Traditions

When we think of traditions, we most often think of holiday traditions.  Even more specifically, Christmas traditions. Christmas can be such a special time, especially for children, if you have traditions that you do each year.  My girls eagerly anticipate the new ornament they will get the night we decorate the tree...or the dinner by candle light on Christmas Eve...or the Christmas stories we read each night in December.  However, have you thought about how enriching monthly or weekly traditions can be in your family?

Every Friday night is Movie/Pizza night in our home.  Wayne and I make delicious homemade pizza's (thank you Panagopolous Pizza for teaching my hubby how to throw dough), we drink chocolate milk (thank you Inalee for this idea), and watch a movie as a family.  We didn't necessarily plan this tradition...it just kind of happened.  We did it a few weeks in a row, and then we noticed the girls looking forward to it and planning for it.  Next thing we knew, Friday night had a name (Movie/Pizza Night), and we all look forward to relaxing together as a family and enjoying a show.

We also have a weekly tradition called Family Home Evening.  Every Monday night we gather as a family and have a family devotional which includes song, prayer, a lesson, an activity, and a treat.  We all take turns with different responsibilities each week and I love that the girls look forward to this on Mondays.  In fact, they are usually the ones to make sure everyone knows their responsibilities and are ready for that evening.  It is such a great opportunity for us to come together as a family, have a gospel oriented discussion, and to have fun together.

I love that we have two evenings a week where we routinely gather as a family and spend time together.  We all have come to know, expect and love these weekly traditions, and I believe it has made our family a stronger unit.

Do you have any family traditions you love that you grew up with or that you implement in your family?  I'd love to hear them!