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Traditions = practices or beliefs that create positive feelings and are repeated at regular intervals and often handed down from generation to generation.

I had an overwhelming positive response to the Heirloom Party. A common desire was to continue to share memories with one another. Whether they are memories of past generations, or new memories we've started with our own families, I think we can all agree that creating memories is an important piece in the tapestry of our lives.

Here's a line up of linky parties I will be hosting over the next few months.

August - "Celebrating Day-to-Day" - sharing memories/traditions that are held year-round.

September - "Celebrating Heirlooms" - sharing items, photos, and stories of treasures handed down through the generations. Don't have an heirloom? That's okay. You can share something special that has been given to you that you plan on passing down to your child(ren).

October - "Celebrating Holidays" - sharing memories/traditions of Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas and other winter holidays.

It's the "we always" of families. "We always watch a movie and have popcorn on Saturday night." "We always have Sunday Supper with Gramma." You get the picture.

Traditions bring feelings of safety and security by providing a predictable and familiar experience. It gives family members something to look forward to in  a hectic, ever-changing world.

You may be thinking "but I don't have any traditions in my family." This part of my post is for you. Some of you might feel disconnected to your extended families because you have moved out of the area. You may have gone through a separation or divorce. Or maybe you are going through an early retirement. These things cause families not to be as close as generations before. But don't worry! Start today. The little things done together are memories in the making! You can make the decision to start fresh and start creating new traditions for your family.

Children need to learn about the past. It gives us a cultural identity and it helps us get connected to preceeding generations.

Remember to implement traditions according to your family's needs. Don't overload yourselves with too many. Maybe try a couple to start with and go from there.

Here are some day-to-day traditions to get your creative juices going.

Birthdays - the birthday boy/girl chooses a favorite menu for dinner.

Saturdays - Dad's day to make breakfast with the kids.

Special plate - a member of the family gets to have their dinner on the special plate to celebrate milestones, awards at school, promotion, etc.

Family journal - create a book that is used to document family activities, prayer requests, etc.

Game Night - share fun board games around the table.

Friday nights - pizza/movie.

Volunteer - weekly/monthly at a local homeless shelter.

The activities you come up with are only limited by your imagination. Make it fun and memorable. Take pictures. Assign someone to be the "Keeper of the family traditions." Maybe this family member is only in charge of the traditions within your own immediate family. Or, maybe this person is in charge on a greater scale - the keeper of traditions for the entire extended families as well. Keeping track of family reunions, photo documentation, family tree information, etc.

Here are a few tools to get you started.

Books:

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families" by Stephen R. Covey. Stephen is a father of 9 children. He shows us how we can create a beautiful family culture.

"The Intentional Family" by William Doherty.

Websites:

Creative Family Traditions & Ideas - check out their "Seasonal Celebrations" Newsletter that can be downloaded or sent via snail mail. Also, find out more about their book "Creative Family Traditions & Ideas"

Cafe Traditions - click here to get inspiration to help create traditions in your life.

Family Reunion Success - click here to learn more about how to plan a family reunion. Great resource for ideas! You can also sign up for a free e-zine dedicated to family.

Blog:

Family Traditions...One Story at a Time - meet Tara. You'll love her blog! Today she's encouraging us to bring back casual visits. When was the last time you had someone stop by for a visit?

I want to invite you to come back on Friday, August 14th where we'll link up and share our Day-to-Day traditions and memories. We'd love to hear what you do on a weekly/monthly basis to bring togetherness in your home. Maybe these are traditions that have crossed over the generations. Please share your story behind them! Who started them? Do you have old photos of the tradition to share? Maybe it's a new tradition. Feel free to share one favorite activity or a few, it's up to you! And remember to take photos so we can see you in action!

A reminder - I still have the list of participants from our Heirloom Party in July. If you'd like to pick up where you left off, or revisit some of your favorites, click here!