Search Results for: blog creating holiday traditions

Creating Thankful Traditions All Year Round

We often think of the Christmas season as a time to celebrate family. Thanksgiving is our time to be thankful. Valentine’s Day is a day to show love. Of course, while it’s good to have particular seasons and special days to celebrate these things, you can feel and show all of these emotions all year round! Whether you follow a particular religion or not, creating traditions of thankfulness is important. As many of us head off to sales, it’s a good time to stop and remember all that we have. The economy can be tight, and finding a job can … Continue reading →

Preserving Holiday Memories

Christmas Eve is here. While it’s easy to get caught up in the celebratory madness, if you are planning to scrapbook the holiday, you want to remember to document the festivities. Grab your camera and snap your family and friends partaking in holiday traditions, including sipping hot chocolate by an open fire or baking cookies to leave out for Santa. If you are planning to make a massive holiday meal, preserve the recipes to add to a recipe scrapbook or at the very least, place the directions in a journaling block along with photos of the finished products and shots … Continue reading →

Scrapping Holiday Family Fun

The holiday season provides a litany of opportunities to create memorable scrapbook layouts featuring your entire family, and I’m not just referring to the same ol’ boring page designs of people opening presents. Since most clans tend to gather for either Christmas or New Year’s Eve, don’t miss the chance to document and expand on your family’s favorite traditions. Forget about creating a chronological timeline of Christmas Day; rather, select a few standout events and tell the stories behind each. Some special seasonal layout ideas include: Caroling: You don’t have to participate in an elaborate Christmas caroling event around the … Continue reading →

Holiday Traditions Transitioning

How have your holiday traditions changed since becoming a single parent? Did you totally redesign what the holidays meant to you or did you stay the course, changing as little as possible? Ours have mostly stayed the same, I am a creature of habit and I think my daughter really dislikes change. So we’ve kept most of the traditions she has known since infancy. The biggest change is that we celebrate more with friends. That may have occurred even if I had stayed married. I think that change just naturally evolved and had nothing to do with being single. I … Continue reading →

Creating Holiday Traditions

I once heard a child psychologist state that the best gift parents can give their kids is consistency. I think the shrink was on Oprah, and I’m pretty sure she wasn’t advocating consistent beatings, neglect or emotional distress. I get what the expert was trying to say; kids thrive when they don’t have to deal with chaos. They love routines, schedules, rituals and traditions. So, why not start a few as we countdown to Christmas? It’s never too late to begin a seasonal family tradition. Gather the kids and choose a holiday-themed activity everyone can have fun with. Then, make … Continue reading →

Documenting Black Friday Traditions

Did you brave the crazy big (and just crazy) crowds this morning to score crazy good Black Friday deals? I know some people who camped outside of Best Buy for 10 hours in order to get one of the “golden tickets” that allowed them to be the first inside the store at midnight. For some families, Black Friday shopping is a holiday tradition that they hold near and dear. I’ve seen people design matching t-shirts to wear while they hunt down deals, while others don huge wacky hats so they can find their loved ones in the masses. What’s more, … Continue reading →

Creating Community: The Wisdom of Our Elders

Yesterday I stood by a woman at the bus stop. She was no more than 5 feet tall, and I’m closer to 6. She stood straight and carried nothing except a large purse. She spoke cheerfully in a thick Scottish accent, looking for the bus with eyes that could see it far better than mine. She was eighty-eight. She sat down on the bus, across from another woman, a mother whose child smiled at the older woman sitting across from him. He waved. She waved to him. Today is a day to remember our elders. It’s a day to think … Continue reading →

Creating a Meaningful Christmas on a Budget

So many families are struggling right now with the economy and are wondering what to do about Christmas and gifts for the kids. The stores are still screaming about deals, deal and deals. The kids see commercials for the latest hot toys that seem to cost more than my first car ever did. Examining the family budget, many of us are deciding to spend less this year, including on Christmas gifts. I think this is a blessing in disguise. What better time is there to make a meaningful Christmas for the kids, and well, for everyone. Participate in Operation Christmas … Continue reading →

Juggling Extended Family During the Holidays

If you live close to home or if your family and your spouse’s family is from the same area you may find yourself juggling a lot of family activities along with your church activities. It can be tiring to find time for yourself and your own family when you are rushing from party to party. First you need to make sure that you are not letting these events get in the way of the things that are most important. Make sure that you continue to have scripture study and family prayer every day with your family. You should continue to … Continue reading →

Creating New Christmas Traditions

When you are first married, you may find yourself pulled here and there juggling between two different families, but when your kids become a bit older, it is a good idea to carve out your own family traditions. There are a variety of things you can do over the holidays to create memories that will last forever. Christmas caroling is one tradition that seems to have fallen out of style lately, but it is a great way to spread the holiday cheer. You can carol in your neighborhood, in your ward, or at a hospital or nursing home. You can … Continue reading →