Tag Archives: family traditions

Christmas With the In-Laws

So we did Thanksgiving our way I agreed to give a little on Thanksgiving, it was just the two of us so we agreed to go over on Christmas Eve. This was huge for me after how horrible the first Christmas with his family I really was not looking forward to it. I did agree to go to try to keep peace I do think back now and wish I had not. My mother – in-law loved hosting the holidays; she had done this since her kids were little and she was going to continue until she is no longer … Continue reading →

Our First Thanksgiving

We have not hit our one year anniversary yet and we have had so much family drama and a death of a friend what does the rest of the year going to bring? We still have the holidays coming up and after my first Christmas with my in-laws I really am not looking forward to having another one with them. If you don’t know what happened during my first Christmas click this to read all about it. The holiday season is quickly approaching and I am really dreading it. The first holiday season as a married woman should be full … Continue reading →

Traditions Part 2

When families try to make traditions for their kids it can be extremely difficult to mix traditions that both parents grew up with, with ones that they would like to have for their new family. At our house there are two holidays that we always have at our house and they are Easter and Thanksgiving. On both days we all take part in making the holiday dinner. For Thanksgiving we do something a little different. I started this one when my sister and I were grown up and she had her own children. I started taking the kids to the … Continue reading →

Family Traditions

One area that we were asked about during our Home Study was what family traditions we had or that we would like to do with our children, and also what the extended family thought about them. We had never really given any thought to it so this made us actually sit down and have a great discussion about traditions and the holidays. We started by making a list of the different major holidays and then started talking about what each of us did growing up and what parts of that did we want to make as our own traditions. You … Continue reading →

Do Holidays Always Include Extended Family?

My husband and I chose to spend Mother’s Day with his parents this year. They were willing to come to our house, which worked great for me, because our baby is always happier in the comfort of our home. While my daughter napped, my mother-in-law and I relaxed in front of the TV (finally, I was able to watch TLC instead of ESPN). Our husbands slaved away in the kitchen, working to prepare a delicious Mother’s Day meal. We admired the flowers we’d been given and enjoyed the feeling of putting our feet up. After lunch, the whole gang headed … Continue reading →

Rituals and Ceremonies For Adoptive Families

Adoptive parents are a diverse group. On average they are slightly higher income than the general population and have a slightly higher average educational level than the general populace. They come from all religious persuasions and from none. For those adoptive parents who practice a religion, that religion can be a bonding force for their new family. Families who do not practice a religion may nonetheless seek a special ritual or celebration to mark the arrival of a child and various milestones in the adoption process and in the family’s life. Some families have entrustment ceremonies when birthparents place an … Continue reading →

Celebrating Easter

Easter is a wonderful time to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. It is also a time to remember the Atonement and the crucifixion, and all that Christ did for each of us so we could be with Him again. Each year you can help your family to celebrate the Easter holiday and understand the true reason that we celebrate this holy day. One thing that you may wish to do is to focus on Christ leading up to Easter. You may choose to read from the New Testament in the weeks preceding Easter. You can pick the stories you want … Continue reading →

A Family Important Events and Anniversaries Calendar

A friend of mine has one of those perpetual birthday calendars on her wall. You know, it’s the kind of calendar you can use year after year to remember people’s birthdays. She doesn’t use it for birthdays though, but for their family anniversaries. At first I didn’t understand. At my house we celebrate birthdays, and a lot of holidays, and our wedding anniversary. But that’s it for anniversaries. And I remember our wedding anniversary anyway. On my friend’s calendar she has all sorts of anniversary days marked: the day her children learned how to walk; the day they moved into … Continue reading →

Tackling Multiple Holiday Get-togethers

There was a time when holidays became an exercise in stress rather than a time to enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy getting together with family and friends, but the running between different homes while also hosting part of the holiday in my own home left me exhausted. It was just too much. It was also way too much food, feeling obligated to eat at every stop, and ending up stuffed and miserable. There is a better way. While our engagements are now fewer in number, we still have to do a bit of juggling. It helps when … Continue reading →

Family Traditions: Celebrations for Holidays and Everyday – Elizabeth Berg

You may know Elizabeth Berg as the author of Talk Before Sleep, Joy School, Open House, or one of her other novels. She’s also the author of a non-fiction book called Family Traditions: Celebrations for Holidays and Everyday. It’s one of my favorite books on traditions, and one I often give as a wedding present. Family Traditions has many inspiring ideas for busy families. The book speaks to any family, even non-traditional ones. The introduction has a sentence that I love, “The most important thing is that we understand the need for celebration: It lifts days away from other days, … Continue reading →