Traditions

I can always tell when the holiday season has set in. . . .I get the urge to buy a magazine off the grocery store shelf with lots of new holiday decorating ideas. I rarely ever implement the new ideas, but I LOVE to read all about them. 

Soon after both of my daughters have their birthdays, I start into full out holiday mode--What is for Thanksgiving dinner??  Who is coming?? What Christmas gifts do I need to buy?  Did I get any great new decorations at last year's "After Christmas Sale"?

But, my favorite consideration. . . . 

What traditions do I need to remember to plan for?

I LOVE traditions and more importantly my kids love traditions.  Even the smallest thing makes a difference to them when it comes to family traditions.  Special moments don't just happen; they have to be planned on purpose.  But, although it takes some work up front to put things in place, these memories that we create have a huge impact on our children.  We all live lives that are filled with craziness at every turn.  Our kids cling to the simple things that are a part of their heritage.  

So, I thought it would be fun to use my blog to highlight a few of the things our family does each year. Maybe they will give you a couple of ideas or encourage you to keep doing the things you have already set in place. Most are not original.  Some came from my family, some from Greg's.  That is one of the beauties of how God weaves families together.  

1.  The Birthday Plate

Years ago, I purchased a red birthday plate that says, "Today is My Special Day" on the side of it.  When it is your birthday, you get to have the red plate.  You also get to decide what we are having for dinner.   

Yesterday was Kelsey's birthday.  She's 18, as you can read from yesterday's post.  Because we are in the middle of a huge remodeling project, our kitchen and dining room are not heated right now.  For those of you who live here in North Carolina, you know that yesterday was a day that we desperately needed heat. I thought we would just fix Kelsey's birthday meal, and eat in the family room so we could stay warm. Hence, I didn't set the table or get out the birthday plate.  When it was time to eat, Kelsey immediately said, "Where's the red plate?  Don't I get to eat on the birthday plate?"  

So, there you go.  You never outgrow the red plate.