Family Traditions

Our fondest memories often center around family traditions. Traditions are patterns of behavior often passed down from generation to generation or started anew with our own families. Family traditions can remind us of our ancestors, reinforce principles, create good family memories, help give family members a sense of belonging, enhance family values, and bond our families together. Family vacations can be a great family tradition.

Family traditions are important to the strength of the family and help families create family values. These traditions which vary widely from family to family help remind us to take time for our family and to do something together. Some traditions are carried out daily, while other traditions take place only once a year such as a family vacation. Reading bedtime stories and saying bedtime prayers are daily traditions of many families. Many family traditions are built around holiday celebrations.

Establishing uplifting family traditions will help promote love and kindness in our families and create family fun. When choosing a new tradition, try to pick something that will be edifying and enjoyable for the family. The purpose of the tradition could be just for "family fun." New traditions could also be educational, enlightening, and inspiring with the purpose of reinforcing family values. An annual family vacation or family activity can be a great tradition.

Choose an activity that the whole family can plan, participate in, have family fun. The tradition may need to be adapted as the age, ability, and interest of family members change, so that each family member feels important and included. Choose a time and place for the activity.

• If relatives live far away, have an Internet chat once a month.
• Visit the library monthly and choose a book to read together as a family.
• Go for family walks in your neighborhood.
• Take a family vacation.
• Take pictures of the children on the first day of each school year.
• Go out for ice cream on the last day of the school year.
• Go camping or take a trip together each summer.
• Each month visit an art gallery, museum, or educational exhibit.
• Host a pot luck dinner with your family or neighbors at the end of each summer.
• Help clean up your neighborhood each spring.
• Have a picnic in a park on the 4th of July.
• Celebrate birthdays by allowing the birthday person to choose the meal and activity.
• Celebrate the little things in life. Bake a cake or order pizza when a child receives an award.
• Plan a monthly recreational activity.
• Celebrate an ancestor’s birthday.
• Celebrate the first day of each new season with a different activity. Example: spring–go to a show, summer--go swimming, fall–rake leaves together, winter–go ice skating or build a snowman together.

• Read the Christmas story from the Bible in Luke II on Christmas eve.
• Write a family newsletter with each person contributing a story or picture.
• Plan a service project in December before Christmas.
• Prepare your favorite food together and share some with friends.
• Play charades on Christmas eve using Christmas as a theme.
• Participate in a recreational activity. Go ice skating, skiing, or sledding together.
• Decorate your home in a special way.
• Plan a family vacation around a holiday.
• Make homemade decorations for the Christmas tree.
• Make homemade Christmas cards to send to friends.
• Make a family video of everyone sharing a good memory of the past year.
• Hang Christmas stocking up on Christmas eve.
• Secretly do something nice for your neighbors.
• Celebrate the new year with a family dance or special music.
• Watch home movies on New Years eve.
• Stay up late on Christmas eve waiting for Santa to come or have a slumber party by the Christmas tree.