Cool Family Traditions

moonshinerocks

Hey, read about one family getting up to mega early and going up the Dublin mountains to watch the sunrise with flasks of tea every single New Year's Day. Even when the kids grew up and were hungover/just home from the night before they would still do it as a family. I thought that was really great. Can't think of any interesting ones my family had when I was growing up - except that we couldn't open our Santa presents on Christmas morning until after Mass! Would love to start one up with my partner and son but need ideas! I know the ones I mentioned were Christmasy ones but any time of the year will do

Hells Belle

Ah thats a nice one, wouldn't have fancied it last year though, freezing!

My fave tradition is Christmassy too but we did it every single year - I think a lot of people do. Everyone gets a bath on Christmas Eve, brand new PJ's, a lovely happy film, roaring fire and a hot chocolate. I've carried it on with my own kids and they love it.

If its your birthday the presents get hid all around the house and garden and you have to find them with a handmade map that all the others help make, thats great fun with the little ones, my partner gets peed off though :pac:

Mushy

Not sure how cool it is, but we have one where we all play golf. This would be my Dads side of the family, his cousins and their family additions. It came from the fact that we only ever saw each other at funerals, so not the best of times. This has now allowed us get to know each other without having to focus on a specific topic (for lack of a better term). I think its cool though, its been 7 years already.

IvyTheTerrible

Hells Belle wrote: »

Ah thats a nice one, wouldn't have fancied it last year though, freezing!

My fave tradition is Christmassy too but we did it every single year - I think a lot of people do. Everyone gets a bath on Christmas Eve, brand new PJ's, a lovely happy film, roaring fire and a hot chocolate. I've carried it on with my own kids and they love it.

If its your birthday the presents get hid all around the house and garden and you have to find them with a handmade map that all the others help make, thats great fun with the little ones, my partner gets peed off though :pac:

Oh the bath new PJs and all that was our Christmas eve tradition too! Still feel warm and fuzzy thinking about it!

candy-gal1

Going to the "xmas house" in Artane on xmas eve! its covered in fairylights, xmas music and santas, snowmen etc! really gets me in the xmas mood!

yungwan

Wow I love the PJs and bath and movie tradition.... I am officaly going to start that with my son this year!

Our (rather cringe) tradition in the last 5 years or so, is that our Mam makes me and my three siblings get a group picture on Stephens night when we are ready to go out in our new gladrags!

Its so cringe as we are all in our early to mid 20s and the picture is always taken in the same chair/corner, every year!! So our mam has 5 or 6 pictures which look very similar with the xmas tree in the back!! haha

My partners tradition growing up was always that they got their Santa pressies on Christmas Eve before bed. (This was because their Dad always worked nights on Christmas eve until 12 on Xmas day. Every year him and his siblings exchange gifts on this day and every year he tries to get me to give him mine, but I refuse! (haha I guess thats OUR tradition!) Christmas Day is the day for presents imo!!

krazyklown

Another Christmas one here - on christmas day me, my four brothers & brother in law do a puck fada back the fields up to a big hill where my grandad planted a sycamore tree. My dad is referees it & keeps the score. We have a plaque & even have a handicap in operation for the fellas that dont play hurling. Its great craic & pretty much the only thing we do as a family. My sister usually does a video & she does interviews before and after. They make great entertainment years after, especially one year when it was snowing. Have two nephews so hopefully in a couple of years they will be part of it too.

Wicklowrider

krazyklown wrote: »

Another Christmas one here - on christmas day me, my four brothers & brother in law do a puck fada back the fields up to a big hill where my grandad planted a sycamore tree. My dad is referees it & keeps the score. We have a plaque & even have a handicap in operation for the fellas that dont play hurling. Its great craic & pretty much the only thing we do as a family. My sister usually does a video & she does interviews before and after. They make great entertainment years after, especially one year when it was snowing. Have two nephews so hopefully in a couple of years they will be part of it too.

That sound brilliant!

deelite

This isn't a Christmas Family Tradition - but here goes -

We never got a proper dinner on a Saturday but we always had a huge fry at tea time
(6:00 ish). I loved the smell of sausies and bacon before sitting down to watch the Generation Game. And if one of the family were bringing home a new girlfriend/boyfriend it was alway for the fry on a Saturday evenings.

Lillylilly

In our house, we always make a big fuss of my parent's wedding anniversary- which is actually today! We give them loads of pressies, have a big family meal at the weekend and a session with beers and music that night! We don't celebrate Christmas (religious reasons) so this was always a family day for us. We're all in our 20's/ 30's now but there's still nothing better than the family getting together for pressies and a session! Most of my friends struggle to remember their parent's wedding anniversary so I love that it's such a big deal in my house.

Another routine/ tradition was that every time one of us started playschool/ primary school/ secondary school or college we got a present for our first day. We also get presents when we were discharged if we have had to stay in hospital.

I always remember my ma always getting jam doughnuts when she went into town when we were kids, which wasn't often. Even now when I see the greasy brown bag I think of the excitement of getting a treat when my ma was in town!

Ah, that was a nice trip down memory lane

Daisy!

krazyklown wrote: »

Another Christmas one here - on christmas day me, my four brothers & brother in law do a puck fada back the fields up to a big hill where my grandad planted a sycamore tree. My dad is referees it & keeps the score. We have a plaque & even have a handicap in operation for the fellas that dont play hurling. Its great craic & pretty much the only thing we do as a family. My sister usually does a video & she does interviews before and after. They make great entertainment years after, especially one year when it was snowing. Have two nephews so hopefully in a couple of years they will be part of it too.

What a lovely tradition. You've really made me smile reading that

moonshinerocks wrote: »

Hey, read about one family getting up to mega early and going up the Dublin mountains to watch the sunrise with flasks of tea every single New Year's Day. Even when the kids grew up and were hungover/just home from the night before they would still do it as a family. I thought that was really great. Can't think of any interesting ones my family had when I was growing up - except that we couldn't open our Santa presents on Christmas morning until after Mass! Would love to start one up with my partner and son but need ideas! I know the ones I mentioned were Christmasy ones but any time of the year will do

That's so nice. God the last thing you want to do on New Years Day is get up at that hour and go out in the cold but I bet they wouldn't miss it for the world

Christmas Eve. Going to midnight mass, coming home where we all stand in the kitchen and I light the candle (apparently the youngest should light the candle?) and we all sit there and say a little prayer. I'm not overly religious but it's always a special moment for me. My parents are getting on in age now and I cherish that moment every year wondering if there's many left.