Family Traditions

 

- Loren Stow

I do not remember much about my childhood, to be honest, but I do remember one particular family tradition as clear as day. Every year on Christmas Eve my father used to walk us around the garden, late at night, as we searched for signs of Father Christmas’s sleigh in the sky. Suddenly as we passed the lounge window – and rather opportunely of course – a flash would go off and my father would shout, “He’s there!” My older sister and I would run as fast as we could back into the house to find a heap of presents under the tree where there had previously been none. Every year we ‘just missed’ Father Christmas! Oh, the wonder of it all!

Of course, I now know that my mother was ‘delivering’ the gifts while my father fed us the very believable decoy of searching the night sky, and the flash was just the beam of a torch, but it was something that filled my sister and me with such awe that I will never forget it. It is also something I will do with my own children at Christmas time – a tradition that fills my heart with happiness.

There is something about family traditions that weave a common thread through the ever-changing years; they represent a constant in a world that is anything but. Traditions remind us of what is important and they are often observed during times of celebration. There is also the fact that traditions speak to the character of a particular family and in such a way they are unifying as they proudly exclaim, “This is what makes our family special!” Some traditions are inherited from previous generations and these are incredibly satisfying and meaningful, but it is also really great to create new family traditions that celebrate your own family. It is easy to start a new tradition and the sky is the limit with regards to what you can do. We share some ideas to get you started.

BIRTHDAY TRADITIONS