Guest post from Elizabeth of ElizabethClareblog.com:
As parents and grandparents, we want to celebrate holidays and other occasions in memorable ways for our children and grandchildren. Observing traditions year after year serves as an anchor for their yearly rhythm, and ultimately, their memories.
Unfortunately, when we think of traditions, we often envision something elaborate, time consuming, and expensive. But the simplest traditions can be the most meaningful and the source of your child’s richest memories.
Consider the following five points when weaving traditions into your family’s lives. My hope is that they will help you keep them simple, meaningful, and memorable!
1. Simplicity
We adults can take a lesson from our children and remember how joy is found in the simple pleasures of life. Trying to cram too much symbolism or significance into any occasion can leave us feeling more emotionally empty than full.
Children sense when mother is stressed, taking away from the festive, loving atmosphere we are trying to create. When a tradition is simple, it will be something to look forward to every year not dread.
2. Food
Food is a way we all celebrate special occasions. Even the most meager fare served with love can bring warmth to any occasion.
It often isn’t what we serve so much as how we serve it. Saving particular dishes, not necessarily expensive, to eat only during particular celebrations will bring excitement to the occasion. For example, homemade cinnamon rolls don’t cost much to make, but serving them only on birthdays makes them extra special!
3. Activities
We don’t need to travel far or spend large amounts of money on excursions to make special moments.
As a child, due to my parents’ work, we almost never traveled. However, I do remember enjoying lots of picnics at local parks. Children love doing something out of the ordinary — even a local outing can be an adventure!
4. Stories
Great memories can be created around stories — imagined stories, stories from your family history, or a favorite book you read over and over again.
My family loves to pull out the box of Advent and Christmas books at the beginning of every December. I have wonderful childhood memories of being read to and hearing stories. Some of my favorites were stories my parents told of their childhood. These stories become a part of you, build a family heritage, and strengthen relationships.
5. Relationships
Above all, focus on building your relationships with your family. Remember why you want to make the occasion special.
If celebrating a particular tradition brings stress because it is too much work or is too expensive, you are not focusing on the ultimate goal.
I hope these tips and ideas will help you and your family celebrate traditions that are simple, stress-free, frugal, and memorable!
Elizabeth is a dairy farmer’s daughter, devoted wife, and homeschooling mother to four little blessings. She blogs about homeschooling, faith, homemaking, and self improvement all through a Catholic lens. Find her at ElizabethClareblog.com.
Loved this post! So timely–I’ve been thinking about how to create traditions in my family esp since my oldest is now 3!
I’m so glad it could be an encouragement to you. It is so fun as your children get older to see them enjoy and respond to those simple traditions we establish!
Thinking about the upcoming holidays, I was asking the kids about the Advent activities we do, what they were maybe getting to old for. They made it abundantly clear that their favorites were the night we eat dinner by candlelight, the night they get to sleep by the Christmas tree, and the Christmas movies we have on DVD that get wrapped up for reveal throughout the month. Simple, inexpensive traditions are here to stay in our family – makes me happy!
Those are such beautiful traditions! I may have to try sleeping by the Christmas tree in our family sometime!
Yes! Traditions don’t have to be big or fancy to make them meaningful. Even things as simple as taking a few minutes to hold your child in your lap each morning can be a special tradition for you both (well, until they outgrow lap sitting). I wrote about it here: http://everydaymindfulliving.com/snuggle-time-as-meditation/
I think sometimes small traditions are sometimes the most fun and the most memorable (not that the big days aren’t special too…). 🙂
Great article. Especially like #2. When I was a kid, I remember Thanksgiving and Christmas being so special, in part because of the food. Now we have often have big family gatherings with big spreads of food that used to be only served at the holidays, and now the holiday food doesn’t seem so special.
A few years back I started making cookies in early December and would make them all month long. But I realized that by Christmas we were tired of them. And of course, that’s not very healthy. So last year I waited until just a few days before to start making Christmas cookies, like my mother used to. Much better!
I also struggle with the Christmas cookies! I love to be prepared in advance, but their is something so special in just the process of making them. (And it does help stave off some of those unwanted holiday pounds!)
I’ve been trying to slow down lately and savor little moments of joy each day with my loved ones. I’m trying to implement the art of simple celebration in my day to day life. Thanks so much. Pinning!
I’m so glad I could be of encouragement to you! My mother was such a wonder at celebrating little things consequently helped her children grow strongly attached to family and to home. I can’t encourage you enough to make that little extra effort towards family traditions!
I think #2 is so important! We live in a food-conscious, nutrition- crazy culture and I think it confuses us sometimes on how awesome food memories can be. Food should be enjoyed and not a source of guilt or comparison. Children (and adults!) love special food and will remember that even over gifts, I think. Food can be a powerful bond for generations in a family, but it can also just be a fun tradition, like Make Your Own Pizza night every Friday.
Love it!-and I couldn’t agree more! I link so many special memories to special food that is served. Awaken the senses!