pumpkin pie for breakfast on the first day of fall
a collection of family traditions
This week I asked for your favorite family traditions and you guys delivered! I can’t wait to implement some of them with my fam. Here they are <3.
General
We have a family drinking song and sing it any time we’re all together!
We have extensive breakfasts on weekends, not brunch, just nice breakfast.
Edgar Allen Poe by candle light when the electricity goes out.
Homemade cinnamon rolls with holiday dinners, not after but with the meal.
We recently started doing movie nights together every Saturday. Not mandatory but encouraged and fun!
Before dinner we will do the favourite part of our day. Each person gets a turn.
Puzzles on snowdays.
Experiencing a hard day? Bake until you feel better.
Mahjong at my granny’s every yearly visit.
Pizza Fridays, Big Breakfast Sundays.
Ice cream after any nighttime school event (like holiday concert or art night).
Coney Island mermaid parade w/ our mermaid obsessed daughters, all of us dress up.
Pass the squeeze. We all hold hands at family meals and the youngest starts the squeeze.
Always sending cards (or even making them!) for holidays.
We eat soft pretzels during storms.
We always have Sunday breakfast together and listen to the same playlist.
We have a holidays book, whatever we host at our house, we make an entry.
Family supper once a month w/ me, my spouse, my girlfriend & my toddler all breaking bread.
Instead of religious prayer before eating dinner, we hold hands and say ‘yay family’.
Silly supper (just another name for breakfast for dinner)!
Every night at dinner we take turns telling what the best and hardest part of our day was.
Before any big family meal or holiday we hold hands and sing ‘twinkle twinkle little star’.
Road trip to Ocean City every summer.
Pizza/movie night on Fridays.
Breakfast for dinner the night before trips.
Sunday night Yahtzee.
Cookie day! We get together and make all the kinds of cookies once a year.
Going on a fishing trip (or just something outdoors) 1x a year.
Wednesday night macaroni.
On the first day of fall we eat pumpkin pie for breakfast.
Gifts from pets are always socks and underwear.
We’re Floridian, so puzzles during hurricanes!
We roll joints together on the anniversary of my dad’s death and his birthday.
My aunt makes a scavenger hunt w inside joke clues for every holiday (we’re all 27-35).
Long distance video date nights/delivery dinner once a week or two while my spouse is deployed.
Dinner at a fave restaurant the night before a big trip, make the packing list together.
Always get ice cream on the way home from a trip.
Bathrobes and fancy cheese cocktail hour for Oscars, Met Gala.
Cleaning bathrooms and rooms every weekend.
Aldi or Papa Murphy’s pizza and movie on Fridays.
Mandatory ‘fancy coffees’/kid friendly drinks on road trips.
Monthly family bingo nights in honor of my grandmother.
I used to sleep in my parents bedroom every Sunday as a kid.
Singing the car alarm sound from HIMYM when you land on Park Place in Monopoly.
Sharing our favorite parts of our day during dinner.
Making Chex Mix every holiday season.
Bingo! We all bring lots of prizes & there’s always a secret grand prize for the last round.
Friday night takeout and movies.
We always eat spaghetti the first night in a new house.
Summer
At summer parties we take turns and churning ice cream!
We kick off summer break by going out for epic milkshakes!
Summer trip with the cousins to the lake.
“Yes Day” second Saturday of June. Kids choose the itinerary/food & parents have to say yes.
Birthdays
Birthday cake in bed on our birthdays.
Birthday activities rather than gifts.
Slurpees on my daughter’s birthday, which is 7/11.
My mom telling us our birth stories every night before our birthdays (I’m 23 and she still does).
Celebrating half birthdays!!
My mom calls us at the exact time we were born on our birthdays.
We put coins in bday cakes & whoever gets it is lucky.
Birthday scavenger hunts with small gifts.
Wearing a silly felt crown while you endure being sung to on your birthday.
Decorating the house for each member’s birthday (mostly paper & plastic garlands).
Give a family gift in bed on birthday morning.
Going around and saying what we love about the birthday person.
Eating someone’s favorite food on their birthday as a way to honor & remember loved ones who passed away.
Breakfast in bed for the birthday person.
On bdays we wake the person singing and then have a fancy breakfast with presents.
Ice cream for breakfast on birthdays.
Growth ruler measurements on birthdays!
Everyone in my fam picks an elaborate menu for their bday dinner each year, homemade.
