Family traditions
Why families do what they do and why it’s good

Fall is the perfect time to start a new family tradition. Visiting the apple orchard together as a family or traveling to see the local football team play are both fall traditions that are easy and fun for everyone. A new fall tradition can give kids something to look forward to once the excitement of back to school has faded.

Sometimes traditions don’t even have to focus on holidays or other events. They can even be about reaching milestones or life stages.

When each of Tammy Parriott’s children grew past her shoulder, the Newton, Iowa, family celebrated the occasion.

“We took each child out for a shrimp dinner,” laughs Parriott. “It was just our fun way of marking that milestone in growing up. They’re excited when they reach the day when they’re taller than their mother.”

The Parriotts are not alone in starting new and unique traditions. Most Americans can cite traditions involving holidays and special occasions, but many more have started their own new traditions and traditions centered on less conventional events. Many families have traditions to look forward throughout the year, in between the holidays. It may be a summer visit to the lake house or a fall trip to the football stadium to tailgate and watch a favorite team.

Why? Simply put, family traditions define who we are and where we came from. From the simple Friday night pizza party in the living room to the elaborate annual extended-family vacation at the beach, family traditions are the bedrock of society – bringing order and predictability into our lives and emotionally nourishing us by building bonds with family both near and far. They make the mundane and every day special, and they make the special occasions and milestones even more meaningful.

“I think people need traditions more now than ever,” says Dr. Susan A. Lieberman, of Rice University in Houston, Texas, and author of Family Traditions: Redefining Celebrations For Today’s Family. “The world is changing so rapidly now, and traditions give us an anchor. Traditions make you feel good as a family. These indelible memories bring character and texture to our lives.”

Modern Woodmen of America is a fraternal benefit society offering financial services. The organization’s survey of 500 Americans discovered that people are most likely to attend family events that celebrate tradition.

“Celebrating family heritage, religious holidays and major life events all rank high on the list of why Americans feel it is important to gather together,” says Modern Woodmen’s Sharon Snawerdt. “In fact, 87 percent of Americans say they attend family gatherings simply because the gatherings themselves are a family tradition.”

Traditions for the immediate family

Many people see traditions just in the context of the extended family – gathering at the shore for a summer reunion or k