I have known a few families who invented their own “insider” holidays—some were wrapped around specific dates in the calendar—midsummer eve, the first day of school, or even the first day of fishing season. There is no law that says we absolutely have to embrace every socially-established holiday and those days only. It can be fun and a bonding experience to come up with your own traditional family holiday that belongs to just your family…
Who says that Christmas has to be celebrated on December 25th? As a child, my paternal grandparents used to celebrate Christmas on July 4th—the motivation was that my grandfather was a long-haul truck driver and the time of year between Halloween and Christmas was a time of non-stop work for him. When the season finally waned, he was too exhausted and worn out to enjoy the holidays anyway. So, instead of add stress and force themselves through the season, they just decided they would celebrate during the slow time of year—they would get a live tree, their kids would arrange their summer vacations to come for a visit and the gifts would be exchanged then. They did it for years!
When my children were little, we used to celebrate the last official day of summer—the day right before the first day of school. I would make sure that all of our “back to school” planning and preparations were done so that day could be devoted to doing only Summer things—swimming, eating popsicles, no shoes, and nothing but play and leisure. That way, we could send another summer vacation out in style before having to buckle down to the school routine.
I would love to hear of other “family holidays” that you all might have invented. What creative “inside” family celebrations have you come up with?
Also: The Joys and Challenges of Family Projects
Making Changes With or Without Your Family
Creating a New Holiday Tradition