Meaningful traditions

I’ve been thinking a lot about traditions lately. Those rituals that have become a part of our lives, whether the ones engrained in our daily lives or the events that come up during the year that we look forward to and that bring us joy and remind us of what matters most to us. They are the events that become part of a family’s story and the values they share and are trying to instill in their kids.

I think tradition can be something different for everyone. What matters is that it’s meaningful to you and your family. I can think off hand of some of the daily and weekly traditions that are part of our lives – reading to our son at bedtime, Sunday morning pancakes, playing outside and visiting the local library – and those that have become part of what we plan for and look forward to as the seasons pass through – seeing the tulips bloom in our garden in the spring; numerous visits to the park and a family getaway, a few daytrips and a weekend at the cottage in the summer; a trip to Saunders Farm with some good friends every fall and the fun of Halloween; and a visit to see the CP holiday train with a close friend as the winter draws near, going to see Santa at the mall and ofcourse numerous holiday traditions with family.

I was curious as I reflected on traditions to understand how they benefit us, besides being something we may look forward to. According to the Institute for Family Studies, “[t]ere is one remarkable, powerful thing that the happiest families do well that most other families do not do at all. They establish traditions” [1] They expand on this in the article and explain that

"[f]amily traditions help life make sense to our children. Like routines, they provide predictability and a sense of security and safety. Family traditions help children feel as though they fit in somewhere. And in time, the traditions come to define who each person in the family is, countering alienation, and offering steadiness and certainty. Traditions differ from our routines or habits because we carry out traditions with a specific purpose and degree of intentionality—we are trying to achieve something very specific in order to: create bonds, impart values, promote shared experience, and build memories. Whereas routines are designed to become automatic and to make life simpler, traditions and rituals are about being mindful of the moment, and are designed to demand attention and imbue life with meaning".

Examples of family traditions are everywhere. This article points out a few and numerous other articles and Pineterest boards provide ideas. I can think of new traditions I want to create this year: a Friday movie night, a Saturday routine of going to the park or an indoor activity, a visit to the local café for a morning smoothie just before, a weekly tradition of going for a walk in the forest.

What does tradition mean to you? What rituals do you look forward to every year? What do you plan on adding this year?

[1] https://ifstudies.org/blog/family-traditions-help-kids-make-sense-of-life/