There's been a lot of chatter online recently about returning to traditional family values. It is interesting to me to consider how this concept has evolved over the past couple of generations. And, since I am a Vintage Mama (and grandma!), I have observed and experienced many of the various iterations of "family traditions."
I suppose it depends on where you grew up, when you first experienced your own "family traditions," and even the different variations of "family" that you might have experienced. For some of us, "traditions" go back many generations; for others it might be that you are just now realizing how important "family traditions" are, and you are wanting to include some new "family traditions" of your own.
Since it is one week before Christmas, I've been thinking about "family traditions" and how they have changed over the years. When I was a little girl (a long time ago), our Christmases were pretty simple. There was a tree, a few simple gifts under the tree - usually some things that we really needed, such as a new sweater, or fun things like a book, a game, or a coloring book - and that was magical!
As I grew up and had children of my own, Christmas became a much bigger tradition, especially as a mom trying to make Christmas magical for my little ones. So, without a huge budget back in those days, I made most of the gifts that were under the tree on Christmas morning.
One year I made a great big Raggedy Ann doll for my three-year-old daughter, and a really huge fuzzy panda bear for my one-year-old little boy. I also figured out how to create some pretty big blocks out of
soft fabric and pillow forms, with alphabet letters appliqued on each side. I'm sure I had more fun that Christmas than the littles did!
As the children got older, I was determined to create our own "family traditions" since there were very few traditions that I recall as a child, aside from Christmas. So we started lots of different activities that we would do for every holiday, as well as different activities at home on a more regular basis, such as family devotions a few times a week, bedtime stories and prayers, and summertime trips to the library, the beach, and backyard camping.
As the years have rolled on by, it seems that families are so busy these days that "family traditions" have become more and more difficult to fit into the schedule. With school activities, church activities, athletic events and practices, and other community events, it seems almost impossible to fit in one more activity, even though we know how important "family traditions" are for our children.
So it has been with a cheerful heart that I have noticed more and more families are seeing the value in returning to some of the more traditional ways that have been part of our culture for many generations. We've realized that the "hurry up to hurry up to hurry up" lifestyle isn't always the best for everyone. Even though all of those other things are good and positive things, too much "busyness" has cost us opportunities to slow down and experience family life in a more relaxed, simple atmosphere.
If you are considering creating a few "family traditions" this year, it is easy to start out small. Maybe simply reading a story together for 10 minutes a couple of times a week. This is not a contest and there should be no pressure! If you are totally exhausted at bedtime, that's OK. I usually am, but even our young adult daughter will sit in a chair beside our bed and we talk every night before bedtime. Sometimes we read a Bible story, or sometimes we just talk. But she looks forward to our time together each evening, even if we don't actually "do" anything.
Here are some more ideas that you might find interesting and easy to incorporate into your lifestyle:
1. Easy-to-Make Gingerbread House: even if you can't fit this activity into your schedule in the days before Christmas, the week between Christmas and New Year's Day is always kind of "out of whack" when no one can figure out what day it is or what we are doing on any give day . . . . a perfect time to create a Gingerbread House together. It can be super simple or as elaborate as you want! You can buy one of those little kits at Walmart with all the pieces already made and all of the decorations included - or you can try your hand at making your very own gingerbread with this recipe from Sugar and Charm.
2. January is always a rather quiet time of year, so even if you have kiddos who are involved in athletics or music or theater, there will probably one or two evenings or weekends where you could plan something special that your whole family will look forward to every year. How about planning an afternoon or evening to go to a local indoor swimming pool . . . or if you have the time and money, take an overnight at a local hotel with a pool. Nothing super expensive or time consuming, but something that you do together. Even our two daughters who still live at home look forward to this one overnight with the family once or twice a year.
Even if you can't afford to go to Florida or the Bahamas for a vacation, you can save up for one overnight in a local hotel and it will be super special for your whole family!
3. By February everyone (at least in our part of the country) is cold and ready to do something warm - even super simple plans can be the best! We usually do a family movie night with popcorn and hot cocoa a couple of times a month, especially in the winter. Even if your family is just you and one other, it is important to make memories together.
If you live where there is snow, and it isn't super cold outside, make a snowman together, or build a snow fort. Go sledding or skating . . . . your backyard is a perfect place for winter snow fun! Another idea in the winter is to have a family game night once a month, or a read-aloud time from a favorite book. What's important is that you make a little bit of time to make memories and build "family traditions."
4. By springtime everyone wants to be outside! A perfect time to plan a garden together, or at least plant a few flowers in a pretty flower pot on the front porch. At Easter time there are so many things to do together to establish new "family traditions."
Image via Pinterest
A super simple project is an Easter Resurrection garden made with small rocks, twigs, and a cross to help our children remember the true meaning of Easter. Most of these projects take very little time, hardly any money, and just a bit of planning and purpose.
5. Backyard camping is so much fun! We built a small fire pit with rocks and sand in our backyard, pitched a small tent, and tossed in a couple of sleeping bags for all of us. With a couple of lawn chairs we had the perfect "camping trip" when our girls were little.
Image from Sandy Toes and Popsicles
No matter what you can do, with just a little bit of determination, you can establish a few new "family traditions" this new year. I encourage you to try even just one, and you will see how much your family will look forward to time together, laughing and playing, and just being together. You'll see how important it is to build your own traditions from year to year, no matter how old or young your family is. And of course, there are always grandchildren to start new traditions with, too!
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