And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if you nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.
Alma 32:37 Keeping Family Trees Rooted Through Traditions By Jan Butcher & Nancy Johnson Why Are Family Traditions Important? The most important traditions are connected with the way we live our lives and will last beyond us as our children s lives are influenced and shaped. What kinds of traditions do we have? Some of them may have come from our fathers, and now we are passing them along to our own children. Are they what we want them to be? Are they based on actions of righteousness and faith? -Cheryl C. Lant, Primary General President April General Conference 2008 The Family: A proclamation to the World states that happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make... I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. Time spent together brings families closer together. There is no one perfect way to be a good family. Each situation is unique. Each family has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each family (Family was substituted for mother) - M. Russell Ballard, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles April General Conference 2008
Every family needs to choose what traditions work for them. There is no right or wrong way to develop traditions - so just get started. The most important thing to remember is to have fun! Religious Traditions Write a letter to your kids on special days (when they were born, when they got baptized, etc.) Remember it s never too late to share your thoughts and testimony with your kids. I wrote them letters when they were born and gave them to each child right before they got married. During the priesthood sessions of conference hang out with just the girls. Afterwards, go out for dinner or have ice cream sundaes together with the boys. Make breakfast before the first session of conference. We make scones and take them around the neighbors as well. Teach your kids that Heavenly Father will always be there for them. I heard a talk from Hugh B. Brown and adapted the lesson for my own children. When my kids were about to leave for college, a mission, or to get married, I took them into our dark basement bathroom, held them close and reminded them how I was always there for them when they were scared. I told them that I would not always be there for them when they got scared or confused, but that they could call upon Heavenly Father and He would be there for them. (Hugh B. Brown The Abundant Life) Make copies of talks that family members give in sacrament meeting. Send them to family members who may be away. Once a month for family home evening we read about our ancestors or stories in church history. Make Resurrection Rolls on Eater Morning. Prepare the following the night before Easter: 1 package frozen roll dough, thawed. 6 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 bag large marshmallows ¼ cup butter, melted Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside. Divide the dough into individual roll-sized portions. Press each portion into a flat circle. Place 1 large marshmallow in the center of each roll. Pinch roll dough very firmly around the marshmallow. Roll each into a seamless ball with your hands. Brush rolls with butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture over rolls. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight. On Sunday morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes until rolls are golden brown. Just like Christ s tomb on Easter Sunday, these rolls will be empty! Write notes and put in their lockers, desks, or lunchboxes.
Every Fast Sunday we call it Daddy Day where Dad interviews each child just to get caught up in where they are spiritually and emotionally. Father, Grandfather or Home Teacher give Priesthood blessings day before the kids go back to school. Family Traditions The special plate. We have a plate that says You are Special on it that we put out when something good has happened to one of our kids. We use it on birthdays, when a child gets a good report card, etc. One of our son-in-laws parents died when he was younger. On their birthdays he and my daughter remember them by doing the things that they used to do. For example, his mom worked at Arctic Circle so they go there to eat. His dad loved to fill up his soda cup with every flavor of syrup, so on his birthday they do the same. On Thanksgiving we take turns going through the alphabet and saying what we are thankful for starting with the letter A. Between Christmas and New Years I ask my kids to fill out a year in review paper. I ask them questions to help remember each year. They are all put in one book with a family newsletter and a picture. It s like a family journal. What I did at school, work, church and home this year? Vacations I went on and what I did? What was my favorite movie? What was my favorite book? What was something funny, unusual or interesting that happened this year? What was the best thing about this year? What was the worst thing about this year? What activities, sports, or organizations was I involved in this year? What were some accomplishments or awards I achieved this year? What is one New Year s Resolution for the coming year? We play Halloween Bingo, this is one of my favorite holiday s so we have fun scary prizes and Halloween treats. Easter Egg hunt (we added money when our kids got older and married) Make a calendar with pictures of the family. Once a month celebrate a country of the world. Try new food from that country, play a traditional game, or learn interesting facts about that country. Since the church is a worldwide church, this helps us to get to know more about people in other areas of the world. Every Christmas Eve my kids get a new pair of pajamas. We all put them on as we celebrate the evening together. This tradition has gone on for at least five generations. Valentines Day we have heart shaped waffles or pancakes with heart shaped butter, or toast cut into heart shapes.
For Easter we hide the baskets and the kids have to solve the riddles in order to find them. Since our girls were small we have an annual Snow Hunt. In the fall when it is raining in the valley we jump in the car and head up the canyon until we find snow. Then we get out and have a snowball fight. Every year for Christmas we give each of our daughters a new ornament that has something to do with their life at the time. When they get married we will give all the ornaments to them for a wedding present for their own tree. We read the book The little Match girl before we go to bed every Christmas Eve. We did this ever since I was young. On Christmas we have a German tradition (even though we are not German) where I hide a green pickle ornament somewhere on the tree and the person who finds it gets a special prize, this adds a little competitive fun to the morning. Christmas Eve took on a new meaning when we started having the nicest meal of the year as a family. I started out cooking things that the kids had never tried, but now we have lobster and prime rib with a few new items each year. It forces me to be done with everything the day before. We have dinner after we have gone down to Temple Square. Go to dinner monthly with your parents and siblings and families. Vacations (They can be small or big, just fun to do something). After our vacation we have a FHE on wherever we went. We eat that food and we play a game about what happened. For example: Who tripped over the bench? Who saw an Eel eating an Octopus Etc. Once a month have an Attitude of Gratitude day where we decide on a person or family in our neighborhood who we are grateful for and take them a treat. We do the 12 days of Christmas for a family in our neighborhood, or a family member or a friend. We ring the door bell and run each night or if they are farther away we take all 12 and drop them off the first night. Do a neighborhood Halloween Phantom where you choose 3 neighbors and take them a treat with a message to pass it on to 3 others. Celebrate the half-birthdays of each family member. We sing and give them one gift. We have done this since our children were born. I think everyone should be remembered at least twice a year. We do a sports pool together. There s no betting involved, everyone just likes to see how they do. We have done, the MLB playoffs, World Series, College Football Bowl Games and college basketball. Watch old family videos for FHE. Time capsule, bury in your yard or hide letters, tapes, goals, etc to open in a few years. Take pictures the first day of school and put all the years together. Family Dinner What your kids really want at the dinner table is you
Children who eat with families are less likely to do drugs and get better grades.- Church News,week ending September 8, 2007 What matters most is spending time together as a family. If you start traditions when your children are younger they expect them and enjoy coming when they are teenagers, they even remind you about them if you have gotten too busy. But it is never too late to start new traditions. We have learned to adapt them to the ages of our kids, sometimes you have to be creative when you have married kids and some at home and sometimes you ll find a tradition has served it s purpose and isn t worth doing anymore. Just do what works best for your family. Some of the most simple, free, and easy traditions turn out to be the best. Have fun, Families can be together Forever. The most important traditions and the best place to start are: Family scripture study, Family prayer, and Family Home Evening.