Family traditions, especially around the holidays, help children feel a sense of comfort and connection to their families.
Merriam Webster defines a tradition as “the handing down of information, beliefs and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another.” Sharing memories and customs of past traditions provides connection to older generations and family and cultural values. Creating new traditions together gives children a sense of anticipation and joy for the future.
Research has shown that holiday traditions in particular are filled with symbolic meaning that fosters a sense of shared cultural identity and more resilient families and communities.
Here are few simple ideas for passing down memories and traditions from the previous generation to the children in your life.
- Share pictures – In today’s digital world, kids love looking through old photo albums. It’s not only a novelty to them to see photos in print, but it’s a blast to see what their parents and grandparents looked like as children. As you flip through photos, reminisce about what your favorite gifts you gave and received were, what your parents made for holiday meals and how you decorated your home.
- Connect through food – Do you have a favorite family recipe? Get kids involved early in cooking and baking family favorites.
- Share a story – Do you have fond memories of reading a classic story in your childhood? Pull out an old copy and share it with the kids in your life. Then let them share one of their favorite modern stories with you.
It’s important to recognize that not everyone has fond family memories or long histories of shared traditions, and that’s okay. You can start creating traditions for your family any time.
Creating new traditions with your kids doesn’t have to be anything complicated. The simpler, the better! Ask your kids what their favorite memory of last year’s holiday season was and make an effort to repeat it this year and just like that you’ve created a family tradition.
For my children, driving around to look at holiday lights in their pajamas while eating Christmas cookies is one of their favorite activities they look forward to every year. It wasn’t a tradition that I intentionally set out to create but it was something that stuck out in their memories from their early toddler days when we had three littles in car seats. Even now, as we begin the teen years, it’s something they wouldn’t let us miss each year.
Here are a few ideas to get you started on creating your own traditions:
- Have an annual family movie night with comfortable pajamas, a fire in the fireplace if you have one, and some favorite treats like popcorn and hot cocoa. You can either watch the same holiday movie every year or pick a new one each year as your kids grow. You can even try introducing them to some of your favorite childhood movies.
- Every year, buy or make a holiday ornament that reflects something special to your family that year. It could be a sport or activity your family enjoys or a memento from somewhere you travelled or visited that year.
Whether your family reads the same book every year, gets a new set of matching holiday pajamas or eats a special dish passed down from previous generations, the memories you are creating with your kids will live in their hearts and minds for years.
Let us know in the comments how your family passes on the traditions and memories from previous generations, and any new traditions you create with your children during the holidays!