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TRADITIONS

By: Nadyne Lee, A.R.N.P.

 
 

 

         Mothers and grandmothers are the guardians of traditions.  (Yes, Grandmothers too! It’s no accident that every holiday season we sing “Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go.").  Mother and grandmother create and preserve family traditions.  Think back to your own childhood.  Which traditions stand out as cherished memories?  Was it Pumpkin pie and turkey on Thanksgiving?  Was it opening gifts at Mammaw’s house on Christmas Eve?  Easter egg hunts?  Blowing out birthday candles on a made from scratch cake?  Holidays give us wonderful opportunities to celebrate our family traditions.  Now, don’t get me wrong, keeping traditions alive is hard work!  When we were children, Thanksgiving turkey and all the fixings magically appeared, the Easter Bunny hid all the eggs, Santa was responsible for Christmas joy and birthdays were effortless events that happened once a year.  As mother and grandmothers know, most of us give thanks when the turkey is in the oven, Santa really does exist because we see her reflection every time we look into the mirror, the Easter Bunny goes to church with egg dye under her fingernails, and birthdays are labors of love not quite as difficult as giving birth, but right up there.  Still, we love our family traditions.  These magical times give us the opportunity to celebrate our joy and gratitude for the blessing of our life.  These are spiritual occasions that express our faith, hope and love.  Family traditions imprint the souls of our children and grandchildren with our values.  They creat life long memories that are passed from generation.

            Because traditions are so important, we can create new traditions out of ordinary occasions.

  •  Have an un-birthday party just to celebrate how much you love your child or grandchild.  Make a cake.  Decorate the kitchen and give a memento from your past.

 

  • Celebrate snow days.  Make hot chocolate, go sledding.  Make a snowman, watch a video.  Cook hotdogs and marshmallows in the fireplace.

 

  • Have a “Let’s Pretend Party”.  Make costumes for your children or grandchildren.  Dress up yourself as a character from their favorite book (Winnie the Pooh, Harry Potter or the Velveteen Rabbit), then read from the book or act out the story.

 

  • Have a family reunion.  Make sure that your child or grandchild is responsible for bringing something to the picnic (cupcakes, rice Krispie treats. . .) Run relay races, three legged races or wheelbarrow races with multi-generational teams.  Sing songs.

 

  • Celebrate the first day of Fall.  Visit a State Park.  Collect leaves.  Take a hike.  Teach your child or grandchild about birds, wildflowers and trees.  Make gingerbread.

 

 

  • Celebrate the first day of school.  Make cookies in the shape of A,B,C’s.  Greet you children or grandchildren when they get off the bus.  Take them to dinner and talk about funny things that happened to you when you were in school.  Buy them a school-related gift (book bag, pencil box or calculator).

 

  • Celebrate the first day of Summer.  Get into your swimsuit (don’t worry, nobody’s watching) and run through the sprinklers with your children or grandchildren.  Make lemonade and sugar cookies.  Swing on the porch swing.  Catch fireflies.

 

            Use your time effort and imagination to create something out of nothing.  Celebrate and enjoy these precious moments of life.  Our children and grandchildren inherit our genes, our possessions and the precious memories we leave to them.  Remember, time passes quickly.  Our greatest legacy is the memories that we create.