Christmas is here and its all everyone is thinking about. Preparations are in full swing, however, not many people are looking at this season as an opportunity to create family activities. It is a great idea to fill the Christmas period with activities that can be looked forward to every year. Then as the children get older; they will have it ingrained in them as family traditions. These memories would last and grow with them.
Meg Cox, the author of The Book of New Family Traditions, defines family rituals/traditions as “any activity you purposefully repeat together as a family that includes heightened attentiveness and something extra that lifts it above the ordinary rut.”
These rituals are important as they build strong family relationships for generations and teach children what the family values are. They also go a long way in filling their sense of belonging as they feel a part of something. However, the key to making this work is to take time to plan them out. Ensure every child is involved from the planning stage.
[12 ways for children to show love this Christmas]
Here’s a quick list of 5 family traditions you can pick from to start this Christmas
- Cook Together: Cooking Jollof rice and many other delicacies is probably the number 1 thing that comes with Christmas. How about turning it into a tradition? Have the children fully participate in the preparation, cooking and then tasting eventually. You can also have them suggest other meals that they would like to have and prepare it together.
- Go giving: Christmas is about giving above everything else and it is an extra opportunity to teach your children the value of giving. Work with them in buying food and toiletries; have them take out clothes and toys they no longer need and take them to an orphanage. The essence is to ensure that every Christmas you involve them in giving to someone or a group of people who don’t have it as good. Family traditions should include caring about others.
- Spend it with extended family: With how busy our everyday lives are; Christmas is a good opportunity to have the children mingle with their cousins over good food. Plan ahead with your extended family, take food over and spend Christmas together.
- Take a Christmas picture: Create wonderful memories by taking a family picture on Christmas morning, starting now. These would be wonderful to look at years after and would foster the value of spending Christmas with family. This is one of my favorite family traditions.
- Watch a movie together: watch a chosen movie (comedy preferably) together, make it a bonding activity as a family. Also, go a step further and have popcorn or small chops to get everyone excited about it.
Do you have family traditions around Christmas? Tell us about them!
