Traditions and rituals help families stay connected and bonded. They are the special things that make your family unique and create lifelong memories. Maybe you’re a new family or you’re looking for new ways to keep your growing children involved, if you’ve been thinking of creating new holiday traditions, here are a few tips.
Why are family traditions important?
Traditions and rituals are behaviors or activities that are repeated over and over again, usually the around the same time and in the same ways. When done right, traditions community your values and add a rich layer to your family’s daily life.
Family traditions offer a number of benefits: they provide a source of identity, a sense of comfort and security. They also strengthen familial connections, are great ways to pass on values and cultural or religious heritages, and create cherished memories. They often provide the spark of magic that makes us look forward to a special day or occasion.
How to create new family traditions
Family traditions that work the best are those that speak to each member of the family. If your children are old enough to have an opinion, gather the family together to discuss any current traditions they love and any they don’t. Drop the traditions that feel like a chore and then together, brainstorm ideas for new traditions.
Know your purpose: consider the purpose behind your traditions; is it to impart an important family value? Do you hope to build a stronger bond? Once you’ve identified the ‘why’ behind your tradition, you can find ways to make it personal and meaningful to your family.
Keep it simple: its easy to overthink things and feel like we need to make everything big, perfect, and shareable on social media. By making each tradition a big and elaborate event, it’ll feel more like a chore instead of a fun thing and you risk losing focus on the purpose (remember the first tip!) behind this tradition. Instead, keep your traditions simple. Not only will it be easier to do each year, you’ll remember why you’re doing it in the first place.
Incorporate childhood traditions: trying to merge holiday traditions can be tricky; if you have conflicting opinions, how do you choose which tradition “wins?” Create an open dialogue with your partner about any childhood traditions you both would like to incorporate and find ways to combine them.
Be flexible: traditions are great but sometimes life just happens and forces us to change how we celebrate a particular tradition. Be open to celebrating the spirt of the tradition even if you don’t do it the exact same way. This is important to keep in mind as your children grow. You may need to adjust how you celebrate to accommodate them, especially once they get married and have their own families and traditions.
Holiday tradition inspirations
If you’re looking for some ideas for new holiday traditions, try one of these!
Bake cookies: nothing says the holiday more than baking. Bake cookies as a family and share your favorites with family and friends. You can even up the ante by having a bake off. Younger children can pair off with a parent or older sibling and compete to bake the best cookie. As kids grow older, they can bake their own. To add a fun element, you can designate a specific ingredient that must be used in their recipes.
Look for holiday lights: nearly every town has a house or neighborhood that takes holiday decorating to the next level. Make a date with your family to venture out and visit these brightly decorated homes together and maybe even vote for your favorite!
Deliver holiday treats to friends and neighbors: instill the value of giving by delivering holiday treats to friends and neighbors. You can create homemade treats or put together some of your favorite store-bought goodies to share.
Snap a family picture: take a moment to gather the family together for a quick family photo. You’ll appreciate having a record of each holiday as your family grows. You can either have a professional photographer take your family portrait or use the self-timer on your phone to snap a casual photo at home. Bonus points if you wear matching clothes or pajamas.
Choose and hang an annual ornament: choose a family ornament each year. It can be from a family vacation or one that marks a special occasion that happened during the year. Ornaments make great mementos that can turn into treasured family heirlooms. This can also be adapted to giving each family member their own annual ornament.
Create a holiday playlist: get your family into the holiday spirit by creating a custom playlist filled with everyone’s favorite holiday song.
Have a Holiday campout: choose one night during the month to have a sleepover as a family. Celebrate by enjoying some music, watching holiday movies, or reading holiday stories while enjoying hot cocoa and treats.
Traditions are the family language that keeps everyone connected even as people grow and change. Building new family traditions can be fun, especially when you have the chance to create them in a new home. Visit us online at LexingtonChicago.com to learn more about our new home communities in prime Chicagoland neighborhoods.
