I am so honored to be apart of the blog tour for Jean Matthew Hall’s new book, God’s Blessings for Fall. I absolutely love Jean’s thoughtfulness when it comes to family time, and know you will love her ideas on how to make this holiday season a little more meaningful.
Family traditions root our children in their pasts and strengthen the. To grow and branch out into their futures.
Most of us think about holiday events or practices when asked about family traditions. But they don’t need to be limited to special days. A tradition is a custom, belief, or practice we pass down from one generation to another.
It can have special significance like getting married in great-great grandmother’s wedding gown, or be as silly as a family victory dance.
Traditions help young children to feel safe and grounded in their families. They help children to remember who they are, where they came from, who is always going to he on their side.
Here are some quick ideas for traditions to establish for your family. Please don’t try to adopt all of them. Add one each year to your family’s customs.
Family Traditions:
Weekly family dinners. Set aside one night (or maybe a Sunday afternoon) each week and keep it sacred. It doesn’t necessarily have to be pot roast and fine china. Your family dinner might be spaghetti or hot dogs. But make sure everyone in your family is there. Consider making extended family part of the event.
Bedtime rituals. We know these are key to very young children. But don’t fall into the habit of saying, “good-night” and letting the kids put themselves to bed. It might be just a kiss on the forehead, or a tucking-in, or a certain book or prayer. But incorporate it into who your family is.
-TV athletic events. Have your own tail-gate party without the tail-gate.
-Mealtime devotions or prayer rituals.
-Birthday breakfast in bed.
-Washing the car together every Saturday.
-Evening walks in a nearby park. .
-Worshipping together weekly.
-Birthday meals (special for the birthday-ee)
-Movie or Monopoly night.
-Vacations to the same spot every year.
-Making hand-made Christmas gifts for each other.
-Christmas breakfast deluxe instead of Christmas dinner.
-Making holiday cookies for neighbors.
-Serving a homeless shelter together.
The possibilities are endless. Expense and bother are not required. Turn ordinary activities into family traditions by:
-Making them sacred— nothing short of dire emergencies prevents them.
-Making them yours— they help define who your family is.
-Making them precious— fun or solemn, they’ll be memorable.
One of the reasons I wrote my new picture book God’s Blessings of Fall is that I hope parents will adopt reading it aloud to their children and make it a part of their Thanksgiving family traditions. Maybe at the table spread with the feast, or at breakfast or bedtime, I hope it will be one of those things that ties your family together– a tradition at your house
Blessings!
Jean
http://www.jeanmatthewhall.com
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Baby Devotions 
Thank you, Kayla! Traditions bind our heartstrings.
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