“Little Traditions”
Often Mean the Most
Several months ago, I was
reminded by my 3-year-old
daughter how quickly traditions
can take root in a family. We
were getting ready for bedtime
one night when she said to me
“Don’t forget my milk, Mom.
Daddy always gets me milk
before bedtime.” Sine that time,
I’ve heard her repeat this famil
iar message many nights before
her bedtime. It’s a simple
request but one of profound
importance, as it reminds me of
how the simplest acts provide
children with such a familiar
sense of the “way things are
always done” in the family.
Family traditions serve just
this purpose by giving children a
sense of familiarity, comfort,
support and caring. It’s those
dozens, even hundreds, of little
rituals that are unique to each
family year-round as well as
during the holidays. Maybe it’s
the way Wednesday night has
been designated as “leftover
night" in your home, or that you
visit Grandma every Sunday
after church. Special foods,
games, activities, stories, deco
rations, parties, religious cele
brations, and get-togethers with
family and friends also come to
mind when one thinks of cele
brating family traditions.
Contrary to what many
believe, traditions do not have to
be elaborate celebrations, in
fact, it’s the “little traditions” -
simple acts such as eating meals
together, celebrating birthdays,
or enjoying a special storytime -
that often mean the most to chil
dren and that they recall most
fondly as they grow older. The
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 24, 1996-Bff
nice thing about such rituals is
they they often are not planned
most simply happen natural
ly as a result of family members
sharing time together.
Particularly during this time
of year, it’s a great time to begin
to think about those traditions
that mean the most to you, and
those that you hope to pass on to
other family members. Here are
a few ideas for simple family
activities that can help to
strengthen your ties, not only
during the holidays, but
throughout the year.
• Hold an “I Remember When
... ” session with as many
extended family members as
possible. Let each family mem
ber recall significant events that
have been meaningful to them.
Young and old generations will
love reminiscing about life long
ago and now.
•Make a family tablecloth
each year to be used at dinner
time or at special family outings.
Use a plain white cloth sheet
and let family members draw or
paint designs on it and sign
their name. You may wish to
design a “family emblem” or
motto to draw on your table
cloth.
•Make it a tradition each
holiday season to do something
nice for those service providers
who mean the most to your fam
ily child care providers,
teachers, or mail and newspaper
carriers. Youngsters will enjoy
learning about the spirit of giv
ing!
At the Lebanon Farm Women Convention, entertainment
by Sounds of Renown included serenading June Shelley,
the most.recently married member, to the tune “Just In Case
You Change Your Mind.”
Lebanon
Annual Convention
SCHAEFERSTOWN (Lebanon
Co.) About 150 women
attended the 58th annual conven
tion held by the Lebanon County
Society of Farm Women recently.
Held at the Schaefcrstown Fire
Hall, the day-long covention fea
tured speaker Margaret Long. As a
pediatric nurse at the Hershey
Medical Center, Margaret travels
to Honduras annually with a medi
cal team. According to Margaret,
Honduras is the second poorest
country in the world. The team saw
200 patients during the two-week
visit. Many children have severe
problems such as Spina Bifida,
limb length discrepancy, and club
feet.
In other business, Karen Sellers
• Hang a family bulletin
board in your kitchen, family
room or hallway. Each family
member can have his or her own
section to share achievements,
talents, messages or snapshots.
Create a special seasonal dis
play for important holidays.
• Make it a point to sit down
for as many meals together dur
ing the week as you can. While
families today are busy, nothing
promotes quality family time
together better than sitting
down together for meals. Some
fun conversation starters
include “What’s something
funny that happened today?” or
“If you could have three wishes,
what would they be?”.
• Celebrate a joint clean-up
project together. A regularly cel
ebrated “clean-the-attic” party
can be a great way to enjoy time
together while sharing trea
sures from the past. Be sure to
enjoy a favorite meal after all
the hard work is done l
• Play games together The
old adage “families who play
together, stay together” certain
ly has it’s merits.
• Keep a family photo album
or scrapbook of family events
and activities. Video cameras
offer another great way to pre
serve cherished family
moments Have a “Family
Night” where you can enjoy eat
ing popcorn while watching your
favorite home videos.
• Finally, make your own list
of “little traditions” that your
family now enjoys or would like
to enjoy in the future!
Holds 58th
reported on the activities of the dif
ferent Farm Women societies
throughout the county.
A bazaar table during the day
helped raised funds. Members
each donated a baby item to be dis
tributed to those in need through
Lebanon County Christian
Ministries.
Three members were presented
pins for being more than 80 years
of age. Ruth Bucher, who is
90-years-old, was unable to attend
the convention, but will receive a
pin in honor of her age.
Lcttic Schadler, Lebanon Coun
ty extension director, gave a report
on the county’s 4-H clubs. County
(Turn to Page B 13)