Family Traditions

There is something about this time of year that gets me in tradition mode.  My childhood was filled with traditions, and I remember Halloween traditions the clearest of all.

Every year, our family went trick or treating with our neighbors.  Keep in mind, I grew up in BFE, North Dakota.  Out in the middle of nowhere...walking door to door to trick or treat would involve 5-mile walks.  We had to get to the closest little town, and with 5 kids and 4 adults.. that was best done by means of the pimpest ride you can imagine.

A green Volare station wagon.  Kind of like this...

Except ours was a deeper green, and I'm not sure if we had the spare tire on for good or not? Us kids (5 of us total) would pile in the way back.  I'm sure it was legal and safe and all.  The green Volare also had problems keeping dust out.  This beauty flying up and down the gravel roads always left its passengers choking for air.  And possibly left a layer of dust over our Tootsie Rolls...

We would go to a few neighbor's country homes in the Volare...then drive to the closest little town and do the door to door thing, while the green Volare of parents stalked the streets nearby to make sure that no one choked on a dust-covered Tootsie Roll.  The Volare would finish its night driving an additional 15 miles to visit grandparents.

I really miss the green Volare as Halloween rolls around each year, and it makes me wonder what my own kids will one day remember most about holidays.

Another seeming tradition that I likely had no voice in, is that year after year, I was dressed up as a...Native American.  I have dark skin, dark hair, and apparently there was always a burlap sack, face paint, and feathers available when it came time to get our costumes together.  I realized as I got older, that no...I wasn't looking at 2 pictures of the same Halloween.  I was looking at different years, just in the same costume. Over and over again.

Hmm.

Now that Emersyn is 3 years old and will soon have memory of what goes on, we are trying to establish "traditions" for her and eventually the twins.  Seeing as to how we now live over 8 hours from family, we're doing this on our own.  One of my favorites so far is our annual apple orchard trip.  Halloween seems to be something not-so-impressionable now, compared to riding in the green machine...we will again take Emersyn to the neighborhood homes, followed by driving to a few special people's homes, then calling it a night.  Sorry my loves, no Volare for you...a minivan will have to cut it.

Emersyn before her school party! Those who have been reading for awhile, remember she wore this same costume last year.  Hi, I'm Amber, and I am a lame mom.  My daughter's costume for this year was delivered the day after her school party and not ready in time for function #1. (Good thing there are 2 more to go!)  I am also starting to understand why I was a Native American year after year - so much easier...

Is this little puppy a clone of Emersyn or what?

"But mom!!  I really want to ride in a green station wagon!" ( poor lil' puppy was beyond exhausted at this party!)

Halloween quickly turns to Thanksgiving, which we will also not (or likely never) be back in North Dakota for (I always work the day after Thanksgiving).  We have set up our own Thanksgiving traditions right here in Minnesota.  I personally really dig this one...

Emersyn's first Thanksgiving tradition of many...(it was determined that Travis had to be a pilgrim, for his skin is too fair and his eyes too light...see we have a real method of assigning roles to us and our guests! :)

The drive to North Dakota with 3 young kids seems more and more impossible every day.  We always have fun once we're there, but it honestly is quite stressful not only getting there but with time constraints once we are there.  Too much to do, too little time.

Christmas is also just around the corner.  I have vivid childhood memories of Christmas Eve/Day.  We did the same things each year.  It's so hard to leave that behind, but it's fun to start traditions as our own little family too.  I have a thing about "memories", and I want my kids to always remember holidays.  I think the best way to do this is to have consistency....but that is hard when our own families want us back in North Dakota for the holidays.   We have been pretty good about making sure we are in our own home on Christmas morning since moving to Minnesota.  I love watching Emersyn come up the steps to see what Santa brought!  Sometimes we celebrate with family back in North Dakota near the holidays, but that doesn't always happen.  (This year, we will be back on New Years Eve for my little brother's wedding...it will be a quick but fun trip so hopefully we have good driving weather--I'm so excited for them!)

What family traditions do you have? Please share any and all - looking for new ideas :)

(Especially those involving station wagons)