by Linda Cann Pearson

Created on: December 31, 2009   Last Updated: January 03, 2010

Over the years, family traditions have served as the backbone of the family, keeping family members in touch with each other, offering a strong support system, and providing the opportunity to feel part of a bigger whole. Family traditions are those really special times that families share together and pass on to future generations to enjoy.

Quite a few years ago, back in the 1950s when I was growing up, life seemed more simple and easier to live than it does today. My mother stayed home, my father worked, we had a comfortable home, and life was peaceful and rather predictable. My family enjoyed many holidays and celebrations throughout the year. Just about all my relatives lived within driving distance of each other. We enjoyed summer picnics, holiday parades, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, birthdays, and Sunday dinners together. We had the same traditions many families had, nothing spectacular, but we really looked forward to them. We could count on them, they were wonderful, and are nostalgically remembered today.

Many of the most celebrated family traditions in past years were those associated with religion. It didn’t matter what the religion was. It just mattered that you practiced one and got to participate in the traditions and special occasions associated with that religion. Many of today’s families are drawing further and further away from religion as a central part of family life, and along with that withdrawal, many of the traditions families once enjoyed are disappearing also.

In addition to the decline of religious practice and traditions, life has become much more hectic, hurried and busy. Many families are split, many are blended, many relatives live in different states, most parents work, and weekends are filled with frantic activities and catch-up before it’s back to work and school on Monday. Many special occasions and celebrations are being neglected, even forgotten.

It is very important, and requires an extra effort today, to keep up with family traditions, especially if you have children and grandchildren. If your family has come to the point where some of the old traditions just don‘t work anymore, it may be time to generate some new traditions and let some of the older ones go. If your family has gone through a separation or divorce, new traditions need to be established to accommodate everyone, especially if new blended families have been created.

Start some new traditions that fit with your family values and

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