Create a family ritual
Creating a family ritual is so great to help children make memories and consider when they’re older what was important to the family and what wasn’t.
One family ritual I remember from my childhood was Christmas Eve. We used to clean the house during the day and prepare any food needed for the next few days of feasting and celebration with extended family. Then we’d all go to Church and most of us would be part of the Christmas play and by the time we got home after Church, Santa Claus had visited our house already and so we’d open our presents on Christmas Eve.
This was one of the few nights a year that we were allowed to stay up late. When we got home from church we would all get changed into our PJ’s and then eat junk food and open presents! I have very fond memories of this family ritual that my parents created for us.
The other day I went to my brother and sister-in-laws for dinner and when I arrived I saw them and their two girls playing UNO! I was surprised as I hadn’t seen this happen before. They informed me that this was now the thing they did on a Friday evening. Play cards and eat spaghetti with meatballs!
The ‘ritual’ can be as simple or extravagant as you like. My encouragement would be to keep it simple and make it a time of connection with each other. These are the things that people remember most.
Create a family ritual this week and keep it going! Enjoy the connection and in years to come you’ll be able to enjoy the memories!
If you are single, consider creating your own regular ritual. Something that helps you to connect with yourself and what’s most important for you. For example, one of my rituals is to sit in my sacred space and chair in my home, drinking a cup of tea and looking out the window. This is part of routine, it’s also part of honouring myself and my time. I especially do this during the week. On weekends I’m a little flexible with it!
Spend some time today or tonight talking with your family or thinking about it yourself and come up with an idea of a family ritual that you could do together every week.
You may find that you need to try a few different ones to find what works and remember that it doesn’t have to be something you do forever, it may also be something that sticks and that you do for a lifetime. Either way, find something that you can do regularly to connect with your family or those around you.
Enjoy the journey!
