what family traditions have you started?

[BaffledByBabyTights]

I went on a parenting course which siad it was a good idea to start at elast one new tradition just for your family which the children will remember affectionately when they have their own children. We have started haveing croissants as breakfast in bed (all 5 of us) on every family birthday. I wondered if anyone else had any that I could copy??!!

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LOL at cod's ikea tradition. Our ikea tradition seems to be that dh stays at home.

I broke my Ikea tradition earlier this week.

I left without buying anything.

One tradition I started was to give my DD a charm for her charm bracelet the night before Christmas.

I think our family traditions (if I can even call them that) are very basic - most of them are from my own childhood.

But they are based on Christmas/New Year/Easter/Halloween and are generally to do with food and decorations. That is, traditional traditions!

Baffled, I don't really understand why the course leader or whoever suggested that tbh. But am interested to know why!

I have a tradition of going on mumsnet whilst the children have their bath.

lol!

i love these threads!

Hi Mercy, I think it was simply that quite a lot of people on the course (like me) had grown up outside a family environment and wanted to know ideas that would make their own children remember their childhoods fondly, which I thought was sweet, and I love some of the ones on here too and will copy them. Cod, just for one please do not spoil a thread but telling posters that they can't start things or that their are naff. I was trying to cheer myself up and I don't need you raining on my parade.

We also do Christmas Eve pj's. I too love the throne idea, that's great!

You get to choose the menu for the evening meal on your birthday

Baffled I'm with you hon. I am really up for starting our own family traditions - otherwise we are in real danger of merely absorbing those of my parents, as DH doesn't have any at all, so rather than go to my parents Christmas Eve drinks party this year (THEIR tradition) we will be starting one of our own, TBD, plus wearing new PJs at night as I think that is a great idea! I also will be copying someone else's idea of filling my boy's rooms with balloons on Chrimble Eve so they wake up to them in the monring but probably when they are a bit older so there is no risk of themgetting up in the night and being scared witless by them

Yes, it is a lovely thread.

Just before Christmas we start collecting jam jars from all our friends recycling bins. On Xmas Eve, we fill them with nightlights and put them down both sides of the garden path to make a runway for Santa to land his sleigh. I don't know of anyone else that does that.

We have started going to a panto on the 23rd of december every year.

Baffled, fair enough!

Would you like to incorporate some pagan (ish)/nature/seasons based ones? That's what I do with my two.

I suspect I get more out of it than they do tbh!

Have also pinched the new PJs on Christmas eve traditon. Dh gets tracksuit pants and tshirt cause he doesnt wear pyjamas.

Our tradition is Fun food friday. It basically evolved out pre children days when we would order pizza on a friday night after the a few drinks at the pub. So friday nights now revolve around some sort of of homemade junk food, hot dogs, homemade burger, Nachos, Tortilla wraps etc. The main criteria being that it can be eaten on the couch whilst watching the simpsons (we eat at the table every other night)

we do the new xmas decoration for the tree and also cake for brekkie on birthdays
love the santas runway idea

We do the fighting in Ikea tradition too. Last time we went dp said he was never leaving the house again for the rest of his life. Actually he shrieked it , in the car park, in true Basil Fawlty stylee.

when my dd was 2 my dp decided to leave her easter egg + pressie in our rabbit hutch and said to her that the easter bunny had left her pressie with Pip (our rabbit)for her - she was so excited when she went to look for it - this year we forgot all about it until she woke up and was desperate to go outside - being about 7am we were like why??? so i can see what the easter bunny has left with Pip - i had to keep her amused while dp sneaked out to place said items from house to rabbit hutch so think this will become tradition! agree that traditions just happen

tasja - the bracelet thing is a lovely idea. My Mum has done this for our dd except she's going to buy charms for significant events ie a ballet shoe if she takes up dancing, when she passes first exam etc. The bracelet was given as a first birthday present (is safely away just now) and came with her initial to get things started.

Just remembered too that my Mum wore her Grandmothers cross when she got married as her something borrowed. She then lent it to me on my wedding day and will pass it on when she dies, my hope would be that dd would wear it too and that it would in turn be passed on - so I guess that may become a tradition for us.

There are lots of lovely ideas here - I loved the runway for the sleigh one. Yes, mercy, I am keen on all sort of things - especially seasonal ones. It was ds2's second birthday today and he loved his croissants in bed, and I do like the fact it is new to our family. I like the choosing the menu for your birthday too.

Drinking wine in the evening after DSs have gone to bed.

that was our tradition long before the dcs