Traditions

By: Alyssa Avant

Traditions, defined by the Wikipedia online dictionary as a Latin word that mean literally means to “hand down”, it is the handing down of customs and beliefs. There are many traditions in our world. Religious traditions exist in almost every religious organization. We also have family traditions. I’m sure your family might have some that are similar to those that my family celebrated, and some that are quite possibly very different.

Some of our traditions include, Sunday lunch at my grandmother’s house when I was a kid, Easter egg hunts with all my cousins at my great-grandmother’s house, attending a candlelight Lord’s supper on Christmas Eve at church, or a 4th of July cookout. All of these things were ways of celebrating together, and more often than not a good excuse to eat, no I’m just kidding. But, traditions are valuable in one’s life and something we do not easily forget or allow to let go. They are also Biblical. ForeverFamilies.net says, “Some traditions are based on God’s commandments, such as praying before meals.” Can you think of others, such as saying bedtime prayers with your children? Starting traditions help us to connect and define what is important to us.

Family scholars Nick Stinnett and John DeFrain say that traditions are the “we always” of families, like “We always make snow ice cream at the first snowfall,” or “We always have games and popcorn on Saturday night.” Because such traditions have meaning that is special to an individual family, they create feelings of warmth and closeness. By spending time together in a fun and special setting, family members grow closer.

Traditions can be simple, and the more simple they are the more likely you are to stick to them. Remember when creating new traditions that the point of a tradition is to be able to stick to it and practice it over and over, so make sure it is something you can easily do year after year. Some simple examples of traditions include, making a family members favorite meal for their birthday, saying a prayer together every night before bed, baking cookies together on Christmas Eve, or calling long distance relatives on Valentine’s Day to tell them you love them.

I’m sure this has gotten you to thinking about what your traditions are and how you can pass them on to your daughter, instilling in her the importance of family, and of building traditions into one’s daily life as a way to stay connected.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!