Mom bakes the same cake for everyone’s 1st bday, all her kids and now all her grandkids.
Annual birthday dinners! Mine was always chocolate chip pancakes.
Birthday Week. You get to pass on dishes duty and get your way a little more often.
Special breakfast on day *after* bday (soft landing back into regular life).
My family scream sings Happy Birthday at the TOP OF OUR LUNGS.
“You are special today” mug on your birthday.
Bday person stays in bed and the fam brings them Hostess powdered donuts and sings.
Grandma gives us the number of years we are turning in ones for our birthdays.
Sponge cake for birthdays.
Getting to buy a special cereal for your birthday.
On your birthday, you choose what to eat for lunch and dinner, and all helped to make it.
Mom always gives a birth minute kiss (now a text unless we’re together).
On our birthdays as kids my parents got all the teddies downstairs with our presents and balloons waiting for us.
Carrot cake covered with flowers for everyone’s birthday.
Mom would design and bake homemade cakes (frosting included) for our birthdays.
Homemade cards for birthdays.
Dad always makes the bday cakes.
Pancakes for baby’s birthday breakfast. We are 3 birthdays in.
I make a half birthday cake to celebrate my daughter’s half bday.
Christmas
Everyone decorates a gingerbread house on Christmas Eve, kids + adults.
Getting a new xmas ornament each year that is something meaningful from the year.
Taco salad on Christmas Day.
Using a D20 dice to roll for initiative when opening Christmas presents.
It’s A Wonderful Life every xmas eve.
My siblings spend Christmas Eve building a pillow/blanket fort and then sleep in it.
Movie series (Lord of the Rings, Fast and Furious) when home for Christmas.
Tamales and chili on Xmas eve.
‘Caga Tió’, it’s a Catalan tradition done the night before Christmas. Kinda like mixing Santa & Yule’s log.
Making tamales Christmas Eve.
Sitting on the stairs before opening stockings on Xmas.
Christmas Eve is snack dinner - chips w/ dips, crackers and cheeses, any finger food.
Cutting down a tree every year.
Family brunch out after cutting down the Christmas tree.
Black pepper in gingersnaps.
Swap books and drink hot chocolate.
Christmas Eve dinner we serve everyone’s favorite foods.
My mom makes everyone Christmas ornaments based on their year.
Pizza on Christmas Eve.
We always wake up in our own home on Xmas.
We each paint a Christmas ornament every year with whatever we want.
Meatball subs & purple (grape) ginger ale on Christmas Eve.
Italian 7 fishes on Christmas Eve.
Homemade enchiladas and red chile on Xmas eve.
New book and PJs Christmas Eve.
Cheese pizza & Home Alone on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Day = stay home on the couch in onesies + Chinese takeout.
Tamales and cookie decorating on Christmas Eve.
Sloppy Joes at the cabin on Christmas Eve!
Appetizer spread for Christmas Eve dinner.
Jam croissants and fruit on Christmas morning.
Homemade xmas crackers with dad jokes and candy inside.
Breakfast burritos on our ‘Christmas morning’ before the full family Christmas.
Swedish potato sausage every Christas morning.
Sub sammies on Christmas Eve.
My grandpa gave silver dollars for Christmas and now we slip them in next to his gravestone.
Making pizzas on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve dinner & presents with my family (incl both parents who divorced).
Reading ghost stories on Xmas Eve.
Ordering Chinese food for Christmas! No one ever wants to cook.
My grandma made caramels for Christmas every year, now I make them and my aunts help.
New PJs from Santa on Christmas.
Coffee cake on Christmas morning. My sister and I took over a couple years ago.
Big Italian dinner on Christmas Eve.
An amaryllis for all the grandchildren on Christmas.
Ocean wharf jump as a family every Christmas morning (summer here).
Pork chops, tater tots, fried eggs, biscuits, & Swedish pancakes every Xmas morning.
We watch Muppet Christmas Carol when we put up the Christmas tree every year.
A box of chocolate covered cherries for each person at Christmas!
Hors d’oeurves for dinner on Xmas eve.
‘Red and green Friday’ instead of Black Friday means I can decorate for Christmas!
Crab legs and artichokes for Christmas.
Hubby and I camp out in the living room and watch Love Actually every Xmas Eve.
Dutch baby Xmas morning.
Drive around on xmas eve in xmas pjs with hot chocolate looking at holiday lights.
