Tradition...tradition!

(Sing that like Tevye!)

I love traditions and I am so grateful for what they mean to our family. Traditions cultivate connections and provide a sense of identity and belonging. When you can say "Our family always does X on Thanksgiving" or "We always do Y during the summer", these rituals give the family a feeling continuity, a warmth and closeness with other family members. Family bonds that are often weakened by busy lifestyles are strengthened immensely by maintaining the family tradition.

We have so many traditions in our family. Some are God-centered: family prayers, reading scriptures together each morning as a family, first day of school blessings for the children, presenting the newly baptized child with his/her own set of scriptures, etc. Some are holiday or seasonally centered: themed costumes for Halloween, gingerbread houses made the weekend after Thanksgiving, our all-green St. Patty's Day feast. Others are just for fun: family movie nights, picnics in the living room, Big Hugs, Secret Pals, etc.

All of these have meaning and importance for our family. They strengthen the ties between us. They serve to cement our relationships for all time.

Traditions....TRADITIONS!