Growing up in the UK, and part of a traditional church, Christmas time was full of traditions. Making paper decorations for the home, putting socks (yes real socks) at the end of our bed on Christmas Eve, walking down to the local church on Christmas morning, opening presents and big Christmas dinner followed by a long walk in the countryside. And of course there is Boxing Day…!

As I have grown and got married, and then moved to the USA, we created our own family traditions. Seeing the lights, running around the Christmas Tree lot, singing carols on the way home from the lot, writing letters to Santa and receiving them back, stirring the Christmas cake mix, cookie baking day, stocking opening on the bed, specific yummy things for breakfast, and my children doing silly things with the advent calendar (still happens!!). Our grown children still speak of these moments to this day.

Traditions are defined as: the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way. God himself has traditions… the sun rises and sets, the moon waxes and wanes, the seasons come and go. They create cadence in a family. Whether it’s Christmas or other times in the year, they hold familiar ,beautiful rhythms and memories that the family will talk about, not just in our lifetimes, but in lifetimes to come.

If you are a family just getting started (or in the midst of it), single or a couple, I encourage you to start making traditions throughout the year. Maybe it is making room for sabbath, birthday memories, things we do on New Years Day, having a seder meal around Easter, having a bbq on July 4th or having an ‘End of Summer’ celebration with neighbors. Create those rhythms for not only the friends and family around you, but for you too!