Gifting a book Christmas Eve and reading together that night.
Watching home alone on Christmas Eve.
Lunch meat sandwiches, shrimp cocktail, and bbq Fritos for dinner on Christmas Eve.
Muppet Christmas Carol every Christmas Eve, the same old VHS copy.
New pajamas on Christmas Eve.
Breakfast for dinner in front of the fire on Xmas Eve!
1 small present on Christmas Eve (it’s always pjs) before bed.
Homemade beer battered fish tacos on Christmas Eve.
Husband and I give each other a Christmas ornament every year.
Chocolate fondue on Christmas Eve.
Big Christmas Eve day with chosen family, and baked goods to fire stations!
Hiding the head of a defunct flowerpot Santa somewhere at the host’s house at Christmas.
Christmas Eve fondue.
Celebrate yule on the 24th of dec, spend the next two days reading books we were gifted.
We open just one present the day before Christmas.
NYC to see the Rockettes to start off the Xmas season!
Egg casserole and LOTR on Christmas Eve.
Making biscuits and chocolate ‘gravy’ (it’s like thick hot chocolate) on Christmas morning.
Having a separate Christmas tree for glass ornaments of food.
Nachos while decorating the tree.
Boxing Day brunch. Xmas is chaos, brunch is calm and reflective.
We do all-hands-on-deck family baking day before xmas and deliver treats to friends.
Veggie chili & tortilla chips on Christmas Eve.
My little is 2.5 and he still talks about the cut your own Christmas tree farm.
Opening one present on Christmas Eve, and it’s always pajamas.
Home alone 2 (specifically) on Christmas.
We have M&Ms and Coca Cola for breakfast on Xmas Day.
Order Chinese every Christmas Day.
Hot tubbing with mimosas on Christmas morning.
Solstice
Night of the Lights (Christmas light peeping) on the Winter solstice!
Tacos for solstice!
Halloween
Visiting family members’ graves on Halloween.
St. Patricks’ Day
Corned beef and cabbage at Patrick’s Day.
Thanksgiving
My sister & I always handmade our Thanksgiving placemats with our grandparents.
We watch Star Wars every Thanksgiving.
Drumsticks (ice cream) at midnight on Thanksgiving.
Spam musubi bake.
“Life is too short, eat dessert first”, desserts-only party the night b4 thanksgiving!
Enchiladas and bingo the night before Thanksgiving.
Key lime pie for Thanksgiving!
Smaller, casual Thanksgiving with soups after the big gathering.
Foil covered chocolate turkeys for Thanksgiving.
Pie day the day before Thanksgiving. Friends come over & make pies to take to dinner.
Spaghetti dinner the night before thxgiving & champagne and the Beatles on thxgiving day.
Charlie Brown Thanksgiving dinner on the night before Thanksgiving.
Cookie baking weekend the Fri-Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Making empanadas with Thanksgiving leftovers.
Hanukkah
Family hug after lighting the menorah every night of Hanukkah.
Easter
Hiding the Easter baskets in the house so we have to search to get our chocolate.
Big family brunch on Easter.
New pajamas at Easter.
My grandma always hid beers around the yard on Easter for the adults.
Easter egg cracking contest. Crack both ends and you’re out. Winner gets name on trophy.
Grandma gave everyone a personal mini cheesecake each year on Easter.
Mom still hides our Easter baskets. We’re all late 20s/early 30s.
4th of July
Fried chicken dipped in homemade salsas for July 4 picnic.
Valentine’s Day
Cook a fancy international cuisine themed dinner instead of going out for Valentine’s Day!
Galentine’s Day!
A family valentine exchange.
Family scavenger hunt on Valentine’s Day.
Heart shaped pizza on vday!
Feb 1-14 I leave my daughter a little note each day telling her something I love about her.
Vday sugar cookies with your name in frosting from my gma.
New Years Eve
Chinese takeout on NYE.
Cinnamon rolls for breakfast on New Year’s Day.
Sushi picnic in the living room for NYE.
Fondue on New Year’s Eve (cheese for dinner, chocolate for dessert).
Board games and a big snack spread for dinner on New Year’s Eve.
NYE pizza + movies until midnight, noise makers outside.
First Day of School
Ice cream and oatmeal for breakfast on the first day of school.
Going out for breakfast as a family on the last day of summer before school begins.
xoxo,
your favorite becca
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