Traditions

With the holiday season here, there's a lot of tradition making/keeping. These are things that became nostalgia for many, but are also great learning experiences for all of us. My mother has been a part of reading "The Night Before Christmas" on the eve of December 24th nearly every year since she was a baby. I continue this tradition, but have also been a major proponent in the tradition of creating and exchanging handmade gifts among my immediate family.

Extending these traditions to the entire year can extend the fun and learning experiences. Some traditions may be daily or weekly and provide fun and nostalgia for everyone, such as Sundays of laying in bed as a family and reading the paper, or evenings with books and board games in the living room, or going on a walk once a day or week. Also fun are traditions created around days of celebration (even those foreign to you): Chinese New Year or International Magic Week or Lithuania's Independence Day. Each of these experiences may not be something that you know a whole lot about, but you and those close to you could do a little research and try out a new craft or recipe to learn something new. Each year, you may try new celebrations or new activities for each tradition or a new person may join you. Use each other to develop the traditions into new and different things for years to come.

Check out site such at Daily Holidays or use Wikipedia to find the Independence Days for countries. Go to your local library to check out books to research your next holiday--the children's section often has books with simple descriptions of basic traditions to get started.

What traditions will you and your loved ones hold dear?