Family Traditions

I love family traditions. When Aunica was little, a teacher at the adult school put a bug in my ear about creating family traditions. I went crazy, printing off lists, deciding what type of traditions I wanted to create in my own family. I think some of this stems from my lack of family growing up, and my need for roots (just like my need to NEVER move), but that is for another story.
I wanted to write down some of my family traditions I have created with Deon and the kids. There are the daily and weekly religious traditions, daily scriputure study and prayer, morning devotionals, weekly family home evening and church attendence. Then there are the holidays. Homemade valentines. Easter egg dyeing, then hunting in the yard. New outfits for Easter. The Easter bunny brings summer baskets. Fourth of July means parades and sand castle contests, and fireworks in the park. New costumes for Halloween, pictures at Jim's Campus Camera, trick or treating our neighborhood, Booing our friends, a Halloween dinner party. Thanksgiving at our house, with our thankful journal, even if the date isn't actually Thanksgiving. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing (that you have have to mix with your hands, also a tradition), homemade cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, Laura's pecan sweet potatoes, and pies, pies, pies. Board games, and hanging out. Christmas means...buying all my presents before December, giving away the 12 days of Christmas, caroling in our neighborhood, a Christmas book, reading the Christmas book every day of December, new pajamas "from the tree", a new ornament for our family and for each child from the ornament shop on pier 39 in SF, pick out a tree together and decorate together, sit on Santa's lap downtown and ride the merry go round. Santa brings the one thing you ask for (this one may not last forever!). Make a gingerbread house, hang lights on the house. Other traditions include birthdays, with cake for breakfast and your choice of where to go to dinner.
Maybe we have more, but this is enough for now. I love this time of year, and all the traditions that come with it.