Every year since my son turned two, making his birthday cake has been very important to me. I have made an Elmo cake, football cake, baseball cake, cupcakes for a class party, Cars cake, Super Mario cake, and this year a Space Angry Birds cake. It has tested my abilities (or lack there of), but it always brings a smile to his face. The last couple of years he has had more input, so he gets even more excited about seeing the end result. My husband thinks I should hand the responsibility off to the professionals so I don't have the added stress of making it. But I just can't. It is too special to me. It is something he will carry with him for the rest of his life. I have made a few special ones for my stepson and a couple of favorite cakes for my husband over the years. And this year, my daughter will start to remember her cakes too. It has become a family tradition.
Almost every night since my son was three, we have read books. Even now, when he can read just fine on his own, we still curl up on his bed and read. We start with a Bible passage (we are reading through a Children's Bible from start to end), and then I read a few chapters to him out of his latest chapter book. Right now, it is all about The Magic Tree House series, especially the Merlin Missions. Now that my daughter is old enough, I have started the same tradition with her. I have a great poetry bible designed for toddlers and preschoolers. And I still have most of my son's books from over the years, so she has a whole library available at her fingertips. This has become a well-established family tradition.
The last few years during the Christmas season, we have started having a family tree trimming party. We make mulled cider, eat finger foods, and listen to Christmas music. It does not yet run smoothly, but the memories of the event will be in my children's minds, and it will bring a smile. It is becoming a family tradition.
My husband is from Louisiana. Before we met, I had never eaten a gumbo or red beans and rice. I did not know what a beignet was. I had never been to a crawfish boil either. That's all changed. I am slowly becoming a decent Cajun cook. I have a long way to go, but learning has allowed me to keep that heritage alive in our family. Recipes can carry on traditions from generations back to our children now. The best part is they are tried and true and always end up being family favorites for the next generation.
There are new traditions I want to begin with my family, and that is important too. My husband and I came from two very different places, and while bringing our history with us, it is also important to create traditions that suit our family and bring us closer together. Whether it be family game night or movie night, or we start camping, or going on afternoon bike rides, anything we do that creates fond memories for our families helps us weather the storms that will surely come. And if we are lucky, the traditions will mean enough to our kids that they will not only look forward to them when they return home, but they will also continue some of them within their own families.
What are some of your favorite family traditions from growing up or you have developed with your own family?
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