how to start a family tradition

[dumbo_buddy]

hi all!!

dh and i are taking our son to the world in january. he'll be 7 months old then. i'm trying to think of a great "thing" to do and/or purchase each visit with him. at first i thought about an ornament with the year on it. however, there may be (hopefully!) more than one visit per year. for instance we're thinking of going in jan 2010 and dec 2010. also, i'm really anal about my tree and only have one kind of ornament on there.

what's a good souvenir to help us remember our trips? also, what is a great tradition to do at every visit?

i would love to hear what your family does!

 

[ekmom]

We used to take a picture posed in the dame way at the same place each trip. When the kids were young we could only afford to go every 3 - 4 years so they changed a lot between trips and it's fun to compare the photos.

 

[Mathfailure]

Two thoughts

1. As this little one grows, there will be homemake 'stuff' from school for the tree and house. Perhaps you could begin a second tree for a different room in your house that is not themed for your child(ren)s things and personal ornaments?

2. I wish we had done this. Take a picture of your child(ren) at the same place each time. A growth chart if you will. Same doorway, same ride line what ever. Close enough to see the growth that has taken place. In front of the castle will not do, too far back. Perhaps standing near a sign.

Enjoy your little one.

 

[Mathfailure]

Too funny, we had the same thought!

Although we did not do it and I regret that...

 

[kbheap]

My children pick out a stuffed character on each trip. They are not big into souvenirs, thank goodness, so this is great for me. It is always fun to see which character they are into when the trip comes around. My daughter is actually really cute with it. She is 4 and she sleeps with a baby every night. So when the new trip comes around she totally gets into the fact that this is her new "favorite character" and she then only sleeps with that one until the next trip.

 

[Dee77]

I think a family picture in a set location is a great idea but also try to get pictures with the characters/with the baby on the rides etc and make a small photo book for each trip. My DD loves to look at hers from last year and talks constantly about how much bigger she is now. We are going again in 2 weeks and I can't wait to see how she reacts to everything again.

 

[WDWorBUST]

We have taken a picture of DD in the rocking chairs at Wilderness Lodge every year. We also get a silhouette done each year.

 

[pixiewings71]

You could buy a new pin to symbolize something you did on the trip each time. Or you could do the photo in the same place. I like to get my girls silhouettes done yearly, I want to do it again this year and I want to get one of DBF and myself as well.

 

[Bugsmom73]

I would recommend silohuettes as well. A Charature would work too.

 

[bgohre]

For my daughter, we bought her a charm braclet and one charm for each trip she has been on.

Of course, I don't think this would work well for a boy.

 

[dumbo_buddy]

to the poster that mentioned how i'll be getting all sorts of handmade ornaments now that i have a son, i didn't even think of that! sounds like i have to give up my "perfect" tree decorations!!

i really like the idea of having the same picture in the same place. that's a wonderful idea! my dad and i had something like that. each year my mom and dad and i (i'm an only child) used to go to acapulco. we used to take a picture of my dad and i at the breakfast table each year. he wore the SAME shirt (with gumby and pokey on it..LOL!). i have one framed in my living room. i think i'm maybe 8 years old in it.

GREAT idea!!

thoughts on the perfect place to take this picture in disney??

 

[Drusilla]

to the poster that mentioned how i'll be getting all sorts of handmade ornaments now that i have a son, i didn't even think of that! sounds like i have to give up my "perfect" tree decorations!!

i really like the idea of having the same picture in the same place. that's a wonderful idea! my dad and i had something like that. each year my mom and dad and i (i'm an only child) used to go to acapulco. we used to take a picture of my dad and i at the breakfast table each year. he wore the SAME shirt (with gumby and pokey on it..LOL!). i have one framed in my living room. i think i'm maybe 8 years old in it.

GREAT idea!!

thoughts on the perfect place to take this picture in disney??

I had to give up my perfect tree as soon as dd hit pre-school... but you know what, I love my mish-mash tree so much more than I ever loved my perfect trees. Amazing what effect kids have on us...

My perfect place to have our picture taken is with the castle in the background. When you go towards tomorrow land (castle hub area) there is a picture spot and a photopass photographer. We always go the week after thanksgiving so the castle has lights on and we do a nighttime family portrait - it's just beautiful!

 

[ekmom]

Well, we didn't really plan it out as a tradition, it just kind of happened. The first time the kids were 5 and 8 and I took a picture of them with DH in front of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror sign. Then we ended up taking that same picture each time. It worked out well because you could tell that they were getting taller each time against the sign.

 

[Tricia's mom]

You could buy a new pin to symbolize something you did on the trip each time. Or you could do the photo in the same place. I like to get my girls silhouettes done yearly, I want to do it again this year and I want to get one of DBF and myself as well.

WE have done this each time we have gone to Disney. I have a silhoutte of myself done in disney when I was 8 years old. DD has 3 from here past trips.

 

[Dervis]

My family takes a picture by the snowman in DHS each time we go. Why? I have no idea. I don't know how or why this started, but we have a picture from every trip of myself, my mom, and my dad in the same positions by the same snowman. Quirky, cheap, and odd when considering the hundreds of other things we could have chosen....but we love it!

 

[Dopey19]

We buy DD a pin; something that will spark a special memory from the trip. We are not pin collectors; they are purchased just for our own enjoyment. For example, her first trip (2 y.o.) she was afraid of all the characters at Crystal Palace and I thought the whole trip would be a bust but the second morning we went to the Playhouse Disney breakfast at the studios and June from the Einsteins was so sweet with my daughter that her fear subsided and she began to love them! We bought an Einsteins pin because whenever we look at it we think of how that breakfast changed our trip! We just went for Halloween and bought a Halloween pin w/the year on it. We've had six trips with her so far and each pin brings back a special memory.

 

[pigletof4]

I was going to suggest a picture with the snowman also. That's where my oldest dd had her picture taken. My son had his picture taken with the princess statues outside of World of Disney. Go figure on that one.

 

[RSADP]

My DD got her 1st hair cut at Disney. If I have anymore kids, they will definitely have a first haircut there as well.

I like the pin idea. I also like to get postcards!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Have you considered picking up the trading pins? Obviously not to trade, but ones that you could keep? You could find special ones that relate to your trips and keep them for him.

DH has been allowed to get a stuffed animal each trip so far, but I doubt that will be something that he looks back on to remember.

I do scrapbook and plan to make a book from each trip, but I know that isn't something that everyone is in to. With the inability to make it to WDW often, it's not a big project.

HTH.

 

[joeathome167]

I've been taking a picture of the kids sitting on a bench somewhere in World Showcase with Spaceship Earth in the backgroound. I have 3 pics from three different trips and it's funny to see time go by. I'm going to buy a frame with several windows and put all the pics in there with the year. We didn't ever plan doing this, it just happened.