One of the most important things that brings families together are traditions. A quick Google search comes across this Wikipedia definition:
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past.
Family traditions can be something that is shared within your immediate family or with your extended family. They can be traditions that make you laugh, traditions that unite you in activity, or traditions that simply help you remember all your family before you. These are not just normal routines, but things you do regularly that bring your family closer together with significant, longer lasting importance.
Let’s look at why they are important…
Why Traditions Are Important
Traditions’ most important benefit is strengthening your family. They create connections between family members that can be passed down from generation to generation. They bind you together, giving you a sense of comfort and belonging. Traditions can teach your kids, at a very early age, why it is important to spend time together with family and help give them an identity. Traditions have been known to not only keep families closer, but also solve disputes with everyone coming together for a family cause.
Examples Of Family Traditions
Just about anything can be a tradition if it can bind you closer together with your family and is done regularly. A few examples of common traditions include: church together on Sundays followed by family breakfast; game nights every Friday; a yearly vacation or family retreat. Perhaps your family has a yearly reunion where something is celebrated.
Allow me to tell you of a strong family tradition in my wife’s family…
Christmas Dinner
From the first year I met my wife to the present, my wife’s family always get together for an Italian Christmas dinner. Everyone in the family is invited. The dinner is filled with family members that we see on a frequent basis and ones we only see once or twice a year. It was started by my wife’s grandparents, who have passed away, and is now carried on by my father-n-law and his siblings. It is held at one of the sibling’s homes and starts off with a few glasses of wine, some conversation, and some NFL football on TV. Some games are played, people catch up while my father-n-law and his siblings are preparing the Italian feast.
Everything is home-made. Italian wedding soup is the first course, followed by all the home-made raviolis and Italian meats you can eat. The meal is followed by all types of desserts and there’s no way to leave the dinner table hungry. But after dinner, is the real bonding time and what really brings us closer together.
Happy Birthday
We all sing Happy Birthday to baby Jesus. There is a figurine of the baby Jesus that has been in the family for a really long time. The youngest family member carries baby Jesus around to each family member who gives him a kiss. Having God in our lives and uniting us with Jesus brings our family closer together and is a tradition I never experienced before meeting my wife. This tradition continues and will for many years to come. It reminds us what is really important in life.
The Takeaway
In today’s society, with all the distractions, it’s easy for family members to drift apart, especially extended family members. This is where family traditions can help save the family and keep members closer together. Traditions have the power to unite families in times of need and strengthen bonds across generations. They can bring members closer together and keep them together. If you don’t have any family traditions that you can think of, start one now. You could take one from this post or find one you like on the Internet. Start one today and keep it going for generations to come.