Memorable Traditions

by Lori Ann

Welcome to the December Carnival of Natural Parenting: Let’s Talk Traditions

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

I was challenged by the Carnival of Natural Parenting Question this month: “From holidays to birthdays, long weekends to family vacations, what has your family done to make special occasions memorable?” As Mama to a young new family, I’m very conscious of the habits, routines, and traditions we’re establishing every day as well as each holiday.

Holiday tradition-making is especially on my mind lately, but I think the following four steps are applicable to guiding my family to memorable special occasions in general:

1. Think – My inspiration for establishing meaningful traditions — rather than tradition for the sake of tradition, which can  become a burden — is the idea from Exodus 12:26-27: “When your children ask you, ‘What does this tradition mean?’, tell them why you do it; tell them what I have done for you” (my generalized paraphrase – read the real verses here). So, as holidays and other events approach, I’m constantly asking myself, “What does this day mean? What meaning do I want Tigger to get out of these traditions?” I also ask other Mamas what they do, gathering wisdom from those who’ve already found some answers for their families.
2. Interact – Watch out, porcelain nativity, we’ve got a mobile infant in the house! The best kid-oriented purchase my husband made before we had Tigger was a handmade nativity playset he bought last Christmas. A stuffed camel and fuzzy sheep are some of Tigger’s favorite toys right now… though we did have to put the donkey on a high shelf after she tried to rip its tail out with her new teeth . From my own memories, I think that hands-on parts of traditions (the youngest child who can read finding and reading the story of Jesus’ birth out loud each Christmas morning, for example) are the ones that will stick best.
3. Adjust – I’m not so proud as to expect I’ll come up with the perfect tradition every time, nor do I allow myself to get so attached to any one tradition that I can’t imagine it changing. When Baba and I were a family of two, the Advent season included a nightly, and lengthy, Bible reading. I loved it. Tigger, however, is ready for bed as soon as dinner’s done, so that tradition clearly needed adjusting… thus Advent bedtime stories.
4. Record – I love taking pictures, compiling video, and using it to share with our families who are all an ocean away. Every few years, I use an online photo book service to print a digital scrapbook of what we’ve been doing. I can’t wait until Tigger is old enough to look through our history together, and it’ll be fun to hear her take on what all our traditions meant to her.

So, wise Mamas and newbies alike: what do YOU do to make special occasions — especially holiday traditions — memorable for your little ones?

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Traditions? What traditions? — Olivia at Write About Birth needs your advice: how can she make the most of the holiday season in a new country with only her immediate family? (@writeaboutbirth)
• TRADITION!!!!!! — Ella at My Intentional Journey reminds us all to be thankful for family traditions; there are those who have none.
• tradition! — Stefanie at Very, Very Fine came to realize that families can make incredible memories, even if they’re not wealthy (or organized).
• Taking a child’s perspective on traditions — Lauren at Hobo Mama wants to keep in mind how important even the mundane traditions will be to her little ones. (@Hobo_Mama)
• Sunday Dinners and Lullabies — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment finds traditions in the small things throughout the year.
• Simple Family Advent Traditions — Michelle at The Parent Vortex crafted a set of advent bags with daily surprises to eat and to do. (@TheParentVortex)
• Parenting: Family Meetings – A Timeless Tradition — Amy Phoenix at Innate Wholeness discusses a year-round tradition in her household: Family Meetings. (@InnateWholeness)
• Our Mindful Holidays — They may not be “traditional” traditions, but they fit the family of Kellie at Our Mindful Life.
• Our Holiday Traditions, New and Old — Even with three young children, Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings is finding ways to be intentional and meaningful about holiday traditions. (@sunfrog)
• Our Cupcake Custom — Amy at Anktangle knows celebrations need minimal excuse and lots of cupcakes! (@anktangle)
• On the bunny slope of tradition-making — Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama is finding her groove as a holistic-minded mama with a joyful holiday spirit. (@crunchychewy)
• No, Virginia, There Is Not a Santa Claus — Just because her family is not going to do Santa, does not mean that Sheila at A Gift Universe can’t instill some mystery and magic into Christmas. (@agiftuniverse)
• New Traditions — Becky at Future Legacy shares a few traditions she is starting for her family, including popovers, a birthday banner, and service.
• My Holiday Family Traditions — The Artsymama continues a long tradition of adopting family members and sharing two favorite games that work well for a crowd.
• Mindfully Creating Family Traditions — Alison at BluebirdMama has ideas for celebrating birthdays, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas — though her family’s still figuring some of it out. (@bluebirdmama)
• Memorable Traditions — Lori Ann at MamaWit follows four mindful steps when instituting any tradition.
• Let’s Talk Traditions — Lily, aka Witch Mom shares her family’s traditions that are centered on the wheel of the year. (@lilyshahar)
• Homeschool Christmas — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now did not always celebrate the Christmas season in the same way with her family, but they always celebrated together. (@DebChitwood)
• Holidays, food and family — For Kristen at Adventures in Mommyhood, the holidays are about family and food. (@crunchymamato2)
• Giving Christmas to the Critter — Rachael at The Variegated Life has found a way to tie her Zen practices to the Christmas story of the baby in the manger. (@RachaelNevins)
• Family Traditions + To Santa Or Not To Santa — Stop by Natural Parents Network to discover some of the traditions from other natural parents. NPN is also featuring snippets of posts from NP bloggers on the topic of whether to encourage children to believe in Santa Claus. (@NatParNet)
• Family Tradition Origins — Momma Jorje discusses her family’s traditions, and her desire not to make anyone feel obligated to conform to them.
• Everyday Traditions — For Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children it’s the small, daily traditions that make life special.
• Establishing Traditions and Older Child Adoption — MrsH at Fleeting Moments is trying to find ways to start traditions with a family that was made very quickly through birth and adoption.
• Emerging Family Traditions — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares some of her favorite birthday and Christmas traditions. (@bfmom)
• Does Rebellion Count? — Seonaid at the Practical Dilettante has instituted a day of rest and PJs at her house on Christmas. (@seonaid_lee)
• December Carnival of Natural Parenting: Family Traditions — Sybil at Musings of a Milk Maker tries to give her girls a mix of traditions to foster togetherness — but worries that not being near extended family is a disconnect.
• Craft-tea Christmas Celebrations — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud created a delicious Christmas tradition that she named “Craft-tea.”
• A Christmas Tradition — Luschka at Diary of a First Child knows that even though she won’t be able to have her usual holiday traditions this year, the important thing is that she has her family. (@lvano)
• Celebrations without the Holiday — Asha at Meta Mom shares several ways to celebrate the winter holidays without focusing on religious traditions. (@metamomma)
• Celebrating the Journey We Have Traveled Together — Acacia at Be Present enjoys the chance to draw closer to her family during the Christmas holiday.
• Celebrating Motherhood — Do you celebrate the day you became a mother? Dionna at Code Name: Mama offers some ideas for traditions to mark your passage into motherhood. (@CodeNameMama)
• Celebrate! Winter Traditions Brought Home. — At True Confessions of a Real Mommy, TrueRealMommy and her family are celebrating many different religions and traditions this month. Stop by to see their schedule of events. (@TrueRealMommy)
• “Always Ready”, Holiday Style — Amy at Toddler In Tow discovered that it’s not the traditions themselves, but the emotional experience behind them that makes them special.

Similar Posts:

• To Santa or not to Santa…(ATo2M #2)
• Mama’s Tales: Santa
• ATo2M: Santa
• Thanksgiving in China

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