Tippin Tuesday: holiday traditions

Patrick and his helipad landing creation in '06

Tara H. asked us to tip on ideas for family holiday traditions...the kind that give you and the ids warm fuzzies when you remember them. I'll give yo a list of my favorite then some ideas on how to spark your own traditions:

1. The last door my kids knock on Halloween is ours! And they get a new book, usually related to the holiday but not screaming Halloween (like The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, or Go Away Big Green Monster) I love any reason to give my kids a new book.

2. Our favorite Christmas tradition is making gingerbread houses. We use graham crackers and all the candy I have hidden away from my kids for months. Everyone makes their own and Patrick and I work up themes months in advance. Lat year mine was an Extreme Home Makeover house!

3. Leprechauns visit our house every St. Patrick's Day. And oh what a mess they make! Upturned toy buckets, overturned chairs...but they always leave lots of shiny gold (pennies) for the cleaner uppers!

Some ideas for creating your own traditions:

1. Steal them from others! Lots of great ideas out there on your friends blogs!! We'll post lots more when the holidays get closer.

2. Don't carry on a tradition that you don't enjoy just because it's a tradition.

3. Research a tradition from the home country of your ancestors and incorporate it into one of your own holidays.

Please share your favorite family tradition with Tara and the rest of us!