PARENTING PAGE ARTICLE:
Family Traditions
By Pam Thomas
Nine Powerful Traditions You Can Do With Your Family -

So many of our "favorite childhood memories" are of family holidays and vacations that were repeated over
and over again. Good smells, good feelings, good times. Children and adults alike find comfort in knowing
that something is going to happen that they are sure they will enjoy.
Traditions are really the building blocks of strong, caring, happy families.

1. Traditions make us spend time together without the normal daily distractions because they are scheduled
and planned for. Since we are often too rushed to do the things we really value, rituals and traditions make
sure we do them. Something that can help you do this with your own family is the Tradition Planner. Use this
planner to record and organize your family traditions by the month. Holidays and birthdays are the obvious
ones. Family vacations and reunions count as well.  But don't forget things like the Super bowl party you
host, the annual church picnic, or the neighborhood end-of-summer potluck. You have more family
traditions than you realize.

2. Traditions provide opportunities to show how much we care, with gifts, preparations, and spontaneous
displays of emotion. They set the mood for a more relaxed and focused state, and make us feel comfortable
enough to openly express our love and appreciation for each other. When we talk with longing about our
mother's apple pie, or grandpa's favorite fishing trip, it's the emotions and good feelings connected to those
things that we really miss. The Thanksgiving book is a wonderful family tradition. All you need is harvest
colored paper leaves that you set out in a basket or bowl on your dinner table. Ask each guest to write down
what they are thankful for, and then take turns reading them during dessert. Collage them into the
Thanksgiving book and create a keepsake that can be displayed and enjoyed for may Thanksgiving to
come.

3.Traditions help us stay close to family and friends far away because traditions usually involve
celebrations, and celebrations usually require more people from drifting apart. The more occasions and
events a family celebrates, the more opportunities they each have to connect. Invite family and friends to
Celebrate Christmas eve at your house. Have the kids help make your own Reindeer mix with a little
oatmeal, rice, cinnamon and gold glitter. Sprinkle this treat on your front lawn to attract Santa's helpers to
you home on Christmas Eve.  Send a little mix home with every child that night to sprinkle in there yard
before there off to bed. Don't forget to record this special night with a photo as your little ones mix and
sprinkle.

4.Traditions help us build a family identity by establishing how we communicate, how we make decisions and
solve problems, as well as how we celebrate holidays, milestones, and other family events.  We talk to our
children and grandchildren often about the family values we believe in: honesty, compassion, responsibility,
courage, etc…   Yet we don't have a formal way of celebrating those family values when we see them in
those we love. The "Candle of Honor" will do just that for us. Each time a family member behaves in a way
that demonstrates one of your cherished family values, place the candle on the dinner table, and celebrate
that worthy deed.

5. Traditions say "This is how we do things as a family, this is how we decorate our Christmas tree, this is
how we celebrate birthdays, this is the ice cream shop we stop at on the way to Sequoia National Park every
Labor Day Weekend this is who we are." Our Family Album is a perfect family journal of your family life
together and gives each member a wonderful sense of belonging and pride. Make it a New Year's tradition
to pick out your favorite photos and, together as a family, create a two-page collage for each year.  Add a
few memorable notes, and you will have a family keepsake you can leave on your coffee table to enjoy.

6. Traditions make it possible to create a family history as they are passed on through the generations.
Memorabilia and photos, that show the family doing the same thing year after year, make us feel connected
to those who came before us. The Family Tree album becomes the home for those priceless photos of past
generations. Your family can reflect on those who come before them, how their ancestors lived, and who
looks like whom!  This is an invaluable heirloom for your family.

7. Traditions provide optimal settings for teaching family values through the sheer strength of repetition. We
learn much more powerful lessons from activities that we participate in year after year, than an occasional
lecture. Since many rituals and traditions create a relaxed and happy atmosphere, learning is more likely to
take place. Our family values become part of who we are. We all want to teach our children to be kind,
respectful, responsible human beings because we know that those values are the true " Keys of Happiness".
Use the journal to strengthen the learning process of teaching family values. Every time someone's behavior
shows an understanding and an effort to embrace one of your cherished family values. Make it a special
event by writing a quick note about it in the journal, in front of them. Use the Candle of Honor along with the
family values journal to create a tradition these young impressionable people will,
no doubt, continue with their own children.


8. Traditions give us many reasons to celebrate life together, and they make it easy because you know what
to do and how to do it. On Friday nights we walk to the ice cream shop after dinner, on Saturday afternoons
we make caramel-almond-popcorn and watch a video, and Sunday mornings we have Mom's delicious
blueberry waffles and go for a bike ride to the beach. Since we are not rushing around worrying about what
to do next, we can actually enjoy ourselves.

9. Traditions bring together the generations, which can add such richness to our family life. The older
members of the family bring patience, wisdom, and wonderful stories of the past.  The young ones bring that
youthful wonder and excitement about life that brings joy to the rest of us. We send our Family tree booklets
to Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and cousins and have them fill in their story. Or start a new family tradition,
where the younger generation interviews one
member of the older generation every Thanksgiving and fill in the booklet for them. Store these treasured
family keepsakes in a beautiful Family Tree Box.

Traditions help us organize our busy, hectic lives. Planning rituals on specific days of the year (such as the
family album on New Year's Day, or the letter to your child on his/her birthday) means that those projects will
get done.  
Pam Thomas is a Once Upon A Family Consultant and work at home mom of two wonderful
children, and a Family Tradition Specialist!  Visit her company website for more ideas at
www.yourfamilykeepsakes.com