What family
traditions are unique to your family? My brother likes to go out to dinner
every year for his birthday, and Father’s Day…to the same restaurant. We also
end up at that same restaurant for Mother’s Day, because my mom enjoys that
place too.
We enter the
restaurant, and my brother is greeted warmly like the 1980’s sitcom Cheers.
The waitress says, “Hey Norm.” Immediately a line from the Cheers theme song
pops in my head – Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name,
and they’re always glad you came.
At our family
gatherings we have four generations represented, from toddlers to menopausal
and post-menopausal relatives. The best part of traditions with our family is
sharing stories and laughs. I’ve come to learn that the saying, Out of the
mouths of babes, is not restricted to the young.
My twenty-five-year-old
asked, “Ma, why did you only have two kids, why not three? We wanted a sister.”
“Well, you’re
not getting a sister at this point. You can have as many kids as you want.
After you finish paying those college loans, and helping me around the house,
tell me how many kids YOU want to have.”
Our afternoon was filled with laughter and promises to get together more often, not just for birthdays and holidays. A friend told me that her family gets together monthly for a game night. The location rotates among family members.
The best
part about family traditions is creating memories and leaving a legacy for the next
generation. While at the grocery store with my son last week, a pumpkin carving
kit sitting on a shelf caught his eye. He said, “Remember when we used to carve
pumpkins? It was so messy.”
My son was
right, pumpkin carving at our house, was a mess, but it’s a memory that stayed
with him. Perhaps when he has kids pumpkin carving will be a neat experience.
What advice
would you share about family traditions?
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