Think back to the most positive memories of your childhood – there’s a good chance they’re centered around fun family traditions. Whether it’s opening stockings by the fireplace on Christmas, jumping into a pool on the first day of summer, or cozy weekly dinners at Grandma’s house, traditions are an important part of any family’s routine.
No matter what traditions your family enjoys, they’re yours – and they matter! There’s always room to create new family traditions to pass on to your kids and grandkids.
If you’re looking for some new traditions, we want to spark your imagination to help you find memory-making activities your family will love. Here’s why family traditions are important – and how to start new ones of your own!
Why Family Traditions Matter
Family traditions are more than just fun activities to do together. These are rituals and events that have a deep meaning for your family and are an important opportunity to bond. Traditions make ordinary life feel a little more special and exciting, and they give your family things to look forward to.
Traditions can also be passed down from generation to generation. A tradition might start in your immediate family, but your children might then pass it on to their children and keep it going for decades to come. Passing down family traditions creates a sense of community and helps each family member feel included and loved.
Your family traditions don’t have to be extravagant or expensive – anything that is fun and meaningful for your family can become a tradition. Simple activities like a regular Sunday brunch, monthly game night, or trips to the movies all make great traditions.
Tips For Building Your Own Family Traditions
It can take some trial and error to find family traditions that work for you. Here are some tips for building your own family traditions.
Get Everyone Involved
It’s important for your entire family to get involved when building your family traditions. Make sure that everyone feels included and that no one is left out. Have everyone brainstorm ideas and see which ideas spark the most collective excitement.
If anyone seems to feel uninterested or uncomfortable with a tradition, move on to something else.
Start Small
Don’t overwhelm your family with new ideas for traditions – you don’t want anything to feel forced. Pick a few simple ideas to get started with and see what sticks. Give yourself time to see which activities your family naturally gravitates towards.
Be Consistent
In order for your traditions to stick, you’ll need to be consistent with them. Pick a specific time to enjoy each tradition, whether that’s a specific day of the week or time of the month. If the tradition is centered around a certain season or holiday, make sure it’s on the calendar every year when that time rolls around.
Consistency helps the tradition catch on, and you can use that to build excitement about the tradition in the time leading up to it.
Don’t Stress
Traditions are supposed to be fun, not stressful, so don’t be too rigid or overthink things when planning them. The rest of your family will pick up on your stress, which will make it more difficult for them to have fun. Try to be open-minded – your traditions might need to change as your family changes and grows, and that’s okay.
Family Tradition Ideas to Get You Started
Now that you know why family traditions are important, it’s time to start testing out some ideas to see which ones you like. Here are some of our favorite family traditions to help get you started.
Local Festivals
Local festivals make excellent traditions. Not only are they fun and approachable, but they also are a great way to support local businesses. Festivals also tend to offer multiple activities in one place, which is great if your family has a variety of different interests. For example, many festivals will have live music, shopping, food trucks, and kid-friendly seasonal activities to choose from.
Do some research to see what types of festivals are held in your area. Many festivals are seasonal – think fall pumpkin picking, summer strawberry festivals, or winter Christmas and Hanukkah markets.
Yearly Family Vacations
Family vacations make wonderful traditions. Not only does your family get a break from the stresses of daily life, but you’ll also get to explore a new place together and try fun new activities.
You don’t need to spend a lot of money or travel too far to have a fun family vacation. If you’re on a limited budget, consider going camping or visiting a nearby city that you can travel to in a day.
For instance, there are plenty of local travel options in the Garden Grove area. You can take a city break in Los Angeles, relax on the beach in San Diego or Santa Barbara, go skiing in Big Bear, or explore the desert in Joshua Tree and Palm Springs.
Scheduled Family Meals
Special family meals are the perfect tradition for families with busy schedules. Sometimes just getting everyone together at the dinner table is a big challenge, which is why scheduled family meals make for an excellent low-stress tradition – and an important way to bond as a family.
You can adjust this tradition to fit your family’s unique needs. The meal doesn’t even have to be dinner – brunch can be just as fun! If you like to cook, use this as an opportunity to try new recipes. If you prefer eating out, your tradition can be trying new restaurants together.
Make the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival a Tradition!
If you live in the Garden Grove area and are looking for a spring tradition, be sure to check out the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival! This festival offers something for everyone, with a parade, rides for all ages, creative contests, live performances, and many other events.
It’s a great place to make memories with the whole family and celebrate the season. In 2023, the festival will take place on Memorial Weekend, from May 26th through 29th. We hope to see you and your entire family there!