What's Your Favorite Childhood Tradition?

Some of the fondest memories of childhood are family traditions, celebrated year after year and passed on through the generations, often bringing about feelings of love and warmth, and often producing laughter. 

Here are some traditions that may recall some fond memories:

The Wishing Piece:  Some families scrub a coin and insert it in a birthday cake before icing the cake.  What a pleasure when the child makes a wish, blows out the candles, cuts the first piece, and finds the coin!  Then the wish will come true.  (Moms often show the child where to cut...)

Wheel Stories:  Best done around a fire, one person begins a story and takes it to a certain point, and the next person adds more content, and so on.  What fun when imaginations start to run wild!

The Tooth Fairy:  Few adults look forward to losing any teeth, but children find great happiness in discovering a coin or two under their pillow the morning after losing a tooth.

Candlelight Dinners:  Candlelight dinners for the whole family can add a special touch to any evening - even if dinner is just hot dogs and beans.  You can teach the children candle safety, and when they're older, allow them the honor of lighting the tapers.

The Outdoor Holiday Tree:  The rich smell of popcorn fills the house, while the entire family sits in the living room with a needle and thread, stringing popcorn to decorate a tree outside, offering a treat for birds.

Recurring Library Visit:  A weekly trip to the library to check out books, read and share, and then return them the following week, develops the wonderful habit of appreciating literature.  You might couple this with a trip to the park, lake, or beach to browse the pages on the way home.

Sauerkraut on New Year's Day:  Some families believe that the more sauerkraut you eat on New Year's Day, the more luck you'll have throughout the year.

A tradition doesn't have to be a "production," but it can naturally become an "event."  The most powerful traditions may be the simplest, ones that bring you together to celebrate life in a special way.

 What's your favorite childhood tradition?  post you favorite tradition here.