I don’t know about you but October marks the beginning of the fall family traditions season in our house. We have a few year-round traditions, but once fall hits we have so many more things to do as a family. Now is a great time to consider what traditions you had growing up, which ones you want to continue with your kids, and maybe even start new ones. This week I thought I would share what traditions we have, which ones we have nixed, and which ones we may add to our year.

In October we usually dress up for Halloween in a family theme costume. This is something my husband and I enjoy so we decided to make a tradition. We also eat chili dogs on Halloween, because this was a tradition in my husband’s house growing up.

In November, we started to decorate our house for Christmas. We make an evening of putting up the tree as a family with Christmas movies and hot chocolate. My family has a pie tradition for Thanksgiving. Each person can get their own pie of any flavor. You don’t have to share your pie and you can eat it as fast or slow as you want. This tradition started because my own mother is a vegetarian and this was our Thanksgiving, so we decided to continue that tradition with our family. This year we will be attending the Candy Rush Animated Drive-Thru Light Show. This light show could easily be a new tradition for us! December is filled with traditions. We have an Elf on the Shelf, Santa visits, hiding a pickle on the Christmas tree, Christmas light bingo, and attending a Christmas concert. My husband’s family eats ribs for Christmas dinner, but we decided to forgo ribs, for Domino’s Pizza, the tradition I grew up with.

We have other traditions in our family, for instance, the Easter Bunny always brings a new swimsuit for the year, and we always have ice cream sundaes for dinner to end Summer break. Creating traditions is a great way to make lasting memories with your kids. They are also good ways to wrap up a time of the year and close that chapter. Celebrating the end of a season with a routine can help some kids move into the next season easier, especially the transition from Summer break to school.  Maybe you will add apple picking in the fall, maybe deer hunting is a tradition for you, or maybe you will decide the stress of one tradition is not worth the effort for your family. I would encourage you to consider your traditions and how they can bring your family together more!

What is a tradition you enjoy the most during the holiday season?