What traditions do you have with your child / children

[excitedfortea]

I had my first child this year, a beautiful DS.

I know that many traditions evolve naturally but sometimes i sit and think of some beautiful traditions I could create with him.

I saw one idea of recording asking your little one the same questions each year to see how their answers and voice change.

I really love the idea of doing something special at Christmas time, just the two of us, every year.

I’m really interested to hear what special traditions others have created, or ones that you remember from your childhood?

Don't have many unusual traditions but we do pancakes for breakfast on first day of school holidays (have not been very consistent with that!). Various small Christmas traditions. I would say don't aim for anything grand and then beat yourself up if you don't do it every year! Whatever your preferred normal Christmas is will become their tradition and will be a comfort.

I like the idea of recording same questions. I set up email addresses for them and emailed periodically with what's been going on. Like little diary entries but written to them. They haven't seen them yet but it's quite a nice little record and it's their's.

Ice cream for breakfast on birthdays
Annual trip on the first weekend of December to buy one new decoration for the Christmas tree of their choosing
Recently started sending one postcard a month with a picture of something we’ve done together printed on it so they have physical photos of us together

During school holidays they get 'holiday cereal' - they're 15 and 18 now though, so this only has a few years left to run!

My parents own a house in central Europe so going there and to our favourite restaurants is a bit of a tradition too.

Pinch punch first of the month ongoing competition with my now 20 year old DS. On my mind as it was today and I won

We still have to drag the same tatty wooden advent calendar out every year too.

I do think you're right though and traditions kind of set themselves. The things my kids remember and want to continue were not always what I planned or thought they would be. I am
now stuck watching Black Adder's Christmas Carol every Chriatmas Eve as it is 'tradition' for example!

We always put cheesy Christmas songs on while we decorate the tree. New pyjamas for Christmas. I don't wash up on Christmas day either lol.
We always set party poppers off at the time of my eldest sons birth....7.28 pm ❤️
Always watch the snowman, the snowman and the snowdog over Christmas 🎄 🎁

Every spring summer autumn winter we paint a huge seasonal picture together and stick it on the kitchen window. We write our names and what we're looking forward to this season

Every christmas we bake salt dough decorations and do their handprints/thumbprint and label it by year

I bought some wooden pyansky eggs for 1st easter and have added a little over the years. We only ever do the wooden easter egg hunt and they love that the same ones come back and how pretty they are

My grandson has an email account and we send sheiks on birthdays for him to read thrm Hes older

• Pancakes for breakfast on birthdays and a choice of birthday dinner. We always have the same birthday banner up with presents laid underneath

*Easter egg hunt with extended family. Older kids now set the trail for the younger ones. Family gathering afterwards (there's about 24 of us).

*We have lots at Christmas - always put the tree up together and put carols on two weeks before. Christmas Eve we spend with family and friends and involves a carol service followed by a trip to the pub, a collaborative meal (big pot of chilli or something similar), games and then finish off with new PJ's. We also have the same rituals on Christmas Day too. Our DC are young adults and teens now but I know they all love Christmas still.

I was also going to say about the ever-more-competitive pinch punch competitions with DS (10)! Today saw me extend my winning streak to four months 🙌. Oddly enough, another strong one is the wooden advent calendar, made for him by Gramps when he was a baby. I hope both are still going for us when he’s 20!

DS is 14 now and a few have evolved over the years. I didn't really set out to create traditions but as DP works every weekend and most school holidays we've found ourselves creating a few inadvertently!

Saturday brunch out with a board game, my absolute favourite and even more so as he gets more independent.
Boxing day mini golf and hot chocolate.
May half term mini break.
Christmas shopping day out on the train to London.
Making and decorating a Christmas cake each.
New Years Day bowling at breakfast.
Afternoon tea on the first day of the summer holidays.

Lots food related 🙈

Friday is film night and Tuesday is star trek night.

I send a daily photo to ds1 when he is away at uni. With ds2 I walk 1k, record my time and send it to him.

If it's your birthday you can choose what to have for dinner and choose a film.

On Christmas eve we have a takeaway and watch a film with whichever dc are too old for stockings.