Building up family traditions for Easter and the holidays

Once again, families will be spending endless hours together at home or in vacation spots of their choice – whether in their provincial hometowns or distant places here or abroad. Some of them may be allowed to stay with relatives and friends whom they are fond of.

Whichever way we choose to spend our vacation, it is certain that the long, leisurely summer days will grant us more time for fun and relaxation. It will also provide the opportunity to spend quality time with our family in a relaxed atmosphere. We must not let these precious moments pass without making the most of them.

Celebrate the ordinary

Here are some ideas for activities which we can do with our family or friends, making ordinary days special, and strengthening family ties. They are from a book by Jayne Reizner entitled, “A Book of Family Traditions.” It is a book of ideas on how to initiate family practices which can become traditions to be repeated and remembered for years to come. I have adapted some of them to suit the Filipino family lifestyle and situations.

Celebrate any change, big or small. When your child’s first tooth or braces come off, have a special chewing gum bubble contest. Make basketball placemats for dinner, on the day your son tries out for the basketball team. Find a reason to celebrate on ordinary days. This can apply to other sports as well.

For birthdays

KEEPSAKE BIRTHDAY GIFT. Along with the “wants” the children have on their birthday wish list, try to give them one thing each year that they can keep and cherish in the years to come. (The first year’s gift can be a hope chest or baol to store all the future years’ special gifts.) It may be something passed down from grandparents, something they collect, an ornament for the Christmas tree, or anything that will be meaningful later on.

SPECIAL BIRTHDAY VERSES. When your children are born, select a special song, poem or Bible verse for them. Play the song or read the poem at all special occasions in their lives and at breakfast on their birthday.

CHEER UP! (For a new family) Have a cute pillow or stuffed animal that is only brought out of the closet when someone needs cheering up. The pillow could be embroidered with “We love you” or “You are special to us.” The family could choose the stuffed animal together and store him away until needed. This is not applicable, though, to those who have an over-abundance of stuffed toys.

For primary grade school children (Grades 1-3)

DUSTING TREATS. Next time you need help with dusting, hide small pieces of candy on the furniture for children to find as they dust. The more they dust, the more candy they find and get to eat.

CRIME DOESN’T PAY. For a weekly allowance, give each child a P1 roll (a stack of 20 pieces of P1 coins or P20 rolled in a piece of paper.) Charge him P1 when you hear him say something cruel to someone else or argues. Any money left at the end of the week is his to keep. If this proves effective, the money may be changed from P1 to P5 for intermediate grade school children (Grades 4-7).

BEDTIME JOURNAL. Set a cute blank notebook next to your young child’s bed. Each night as you tuck him in, ask him what he remembers most from his day. Write a sentence or two about his response with the date. What a chuckle he will get out of this later. (You may also be surprised by what stands out the most to him each day.) This is an excellent way to encourage his love for story-telling or writing in his own diary.

FAMILY BULLETIN BOARD. At a central location in your home, hang a family bulletin board. Post any special ribbons or medals the children earn, encouraging notes for exam days, reminders of special days, pictures of fun family events, holiday decorations, etc.

DAY IN COURT. When children can’t settle their own quarrels, they may ask for their day in court. The whole family must listen to each side of the argument and negotiate a fair settlement. Whatever the court decides is final. After airing their complaints, both children will feel better.

HELPING HAND. Stuff a flowered garden glove, and whenever you do something for your children that really was one of their chores, leave your “helping hand” next to the job. For example, put the hand on the pillow if you made your children’s beds on a school morning when they were too rushed to do it themselves.

For the coming Holy Week, especially Easter Sunday

MAUNDY THURSDAY FAMILY MEAL. Have the evening meal on Maundy Thursday consist of 13 different things to eat. Place a spoonful of each item on each person’s plate. This is to commemorate Christ and His 12 disciples at the Last Supper.

SECRET EASTER BASKET. Have each family member select items for a secret Easter basket. Cover it with plastic wrap or a big bow. Choose a family that is special to yours. Leave the basket on the family’s porch on Easter morning or the night before and run. Doing things anonymously is a humbling experience for everyone.

EASTER MESSAGE IN AN EGG. Make a special Easter egg. Place a cross, a stone and a piece of fabric inside the plastic egg. When this special egg is found during the Easter egg hunt, have the child use these props to tell the Easter story. (Jesus died on the cross, and was buried in a tomb which was sealed with a stone. When people ran to the tomb, the stone was rolled away. The body of Jesus was gone, and only the cloth around His body was left.)

THE EASTER REPORT. Have an older child tell the Easter story as if he was a reporter, using today’s language. This story can be found in Matthew 26-28. Parents should help out here.

EASTER BREAKFAST. Serve each person’s Easter breakfast in Easter baskets or upside down Easter bonnets lined with aluminum foil.

Make family time more spiritual and memorable

Between Christmas and Easter seasons, the latter has a higher spiritual value for it is mankind’s celebration of “new life”. Even the spring flowers in the frigid zones and summer in the torrid (tropical) zones celebrate the Easter joy.

God’s Son, Our Lord Jesus, stepped down on earth to live for 33 years. In spite of giving love as Master Teacher, Healer and Miracle Maker, He was scourged and crucified to death. In three days, He resurrected and fulfilled His promise of eternal life to all men: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me shall never die, but shall possess everlasting life.”

The Greek Orthodox Church has the tradition, right after Easter Mass, of family members each holding up painted eggs and knocking the other’s Easter eggs, while exclaiming the Easter greeting, “Christ is risen!”

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