christmas carols around their Christmas tree. As the children age, their tradition could evolve into working at a soup kitchen or buying gifts for families in need.

    Family traditions don’t have to be formal, fancy or cost money. They don’t even have to revolve around the holidays – you can share in a family tradition any day or time of the year. My own family enjoys baking together to ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas; perhaps your family opts to go to dinner and attend an evening Mass on Christmas Eve. Traditions are what you want to make them. Other ideas to create family traditions include:

• Read a book, such as “The Night Before Christmas,” aloud prior to opening Christmas gifts

• Weekly or monthly family movie night

• Have a yearly family talent show

• Create crafts together

• Make candy or prepare meals together

• Have an annual family camping trip

• Have your own family sporting tournament with a traveling trophy to be awarded to the winning family each year

No matter what your family tradition is or what your family chooses to create, just having something for all family members to look forward to each year is important. Traditions help create warm, positive memories that can be recalled fondly and draw family members back to one another year after year.

Cossey is the Youth First Social Worker serving Good Shepherd School in Evansville.