Family Traditions

Pat and I have recently be asked to give our friends, who are getting married, a little gift symbolizing a tradition from our family that we want to pass onto their new family. As I thought about this, I got more a more depressed. I could only think of one "tradition" Pat and I have, if you can even call it a tradition.

We always keep a dry erase marker in the bathroom, for those instances where our schedules do not align. For those times when I work early or when Pat works late, these pens work great to leave a little love note on the bathroom mirror since we didn't have the chance to say "good morning" or "good night" in person.

I plan on tying these markers up in a ribbon and attaching this poem:

Now that you two are soon to be wed, 

It is important for you to prepare for the years ahead. 

The future is bright with a companion by your side, 

to always have someone to be there for life's amazing ride.  

Marriage is a special gift from above, 

being able to spend not only time but eternity with the one you love. 

True love never dies if it's nourished every day; 

performing small acts of kindness goes a long way. 

Never miss an opportune moment to express how you feel, 

this is one thing you never want to conceal. 

Do as we have done and use these dry-erase markers to say something sweet;  

a bathroom mirror always works well to say "I love you" or "You make me complete".

Those unexpected love-notes from your husband or wife, 

is a sure-fire way to keep the romance alive and to enrich your life. 

Of course, this isn't a tradition in the "traditional" sense (no pun intended) so even though I was able to come up with a gift, I still was a bit depressed about being so boring and untraditional in our marriage. Sure, I could blame it on the fact that we don't have kids and a lot of traditions involve having little ones. However, I don't think that excuse should hold us back from enjoying all the lasting memories that traditions bring to ones life.

So, I decided to TAKE ACTION.

I decided that from that moment on we would start having traditions. I made a list of all the traditions that my family had growing up and the new traditions I want to start with my own family. It seems that when you are a "single couple" (this is what I call a couple without kids) you are always holding out on starting traditions until you have kids. Well, since we have been married for almost 5 years now and there are still no kids in the picture, we need to start now! Kids or no kids, traditions will be had in the Koelling house hold!

Of course some of the traditions below require little ones, there are still plenty that Pat and I can start on. This list is still incomplete and I fully intend to add upon this list as the years go by. What traditions did or does your family have? Please share so I can steal your ideas!

Family Traditions

Daily
-Read one chapter from the scriptures every evening
-Family prayer every morning and night, ending with a group hug
-Daily dinner questions: What was the best and worst part of your day and who did you help?
-Small note in their school/work lunches

Weekly
-Family home evening on Monday nights. Start each member of the family saying one thing you love about each person
-Friday Pizza night (switch between homemade and pickup)
-Sunday dinner-Paper plates and pancakes
-Weekly journal time, where everyone sits and writes down in their journal
-Play church music in the morning as everyone is getting ready for church
-Saturday morning house cleaning, play music to get everyone pumped
-Everyday of the week is a different persons special day where they get to pick who says the prayer, make descions, pick what’s for dinner, etc.

Monthly
-Temple on the 5th of every month (The day we were married) or as close to that day as possible

Special Occasions
-“You are special today” when someone does well, birthday, etc

General Conference
For each session have something fun for the kids to do:
-Play Conference Jenga (write words on pieces and when they say it or refer to it take out a piece)
-Have buckets of candy with words written on the bucket. When someone says or refers to a word take one piece of candy out of bucket.

Birthdays
-Pick what they want for dinner and flavor of birthday cake
-Birthday hat
-Birthday banner
-Birthday wreath
-Small gift in the morning when wake up and open remaining gifts at night
-Birthday pancake breakfast
-Cover their door with streamers that they have to bust through and break when they wake up

Spring
-For the first day of spring hang a cheap bird suet feeder from a tree full of different color strings of yarn, so birds can take and use for nests.

April Fools
-Have missionaries over for dinner and make food that tricks them (i.e Angel food cake toast, faux pie that is actually a meal, frozen drinks in glasses, ice cream potatoes, etc)
-Replace food items in lunches (i.e. bag of chips has carrots in it, can of peaches has candy, etc)

Easter
-Easter Egg hunt filled with candy and change, one egg with $20 in it
-When they wake up in the morning have an Easter egg basket that they have to find
-Week leading up to Easter read the story leading up to Christ’s resurrection

Fall
-Apple picking
-Take family photo to send out at Christmas

Thanksgiving
-Homemade Cinnamon rolls for dessert
-Week leading up to Thanksgiving have a jar where each person writes one thing they are thankful for that day. At Thanksgiving dinner have each person pick a paper out and read it.

Halloween
-Pumpkin patch to get pumpkins
-Carve/paint pumpkins
-Pumpkin pancakes morning of

Summer
-Make a check list of all the things you want to do during the summer on the first day of summer
-Camp out in back yard

July 4th
-BBQ and fireworks

Winter
-Hot Chocolate Party (BYOM-Bring your own mug) Invite friends and family to attend

Valentines Day
-A gift on their bed when they come home from school
-Write love notes to each member of the family
-Valentines dinnerware to eat dinner with

St. Patricks Day
-Meals that are all green
-Toy leprechaun that they have to find in the morning that have a small gift for the kids

Christmas
-Decorate tree the day after Thanksgiving
-Cookie Exchange Party
-Make treats for neighbors and have children deliver
-Write letters to Santa the day after thanksgiving and send in the mail
-Pop popcorn and watch Elf and/or It’s a Wonderful Life
-PJ’s on Christmas Eve
-Christmas ornament for each member of the family
-12 days of Christmas where you have 12 things written on a card and then every evening you pick the activity for the night
-Donate or serve a family in need
-Stockings that Santa fills with gifts, candy and one piece of fruit
-Nativity Scene on Christmas Eve
-Make ginger bread houses
-Leave cookies and milk out for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer
-If we don’t have a fireplace or chimney make a Santa key to let Santa through the front door. Get an old fashion skeleton key, spray paint it gold, tie a ribbon around it, then put it on a wreath so Santa can come inside and bring gifts
-Write letter to Jesus on Christmas Eve and receive the letter your wrote from the last year

New Years
-Write down in a letter to self Resolutions, read letter from last year.