Family traditions
June 10, 2009 by Shannon
I’m feeling really good lately about the decision I’ve made to leave my job, and put my work as Mom first. And you know what has me most excited about this transition? Something simple, but critical to the bond of family — traditions.
I got to thinking about this during the Memorial Day weekend, which hit just a couple of days after I left work. The fact is, you just can’t count on getting holidays off in the world of news. Now I can spend each and every holiday to come as I please, establishing and reaffirming our own little family traditions.
One tradition that’s come to symbolize the end of summer for us — huckleberry picking in the mountains. I’m somewhat of an anomaly in the family because I could — and do — pick for hours, long after my co-pickers have called it quits. I guess the gatherer gene is firmly entrenched in my DNA.
But first things first. Next month brings the ultimate summer celebration — the Fourth of July. It’s not my favorite holiday, perhaps because I’m not particularly fond of all the meat grilling that goes on. But this year, I won’t have to sit inside a newsroom and listen to the emergency scanner as firefighters scramble from brush fire to brush fire. Instead, I’ll be able to watch my boy bite into a drippy slice of watermelon and let him stay up late to watch the sky explode above our heads. It’s the little things that make family traditions memorable, right?
One tradition I’m loving the idea of creating in our household is Friday Night Pizza. I know plenty of families do this by calling for delivery and putting up their feet, but I’m envisioning the homemade kind, where we get our hands covered in flour before enjoying the fruits of our labor. Mmm.
Right now, with my family at its rightful place at the top of my priority list, I’m anxious to reclaim some of the family traditions from my childhood, and create new ones that will see our own family into the future.
What are your family traditions, during holidays or just during the week? What do you do to reaffirm your connections and make memories? Leave me a comment and let me know!
Comments (8)
i like turtles!
Picking all kinds of produce and then preserving our harvest has become a tradition for us. We also enjoy that Pizza night tradition you speak of…homemade style, too! That’s the best.
You’re right that traditions too easily fall by the wayside when both parents work. We’re dealing with that dilemma ourselves. There are so many things we’d like to do and can’t seem to find the time, but we do try to make weekly trips to the park and every Thursday I take the kids to the local bakery for a special treat. On Yosh’s days off he likes to take the kids for a drive around the red rocks in our neighborhood before nap time. Every little ritual is precious to us and we’re hoping to get good enough at this parenting thing to be able to handle a few more, like gardening and the ever popular homemade pizza night.
We go strawberry picking every year, and then my oldest son helps his dad make the best strawberry jam ever!
Oh I really like the home-made pizza night idea! We have started gardening and Jamison makes a great salsa! And I have a great dill pickle recipe from my family that is so easy. Now if we can just get the cucumbers to live this year! We also walk with our dogs every evening that we can, even if its just around the block.
I was just thinking about whether Nina is old enough for berry picking! You’ll have to let me know how you manage a toddler during the process… and as far as pizza goes, try grilling it. Seriously, delicious! (We’ll have you guys over for some soon, I promise).
Kristian and I have a tradition with Gavin (our 5-year-old) that we started shortly after Addison (2-year-old) was born: Late Night. On Fridays, he gets to watch a movie of his choosing (and of our approval), eat all kinds of snacks, and best of all, stay up as late as Mommy and Daddy. It began as a great way for us to have one-on-one time with him when Addy was small and took up all our time, and it’s continued to be that, even as he gets older.
Wait a minute…I thought listening to the police scanner on the the 4th was our holiday tradition!!!!??? My other favorite was the Thanksgiving homicide every year for several years in a row.
Oh, wait, those aren’t the family traditions you are talking about right? Um, I guess, my non-newsroom, real holiday favorite tradition is the Christmas baking! I turn into Martha Stewart on crack around Dec. 1 and bake, and bake and bake some more!