What are your family traditions?

[lillygator]

Not holiday ones....but other ones...I have been reading several books on "family traditions" and would love to hear what others do...


birthday breakfast in bed??
game night? pizza night? backwards day?

 

[grlpwrd]

Some of our's:

birthday week - we don't celebrate just for one day, but for the whole week as we think it's more fun that way

themed nights - yes, game night or DVD movie marathons, but also taco night, stirfry night, breakfast for dinner night, etc.

craft night - we make crafts together or just sit and crochet and chat

cultural celebrations and customs - Chinese New Year, giving omiyage (which are gifts for family and friends when you return from a trip etc.), having a luau, etc.

exercising as a family - walking or jogging in the neighborhood

We do others, too, of course ...

 

[SDFgirl]

When I was a kid, every once in a while our whole family would "camp out" in the living room.

We'd blow up air mattresses, pile tons of blankets and pillows up, and pile up in front of the TV, watching movies. We'd eat pizza/popcorn/soft drinks right there on the LR floor. Mom and Dad would sleep out there with us.

Now that I re-read this, it just sounds like a big family slumber party! But we always called it camping out. I always thought it was so much fun and will do the same when I have kids.

 

[disneymcgraw]

During the summer, every Monday we go geocaching or treasure hunting as we call it.

Birthdays, that person gets to choose their favorite restaurant.

My hubby takes our dd out to breakfast once a week and they alternate who picks what restaurant.

I take my dd to the movies when there is something playing we'd like to see, just the two of us.

When we open our pool it's tradition that the three of us, dd, hubby and myself jump in together to open the summer.

 

[lillygator]

being a native Floridian - what is "open the pool"?

 

[luv2nascar]

Once a month or so everyone camps in our bedroom for the night. Kids bring pillows and sleeping bags and sleep in our room. They love to do it.

Since my oldest was young we have had girls night out. It usually was dinner and a movie. Now since we have a younger daughter too - girls night lives on but its more like dinner and shopping or a park.

Every Sunday night we go to my Inlaws for dinner which is usually spaghetti.

I'm sure we have others but I can't think of them now.

 

[kat3668]

Every year the day after Thanksgiving we get up at # am and hit the stores!!! shopping till we drop then breakfast....

Every Sunday we have family dinner night.... play games and enjoy being a famiyl

 

[Missy1961]

Some of my family traditions:

1. When I was a kid, we got to pick all the meals on our birthdays. We always opened our presents in the morning, before school. When we got older, we started going to restaurants for birthday dinners.

2. At the end of the school year, we would go to the toy store to get "summer toys"--you know, pails, shovels & stuff for the beach, frisbees, etc.

3. We live 20 minutes from the beach. So we used to go every weekend & my dad would take at least a week of vacation when we were done with day camp & we go every good day. Dad would pick a spot--close to the water, not too far from the bathrooms--and we'd each stake a claim with our towels. Then dad would take us for the first swim of the day. We must have gone to the beach together thousands of times, but we did that every time!

And now I have some traditions with my nieces. Whenever I sleep over (at least once a month), they "wake" me up. They wait for me to come out of my room, then I'll say "who's going to wake me up?" I pretend to go to bed, they come in the room, go under the bed & make scary noises. I have to pretend I'm scared, they pop up & say "it's us!".

 

[disneymcgraw]

being a native Floridian - what is "open the pool"?

LOL Here in CT we open the pool...take the cover off around Memorial Day lol.

 

[goofygirl]

We do birthday treasure hunts, even though we are all adults, lol. You hide clues to that lead to one another throughout the house, and the last clue leads to the gifts.

 

[1of6]

We have movie night once a month where DH and I watch with the kids. We are so happy when they pick a good one instead of Pokemon.

We had a picnic dinner in the living room on New Year's Eve. Blanket on the floor (just in case) and all. I got many "this was the best dinner ever!" and it was chicken nuggets and fries. LOL

Birthday person picks dinner out.

Something we started about a month ago was "special person." At dinner I set someone's spot different. (napkin on the wrong side, no spoon, 2 forks, different plate) The kids try and figure out which spot is different and that person is the special one. Everyone gives the special person a compliment. Even my dd2 now says, "thank you for ______." Usually playing with me. DH and I each get our days too. It really is nice to hear the kids saying nice things to each other.

 

[CamColt]

Every Wednesday we go to my parents house for macaroni night. Growing up we used to go to my aunt's house (3 sisters who raised my father when his mother died) On Wednesdays. now there is just 1 of them left(not the cook), so we have continued it at my parents house.

On Topsy Turvey Day (Jan 6...from the Hunchback of Notre Dame) we do thing Topsy Turvey and have breakfast for dinner.

This is probably one for a lot of us here, but we have at least 1 Disney trip yearly.

 

[ceiligh1]

For St. Patricks day the lepracons sp? leave andes mints around the house and mess it up a bit.

Bday person gets to pick dinner and their doorway is papered over when they wake up in the morning.

always have an easter egg hunt at easter.

our family is still young so we are still making up our own but my parents used to take us to the state fair the night before the first day of school. We would stay out late enjoying the last night of freedom.

 

[Bearvet]

We celebrate the last day of school by the whole family going out for banana splits. Usually when we go out for ice cream the kids get cones or a small sundae. This is the only time they get a banana split and really look forward to it! It's a little bit tricky now because the boys are at 3 different schools so the last day isn't always the same, so we pick the most convenient date. They love this tradition!

 

[Micca]

Essentially we avoid traditions. We've actually acheived a great deal of consistency in this regard.

 

[SeeDisney]

I'm enjoying reading this thread.


We usually have family game night on Fridays.


I may be borrowing some of these other ideas I'm reading here.

 

[lillygator]

such great ideas!

 

[CathrynRose]

Not holiday ones....but other ones...I have been reading several books on "family traditions" and would love to hear what others do...


birthday breakfast in bed??
game night? pizza night? backwards day?

In honor of DawninCT - i have decided to make any un-auth'd party at my house a Chase "em Down, if I catch 'em - tradition.

Hmmmm - what are our traditions?? Maybe my Nyquil is fogging my memory.

 

[rigs32]

Dh and I rarley give birthday presents. Instead, we go do something that we both want to, but especially the birthday person. Last year we saw Wicked in Toronto for my birthday. This year I did buy DH a gift, but only because he REALLY wanted something.

 

[kldmom2000]

We do a lot of seasonal type of things... in the spring-strawberry picking and then I make jam with my girls.....

We spend a lot of time visiting my parents on Cape Cod in the summer at the campground-the girls look forward to the campfires and making smores....

Fall-we have to go apple picking at least once and pick out the perfect pumpkins to bring home and carve

Winter-of course all the usual holiday traditions but also we try to book a night at a hotel w/ an indoor pool one weekend with the girls after it snowed out so we can go swimming while it's snowing We'll be doing that next month