Speaking of Traditions....My Top 4!!!

The holidays are upon us and everyone is in full swing. Thanksgiving has passed, and Black Friday to boot, and traditions are being passed down through the generations. I love the thought of traditions and watching our children pick up on the fact that different things are in fact traditions. So I thought I would share a few of our fun traditions and I would like to hear about some of yours-they don't even have to be holiday related!

1-My most favorite tradition is not even a holiday tradition but a daily tradition in our home. At bed time, all of us sit together and play a game we call high/low. High/low consists of everyone going around in a circle saying the favorite part of their day and the worst part of their day. What makes this so special is that they are encouraged to say whatever they want, even if the worst part may be "getting grounded" or "punching my sister". They will not get into trouble for their worst part and encourages open and honest communication, as well as seeing something positive even if the day may have been crummy. We then follow up by praying and hugs and kisses!

2-Remember Gumby? I am not that old so some of my elders will remember him quite well while some of the younger readers might be like "who?" Anyways, our household has a little 4-inch plastic Gumby figurine that mysteriously changes hiding spots. The fun thing about how small he is is that our family can hide him in the weirdest places. This traditional game takes hide and seek to the next level. One person may choose to hide Gumby (usually in the most obvious places). A couple days may go by and all of the sudden you will hear "I found Gumby". There are only a few rules....if you find Gumby, you cannot tell anyone else where you found him at. The other rule is that he be put in a spot that he will not disappear completely (like on the back of toilet where he may inadvertently be flushed). There are no other rules, so Gumby might peek at you while you are cooking, or even better when you are taking a shower, then he may end up somewhere else for a few weeks.....who knows?

3-Christmas morning, the best day of the year. While our family does not go to church as much as we should or do what we should at all times, we do believe in God and we do celebrate Jesus on His birthday. I love this part of Christmas Day, because my kids are so patient and are really on board with this tradition. Every Christmas morning, before we do anything else, we get out our big Christmas candle and put it in the middle of the living room floor. Then we all surround it and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and spend a moment in prayer. I cannot believe we have been doing this tradition for about 8 years now and my kids are okay with it. They do not rush it, they are not fidgety, they respect that this day is to be about Jesus first. Man, that brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it! A wonderful family tradition!

(the kiddos getting ready to sing the birthday song)

4-Speaking of Christmas, Christmas Eve has always been a night for us to open up one present. This has been a tradition since I was a little girl and my sister and I both do it now in our own homes. On Christmas Eve, we were always allowed to open one present, that our mom picked out, and it would always be the same thing: a pair of pajamas. We knew that would be what we opened, and we loved it. We would shoot to our rooms to put them on so that we could be cozy in them for when Santa came. My mom carried that tradition on even now, buying me and my sister pajamas every year (and I am now 35). I do the same with our kids, every Christmas Eve they know they will get to open a present, and that it will always be that pair of pajamas.

It has been fun sharing my most favorite traditions with you all, I'm looking forward to hearing yours!