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What is your favorite family tradition?

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by genuinemommy, Mar 8, 2017.

  1. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    Do you have any traditions that you do as a family?
    Is it just your immediate family or an extended family ordeal?

    I have a friend whose extended family takes over a campground in the middle of nowhere and camps once a year. It has become such a huge event that each family brings several friends and it's a week-long event with formal activities and even classes and performances around a big campfire. It sounds like a really fun family tradition.

    I have another friend whose parents hide a pickle-shaped ornament every Christmas eve and the person who finds it gets a special present.

    There's another family that I know who goes bird watching together once a week.

    And another family who eats at Red Robin every Friday night with their kids.

    My family used to get together every Sunday afternoon for a barbecue or other big meal with cousins, but we live too far away for that right now.

    What about you? What are your traditions? Any that you have kept and carry on, or any that you despised and no longer follow? Are any of your traditions part of your cultural identity?
     
    genuinemommy, Mar 8, 2017
    #1
  2. CinnamonGirl

    CinnamonGirl The Cheat is GROUNDED!

    Location:
    Central Republic of Where-In-The-Hell
    When I was a kid, we spent a lot more time with extended family. That's dwindled as the kids have grown up and moved away and had their own kids; and as the older family members have aged, gotten sick, or passed away.

    My favorites: in the summer, my grandma's sister always had a few big family parties. Water balloon fights, playing in the creek, and cooking out during the day...then as the light faded, there'd be games of hide-and-seek, and later, a big bonfire. Several of my dad's cousins played guitar, and we'd have big sing-alongs interspersed with one person playing and one person singing.

    On my mom's side, we hung out quite a bit at my great-grandma's. No matter what day of the week, or what time it was, at least one or two cousins would show up, and we'd play games outside or lounge on the porch listening to Reds games. That's also where we spent Christmas afternoon, and there were always three gag gifts that got rewrapped and regifted every year (one was a corncob nightlight in a jar. One was a weird paper popper...thing. I'm totally blanking on what the third one was.)

    Every Saturday morning, we'd go roller skating with my stepdad's family. The number of people ebbed and flowed, but the core group was always me, my brother, my mom, stepdad, and grandparents. My grandparents were fantastic skaters, and they'd waltz together during the moonlight skates. It was always so fun to watch.


    As for my immediate family, we always made pancakes on Sunday mornings. And our dog, Polly, always got a couple when were were finished. One year, we went to see my aunt, uncle, & cousin on Christmas Day (I think that was the year she got a puppy, Frosty the bichon frise), and we stopped at UDF and got milkshakes. Pretty sure we've gotten a milkshake every year since then. Even now, if I'm in Ohio over Christmas, mom and I get UDF milkshakes (she usually goes for banana; I get peppermint.)
     
    CinnamonGirl, Mar 8, 2017
    #2
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  3. fflowley

    fflowley Don't just do something, stand there!

    We always have a traditional family Thanksgiving. It's my immediate family which now includes our parents, spouses and kids.
    We have been doing it for all 47 years that I have been alive. I look forward to it all year. Not because we do anything dazzlingly exciting, but because there's so many memories in it for me, and because now I see our kids making those same memories and forging the bonds of family.
     
    fflowley, Mar 8, 2017
    #3
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  4. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC
    My family isn't a tradition type family, other than T-day & Xmas
    It's more into those moments, the things we like to do...rather than any particular day or event.

    Videos (back when they were rented)
    Restaurants
    Games
    Music
    Books
    Movies
    Concerts

    Certain places we'd like to go, those that would do it the way we liked it...
     
    rogue49, Mar 8, 2017
    #4
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  5. METALLICA_BAND

    Metallica_Band New Member

    I enjoy cooking for Thanksgiving/Christmas and baking/decorating cookies.
     
    Metallica_Band, Mar 10, 2017
    #5