Family Traditions for the Whole Year

As we enter a new year, it’s the perfect time to think about starting new family traditions all year long.

I love traditions. I love the feeling of getting to do something over and over again and seeing how it changes as my kids get older. Not to mention, looking back at photos over the years and getting to do the yearly comparisons.

But traditions are often relegated to the holidays. And I don’t want to have to wait for a holiday to participate in traditions!

So now we have a list of traditions we can create all year long.

Why Start New Family Traditions

There are many reasons people chose to start traditions. Sometimes it’s continuing a trend from childhood. Other times it’s a desire to create more family memories. Sometimes traditions happen on accident!

But none of that explains why someone would want to start a new tradition.

For me, personally, I love traditions because they bring back the memories of the previous years. I get to reminisce, look back at photos, and enjoy the making of memories.

I especially love participating in family traditions from when I was a kid. It’s amazing how experiences can feel so similar but my outlook as an adult is so different.

New family traditions are great, too. While there may not be as much history yet, eventually these will be the memories our kids look back upon and reminisce!

The Benefits of Traditions

There are many benefits to traditions but don’t mistake keeping positive traditions with keeping existing traditions.

Just because something is a tradition doesn’t mean you have to continue doing it.

For example, when I was a kid it was tradition that the whole extended family would celebrate Christmas morning together.

I recall that my mom put her foot down one year and she insisted we celebrate Christmas morning at our home – just the 4 of us Christmas evening was the time for extended family but Christmas morning was a special time for just the four of us.

Now I have great memories of Christmas morning with just the four of us without the added stress of getting up early to drive to someone else’s house. And without the added stress of some families have more presents and others less.

But I’m also glad that we still had Christmas evening with the whole family.

So what are the benefits to traditions?

Traditions can create a sense of routine. Many people – kids and adults alike – love having a predictable routine. But the holidays can be anything but predictable. So it’s nice to have something predictable to ground us. For me it’s the holiday music that you listen to year after year, the foods and treats we enjoy, and the breakfast casserole my mom makes every single year (the only time of year I willingly eat olives).

Consistent routines can create meaning and belonging. There are many ways to feel connected as a family (or friend group!!) and traditions are one way.

Traditions are also a great way to make memories. Personally, I love new and novel experiences. But often, doing the same thing on a routine basis is just as much fun. It’s great to remember what we’ve enjoyed in the past and do it again. Especially as the kids grow and get older – the event may be the same but the experience grows.

We just recently got to re-visit a museum that we took the kids to about 4 years ago. It was so neat seeing how the same exhibits were there but the kids interacted with them in a completely different way (and of course we got to remake some photos).

Traditions are always a great way to have something to look forward to. Every fall I look forward to Pumpkin Spice Latte season. It’s something Logi-Bear and I particularly get excited about.

How to Make Traditions Extra Special for Everyone

Traditions aren’t for everyone. And by that I mean that not every tradition will be enjoyed by every person.

What you don’t want to do is try to force traditions on people that don’t like them.

For example, one of my kids wants nothing to do with pumpkin spice lattes. She doesn’t care for pumpkin spice season at all. So we just don’t include her in this one.

As a kid I hated fireworks. They were loud, it was late, there were crowds, and it involved a lot of sitting and waiting.

My parents knew that fireworks were not for me. But they also enjoyed the fireworks and wanted to give that experience to my brother. Instead of just forcing the experience on me, they found ways to eliminate some of the problems. I remember watching fireworks from a tall building one year. It was just us – so no crowds. We were inside so no loud noise.

Just because one person doesn’t enjoy a particular tradition doesn’t mean you just don’t do that. It means that either that person sits out or you find compromises.

Some tips for making sure your traditions are meeting the needs of your family:

• Listen and pay attention to how every member of your family is enjoying the experience.
• If one person doesn’t like something, try to find the root of the problem and see if it’s fixable. (i.e. maybe game night is a drag for the youngest in your family. Including some kid friendly games might alleviate the problem)
• Try starting new traditions with everyone in mind
• Do some traditions less often. Traditions are special because they don’t happen every day. Imagine if every day were your birthday. At first it would be fun. But eventually it would just be the same thing day after day.

Get Your List of Family Traditions for the Whole Year here

You can download the list of new traditions to start right here: