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Tip Store: Children: Traditions

Treasured Tablecloth a Reminder

Our family has a white tablecloth that my grandmother made from a single bed sheet. It has red and green ribbon sewn into a interweaving check design. Every year everyone that shares Christmas dinner with us signs the tablecloth in permanent marker and the year is added to that square. This is then put away and stored until the following year and it is signed again. This tablecloth has become a very much treasured memento to our family as an instant reminder of the love that has been shared with our loved ones and friends as the years go by.
Contributed by Keith Phillips, 21st July 2010

Lots of Much Loved Traditions

Our family has LOTS of traditions - and my step-children love them so much they were very quickly adopted by them as well!

1. Using cheap exercise/scrap books, paste in all your children's birthday cards each year, with a note of any special gifts given

2. When giving gifts within the family (Christmas, birthday etc) at least one item has to be home-made

3. Family Christmas concert! (this is by far the favourite one) - every year at Christmas each nuclear family does a performance (usually a song with the words changed) about all the other family members. We usually have one of the older aunts/uncles judge and declare the winner

4. 'Clues' on gifts - either the initials of the item, or as your children get older, something cryptic (my step kids love this one...often spending more time trying to work out the present than actually using it!)

5. Particular night/day of the week when a special meal is served (we have lots - Wednesday pizza and wine night, Friday fake-away night (pretend take away) Sunday Roast/BBQ depending on the season (we change at Easter and Bathurst weekend) a type of Pie when the football is on etc)

6. Named Christmas baubles - each year when the tree goes up, we have special baubles with the names of our family members - as family members pass away, its a nice way to remember them each year.

7. We are allowed to open ONE present the night before Christmas!

8. Depending on what you and your partner enjoy, try and have a yearly get-together with friends that also involves children. We have a 'welcome to summer' party every year on the first Saturday in December.

9. From a young age, give your children specific 'jobs' when hosting/attending. Eg. my job was always to make the gravy (from about 5 years old - and 30 years on, Im still doing it at family get togethers!) - my step-daughter (12) has a trifle that she always makes and is now the 'traditional dessert;' etc

10. A fairly new tradition (only a few years old) is that every year on our anniversary we go away for the weekend to the same place, and stay in exactly the same Villa. We all fill in the guest book, every time, so each time we go back we can see what we were doing the year before! As the children become adults and marry etc the plan is that they will also bring their families each year.
Contributed by Claire Petrie, 9th July 2010

Highs and Lows

A family tradition that appeals to me is: High/Low - at the dinner table, over the evening meal, each person shares in turn their high and low for the day.
Contributed by Simone White, 12th July 2010

Biggest and Best Always from Mum and Dad

At Christmas time give the big, best presents from mummy and daddy and small ones from Santa. That way when they find out about Santa they aren't too disappointed as they still get the best presents from Mum and Dad.
Contributed by Toni Cox, 12th July 2010

The Sunday Roast

There are two traditions I like for our family. The first is to always have one night a week (ours is Sunday) when you have a roast (or your families favourite dinner) so that as your kids grow up they know that "Sunday roast" is a guarantee at home. They can then ask to bring a friend and they will both know what to expect and it wont put pressure on you to come up with a great idea at short notice. The family gets to spend time together each week (and you get to know your kids friends)and as they get older they can help out with the cooking or bring desert! The second tradition I like is that each Christmas I buy both our kids a special decoration each from us, and they get to put it on the tree. When they are ready to leave home they will have many special gifts of decorations to place on their own tree. 
Contributed by Leanne Cugley, 12th July 2010

Friday Night Lolly Night

For the past fifteen years we have had Friday Night Lolly Night. This is the only night when we have treats and lollies (candies). Each daughter get a chance at picking a treat, then after dinner we have the treats. No other day during the week do the girls have treats or lollies. This allows us to keep to our bi-weekly food budget and also monitor what the girls are eating. And yes we have had the conversation -" but all the kids have this in their lunches at school". So we allowed the girls to select Friday Night Lolly Night or treats in their school lunch. They always say Friday Night Lolly Night. My girls are 18 and 14 years old - a great family tradition that is easy to implement and keep.
Contributed by Linda Gillham, 11th July 2010

Simple Things Make Great Family Traditions

The measuring wall. At every birthday the child's height is marked on a particular wall. (The only wall that it is permitted to draw on!! :-)) At birthday time - when you have another child or for mum or dad's birthdays have your child help with all the preparations - the cake, the balloons, wrapping the presents. Instead of commercialising Mothers' and Fathers' day too much, have your child make breakfast for mum or dad (with supervision) and buy mum a rose or other long living shrub and maybe buy dad a garden gnome - after a few years you will have a garden full of memories.
Contributed by Louise Burch, 11th July 2010

Nan and Pop's Ornaments Start a Tradition

My way of establishing a family tradition is to give my grandchildren and their partners a special Christmas ornament for their tree or around the house at Christmas time. They are then packed away until next year. They are starting to get a nice collection and will hand them down to my great-grandchildren in years to come and they will be told they are from Nan and Pop. They love it.
Contributed by Jacqui Clayton, 11th July 2010

Sunday is Family Day

Why not make one day a week as family day. We used to make Sunday family day, we would have a roast meal for dinner and spend the day together. My brother and I have carried on the tradition with our children.
Contributed by Vicky Atkins, 11th July 2010

Set Dates Kick Off Traditions

Christmas is always a good way to kick off traditions with children, a set date each year when the Christmas tree is put up and decorated with all the family contributing to the decorating. Don't worry about perfection, just let everyone put their bits on the tree. My daughter and I bake and assemble a gingerbread house together each year. Regular get togethers with grandparents is also a must in our household, so set aside a day on the weekend for family time and sharing a meal, set aside a time mid year and have each member of the family plant a special flower or shrub to care for going into spring. - Contributed by Karen Russell, 10th July 2010