Do you ever find yourself reminiscing about your childhood days? The family trip to the beach each summer? Weekend backyard barbecues? Fishing with dad? Cooking with mom? Special Sunday breakfasts? Most of our happiest childhood memories are likely to be centered around some family tradition. Traditions are the foundation of strong family bonds. Today’s family life looks a lot different than it did a generation or two ago.

As families become more and more disconnected due to hectic schedules, there seems to be less time to enjoy the simple traditions that were once a vital part of everyday family life. Simple rituals such as taking a weekend family outing, playing games or even family dinners are becoming a distant memory. For many, the holidays have shifted from meaningful time spent together to trying to balance the stresses of work, seasonal decorating, gift buying and active kids on school break.

Many of us miss the many little traditions that embodied our childhood, yet find it difficult to fit them back into our current way of life. However, family traditions do not have to be complex, time-consuming, or even expensive in order to have great impact. Nor do we have to wait for a holiday to kick start one. Whether it’s a family reunion once a year or movie night once a week, establishing routine customs isa great way to bond with the family.

There are many small ways to bring traditions into our daily lives. Eating dinner together as a family, going for an evening walk, watching a movie, reading a bedtime story, or even cooking together can become part of a daily or weekly routine. These are some of the little things your children will remember as they grow older, and likely will pass onto their children.

If an existing tradition starts to lose its appeal, then create a new one! Getting the entire family excited and involved in identifying a new activity is an important way to establish a tradition with meaning. Once these activities are chosen, then work on building them into a ritual. Traditions have to start somewhere!

Kids love and thrive on traditions because they cultivate asense of belonging and security. Making traditions a priorityin family life is important as well as fun. By doing so, ourkids will not only learn to appreciate and look forward tothe time they spend with family members, but they will alsodevelop a full understanding of the meaning behind theword “Family.”

Local Family Traditions

Thanksgiving Tree of Life’s Blessings

During my children’s early years, I wanted to instill in them the value of being thankful for all of life’s blessings, both great and small. So, to help celebrate the true meaning of Thanksgiving, we took a walk in the neighborhood a few weeks before the holiday meal to look for just the right fallen oak branch. We found the perfect one, brought it home and secured it in a plant container. There the leafless “tree” sat, looking rather forlorn and lonely in the living room, until a week before Thanksgiving. For the next seven days, each family member was given the task to write something they were thankful for on a colorful paper leaf. We attached our leaf to the tree with a pipe cleaner. By the time Thanksgiving arrived, our formerly desolate little tree was bursting with life and the vibrant colors of fall foliage. We had fun reading the “tree” leaves and enjoying the delightful display of our family’s appreciation for its many blessings.  ~ The Iannone Family

SillyBandz® Search

One day, I watched my three grandkids admire their impressive SillyBandz® stash on the table. SillyBandz are thin silicone accessories in a variety of shapes and colors, worn by boys and girls from pre-school to high school. Discussion on who had what was becoming heated. I told the kids to leave the room and I would call them when it was time to return. Once they were out of sight, I removed one SillyBandz from each collection. I called them back and said the first one to figure out which silicone band was missing fromtheir stockpile would get a free SillyBandz from Nana’s private supply. Thus, a new game, SillyBandz Search, was born. The kids were sure they knew exactly which SillyBandz they had, but when it was time to identify the one that was missing, it was a challenge. This created hours of fun. They couldn’t wait to play the game with their friends, and I am sure we will play SillyBandz Search many times on future visits.  ~ The Sloane Family

Share Your TRADITIONS

If you would like to share your family tradition, please send yours (maximum 150words) to the attention of “Traditions” at editorial@OrlandoFamilyMagazine.com or Orlando Family, 212 Pasadena Place, Suite B, Orlando, Florida 32803. Please include a daytime phone number and an e-mail address. Photos will not be returned.