Part of having a family is creating your own special traditions and documentations of them to look back on throughout all of your lives. With major holidays coming up back-to-back, we consulted with our contributor (who also happens to be an award-winning filmmaker whose work focuses on documentation and families) Susannah Ludwig, for her take on the importance on tradition and documentation.
This time of year is a special one. Halloween is rapidly approaching- filled with its fun, creativity and delights. And then, quite quickly, we are into the holiday season. Thanksgiving is up next and then the December trifecta of Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. All of these special days allow us opportunities for celebration, but also for quiet ritual and the introduction of traditions that can bring meaning to our families for years to come.
Here are some ideas for how to create new family traditions:
- Create an alternative meal: make a meal just for your immediate family that does not have the grandeur of Thanksgiving or Christmas but can be something that brings fun and joy every year. In my family growing up, we often had Chinese food on Christmas since we did not celebrate that holiday. It could be something like that or something even more simple like homemade pizza on December 10th every year, breakfast for dinner on the night before Thanksgiving or Taco Night on Christmas Eve. Whatever tradition you choose, make it something that your family can rely on and look forward to, together.
- Involve the little ones: Ask your children what is important to them about each holiday, what it means to them and how they would like to celebrate. If they are grade school age, they are sure to have ideas. Listening to and following along with their ideas will create special moments that you will all remember.
- Remember to give back: Find ways to teach your children about giving to others who have less than they do. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, or donate toys and school supplies. Make this a tradition and use it as an opportunity for your family to talk about and learn about the importance of giving. Our children begin to look forward to traditions like this, to getting involved and contributing, sometimes even more than they do the standard traditions that tend to focus on receiving.
- Don’t forget to document: Take photos or let your kids do it. These traditions you are building are the moments to remember. Incorporate a holiday card tradition to your year. There is something beautiful about having photo and video archives of your holidays to reflect on and remember. Make documenting the traditions, the history and the memories you are creating with your family a part of your annual celebration of holidays and of each other, every year.
Brooklyn mom and Philadelphia native Susannah Ludwig is the founder and executive producer of Portraits that Move, a boutique company that creates professional documentary-quality videos for families, preserving memories and moments for all time. Susannah produced the feature documentary ON MEDITATION, which will be released via Netflix in December 2016. She produced KINGS POINT, which was nominated for an Academy Award and premiered on HBO in March 2013. She is also the co-founder/ executive producer of Snapdragon Films, a commercial production company. Portraits that Move helps families celebrate holidays with a holiday video card, a moving image message for families to share holiday greetings and traditions with everyone on their list, and Signature Portrait holiday gifts for parents, grandparents and other loved ones.