We hope you enjoyed our Christmas Eve Special regarding traditions. Making significant memories with our children and creating ties to their heritage are crucial to preparing them for healthy relationships in the future.
While there is a lot of value of both tried and true traditions and new holiday memories, they all need to based on three basic concepts:
- SECURITY – One of the basic needs of humans is to feel secure and safe. Intentional traditions help create an environment where children know they are loved and taken care of.
- EXPECTATION – Not that we want to meet every expectation of our children, but we want to create a sense of consistency that helps our children know what to expect from us. This will help them also form that same view of knowing how to trust and expect good things from God.
- CENTERING – We all need things that we anchor our lives to that are bigger than us and our own story. Traditions can be a great tool to tie our children’s lives back to the heritage of our family and the history of our faith.
A few ideas if you are trying to form new or rebooted traditions in your household:
- ASK YOUR FAMILY – Seek out ideas from your parents and beyond to come up with great ideas to carry on the family traditions.
- KEEP IT SIMPLE – Don’t try to be extravagant; be consistent.
- MAKE IT FUN – Make sure that you laugh together this holiday!
One neat, classic resource we referenced was Shirley Dobson & Gloria Gaither’s Let’s Make a Memory. They have a lot of wonderful ideas on making memories and traditions during all different settings, including the holidays.
We pray that you have a wonderful time with your family this Christmas and make some great memories. We also pray that your lives can become increasingly centered on Christ and His Truth.
Merry Christmas and, as always, Be Abnormal!