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What is your favorite family tradition?
Why is it your favorite?
Woodward English Conversation Question 4
What are family traditions?
Family traditions are activities or experiences that the family does together on a regular basis or during certain occasions.
They can be frequent traditions (every day or every week) or not so frequent traditions (once a year).
It may involve celebrating New Year’s Eve the same way every year.
Often the members of the family look forward to this tradition as they help build shared memories.
Some family traditions can include the following:
Celebrating Special Occasions
Anniversaries: Maybe instead of only the couple celebrating the day together, they may like to celebrate the occasion with the entire family, like the whole family going out to dinner together instead of just the couple celebrating the anniversary.
Birthdays: Do you have a birthday cake or something different? Does everyone enter your room in the morning to sing Happy Birthday?
Religious Celebrations: Special ways your family celebrates religious occasions such as Christmas, Hanukkah or Ramadan. Is there anything different you do for these days that are different from most other families. For example, I know a Jewish family that invites a different (non-Jewish) family every year to their house on one of the days of Hanukkah to show how it is celebrated with the typical food, lighting of the candles and explaining the meaning of this celebration. I know of another family that celebrates Christmas at midnight because one of the parents has that tradition in their country while they celebrate it again on Christmas day as it is done in the other parent’s country.
Traditions for anytime
A happiness jar: Each person writes down the happiest moment from their day (or week) on a piece of paper. These happy moments can be shared at the dinner table and are then placed in the happiness jar. Once a week, month or maybe at the end of the year, you can randomly draw one of these pieces of paper and re-share that happy moment with the family.
A walk with the family: More than just getting some exercise, this is a great way to talk with each other, comment on what is happening in their lives or just have a relaxing chat. These walks can be every day (maybe in the evening after dinner) or once a week… it all depends on the family.
Read a book together: This could be reading bedtime stories to children… these create fond memories, especially for the children, or you could be together and have one person read a book to everyone. You could take turns reading chapters or have one person read the entire book. Of course this can lead to great conversations.
Eat dinner together: It may sound obvious for some though some families don’t sit at a table and have dinner together. Some people just eat their dinner in separate rooms (for example with the plate on their lap in front of a TV) or they sometimes eat at different times instead of waiting to be together. Eating together at a table is another great way to find out how everyone’s day was.
Same meal on the same day: You may have heard of Taco Tuesday (where people always eat Tacos on Tuesdays) but have you heard of Fish and Chips Friday? How about a night where everyone helps out to make pizzas.
Movie night: How about all of you watching a movie together. It doesn’t need to be at a local cinema / movie theatre, it can be watched from the comfort of your home. You could even make your own popcorn, turn all the lights out and enjoy the show.
What other family traditions can you think of?
So, now it is your turn… go and create incredible family memories.
What is your favorite family tradition?
Why is it your favorite?
