Family Traditions: Don’t Change The Stuffing Recipe
Posted by Susan Epstein on November 25th, 2008 at 04:22pm
Last night on my Cable TV Show, The Parenting Power Hour, my guest, Beverly Carr, LCSW and I discussed holidays and the stress they can have on families. Some of the stressors that came up were:
- Divorce
- Anniversary of a death in a family
- Military who are not home for the holidays
- Family Conflict
- Finances
- Kids schedules thrown off
- Parents who have to work between Christmas and New Years and scramble for child care
- and a lot more.
But one thing that seemed to be a theme was ‘Family Tradition’. Having something that remains the same each holiday creates structure and memories for children. I shared that at Thanksgivng we always eat the same foods prepared in the same way…My mom has tried a few times to change the stuffing recipe but the protest at the table can be heard for miles..She has given up. We like it the way we had it it as kids and now my kids like it that way, too.
In fact, my kids won’t be home for Thanksgiving this year, they are both studying in Germany! A few days ago my daughter called Grandma and asked her to send all recipes for the Thanksgiving meal. When I spoke with my son yesterday they were already planning the meal..minus the turkey (they are veggies)…but everything else will stay the same.
What are your family traditions? Please comment and share.
If you don’t have any perhaps you’ll get some ideas from some of the comments!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tags: Family, holiday stress, Holidays, kids behaviors, parenting advice, Thanksgiving, Traditions
Under Children+ Teens/Tweens
4 Comments for Family Traditions: Don’t Change The Stuffing Recipe
1. Jeffrey Wolfsberg | November 25th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Music is a strong holiday tradition in our house. Growing up my mother would always play Christmas music by the Ray Conniff singers, Bing Crosby, and Perry Como. Nothing says the holidays like hearing that music.
2. Rachael | November 25th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Snicker Salad is our tradition. Part bite sized Apples. Part bite sized Bananas. Part bite sized Snickers. Mix it all together with whipped cream. One big white bowl of goodness.
One time, my husband’s mom made cheesy potatoes instead of mashed. I would say we were a well mannered group, but no one could hold back their reaction of no mashers! Another year, his mom made a turkey the week before for some reason so she surprised us with a ham on Thanksgiving. That didn’t go over well either:) We wait all year for turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Those items can’t be changed up! Unless you become veggies:)
3. sewphisticate | November 25th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
it’s partially food…but mostly it’s the preparation. we start the morning with mimosas (even the little ones get a drop of champagne in their orange juice) while we make breakfast. everyone helps out and we all have a great time stepping over each other in our little kitchen. i let the kids decide what kind of meal it will be…formal, informal, in-between…serving dishes or buffet. they have a really good time deciding how to set the table and present the food. it’s not the same every year, but the goofing around is always the same….and the laughter. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for the laughter.
4. Kelly | November 25th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
The beauty of traditions is that just as with your children who won’t be with you this Thanksgiving, they continue on.
How thrilling to pass on a legacy!
Our family traditions include writing what we are thankful for and creating a gratitude tree. We save these and read them frequently.
We also help others in our community by purchasing food and pantry items. Showing our children that to be thankful we need to share with others has been a blessing in itself.
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