One of the biggest excitements I experienced growing up was family traditions. Nothing matched the anticipation of a holiday or a big vacation coming up on the horizon. My family is very adamant about traditions and we have done almost the same exact things for about 20 years.
My personal favorite yearly celebration is Thanksgiving. I know it may sounds odd to some of the Christmas lovers out there, but no, I do not put up a Christmas tree the day after Halloween. I love Christmas, but let’s not forget about Thanksgiving. For as long as I can remember, my family has always hosted our Thanksgiving dinner at our house, mostly since we have the biggest one with five kids. It has also always been a holiday we celebrate with my mom’s side of the family. So every year, the kitchen is riddled with lots of cooking and good smells, with each of my mom’s three siblings and their families rolling in on the days leading up to the big dinner.
Image from Los Angeles Magazine
It always follows a typical pattern, too. First is usually my mom’s youngest sister with her three little girls on the Tuesday or Wednesday, and with her, the amazing pies that are not to be touched until Thursday. Then on Thanksgiving day, my mom’s younger brother comes with my aunt and little cousin after they have had their Thanksgiving brunch at my aunt’s mom’s house. So yes, they technically get two amazing meals all in that one day. Then finally, my mom’s only older sister comes from New Jersey with the triplets, and with that, everyone has arrived. Being with all that family throughout that week is quality time that doesn’t come around too often, so I treasure it. And not to mention, my mom’s amazing cooking that is also just fun to help out with.
Then, of course, there is Christmas with my dad’s side when we all go to his sister’s house in New Jersey after Christmas morning at our own house and stay there for a few days. And who doesn’t love Christmas, come on. Hanging Christmas tree ornaments, putting up obnoxious decorations, baking Christmas cookies, wearing ugly sweaters, opening presents; what’s not to love? We also have little family traditions for a bunch of the other holidays, like Easter, New Year’s Eve, the Fourth of July, and Halloween, but those two are the biggest.
One tradition that I can not leave out is our summer vacations. It is not always the same exact destination, but we almost always have our one two week trip that rotates between locations such as a beach or a lake house with some of my extended family. This is something I look forward to nonstop, especially because summer is my favorite season. Also, every year we visit my cousins beach house in Bay Head, NJ for a few days, which is always a fun time.
Image from Borough of Bay Head
What all of these things have in common is time I get to spend with my family. This has always been important to me, but I treasure these moments even more now that I am in college and I am not constantly with all of them. Even the smaller things that we do together at our own house like game nights are special because, trust me, in a family with five kids, its less often than you may think that we are all actually home and in one place at the same time.
February 14, 2020 at 6:01 pm
New Jersey is definitely an underrated vacation spot. I’m not sure geographically where Bay’s Head is, but every summer my family goes to Long Beach Island, which is also in New Jersey. I can only speak for my own experience, but the beaches aren’t as crowed and, honestly, I feel like they are cleaner than those in Maryland or Delaware. The fishing is great and, if you go later in the summer, the water is usually pretty warm. So, our two families have a similar tradition in that we both go to the New Jersey shore for a vacation in the summer on a relativity annual basis.
April 1, 2020 at 5:33 pm
I can relate to having multiple Christmas experiences each year. Every year around Christmas time, I celebrate with my cousins, my siblings, and my parents at different households within our family. We all love the Christmas traditions like decorating the Christmas tree and making a huge meal for the family, just as you do.