Balloon Bouquet
The simple life is often a quiet one. At first a blessed relief, that quietness can sometimes slip into boredom. This weekend, you’ll enjoy a cup of coffee, take a walk, cook a meal, then curl up and watch a movie. Yawn!

If you’re starting to feel that simplicity is a one-way ticket to Dullsville, amp things up a bit by creating your own silly traditions.

Why Add More Commitments to the Mix?

  • Traditions are those times that stand out from the rest of your days. They’re when memories are created and when you come together with people and things you love.
  • You’re in control of any new traditions. It’s about inviting things you love and enjoy into your life, not starting up a fruitcake club.
  • Any tradition you create can revolve around your values (and budget), not those of the local department store or your mother-in-law.
  • It’s a flat-out excuse to have fun and indulge a bit. Everyone needs a time to let down their hair now and then.

So You Just, Like, Start It? That’s It?

Starting a new tradition can be as easygoing or intense as you’d like.  If you’re just doing something on your own, then it’s wide open. You can declare October 24 as Annual Eat Questionable Sushi Day or Real Men Watch Chick Flicks Day—whatever floats your boat. Whatever itch you’ve been wanting to scratch, you get an excuse to indulge in it. You don’t have to worry about throwing your simple lifestyle off kilter, since you’ve declared ahead of time that it’s just one day.

Like anything, it’s a slippery slope. Exercise caution. Perhaps Eat Your Weight In Chocolate Day should not be followed by Bet I Can’t Eat One More Taco Day. You know, just a suggestion.

Celebration Cake
If you’re trying to start a family or group tradition, you need to get those other folks on board. Try floating a few ideas to see what gets other people excited. After all, your first idea may not strike a chord with them, but your fourth idea might be the beginning of a long-standing and well-loved tradition.

Once you’ve got an idea that your friends or family are interested in, give it a try. As a group, have a casual conversation about whether it’s worth repeating. If everyone’s raving at the end and still talking about it weeks later, mark it on the calendar for next year: you’ve got a winner!

Ready to give it a try? Here are a few suggestions:

  • In-House Oktoberfest: Buy some brats and three or so different kinds of beer. Enjoy the brew and the brats along with some good  company. (This is the one that got me started on this idea. We had a spur of the moment bratfest and it was wonderful yet so easy!)
  • Weird Anniversaries: Celebrate your wisdom teeth removal, have a bash on your mortgage signing day, party over your first snow day’s anniversary. If you just need a day of fun, you can find some kind of odd anniversary to celebrate.
  • Godfather Weekend: Watch all three Godfather flicks, eat Italian food, and indulge in red wine. (Horse pranks are optional.)
  • Picnic Day: On the first 80 degree day of the year, take a long lunch and have a lemonade (spiked or not is up to you) picnic and some ice cream.
  • Candlelight Night: Make the 1st (or any day) of each month a designated candlelight dinner night. It’s easy, it doesn’t take more than five minutes to set up, and it’s a good way to stay checked in with a partner.
  • Game Day: Plan a day every quarter or so where everyone takes off three or four hours early from work or school and then spend that extra time doing something completely fun: hit the arcade, go roller-skating, shoot some hoops, or just sit at a bar sipping and enjoy the freedom. (We used to get these every couple of months in middle school, and they made the weeks leading up to them so wonderfully full of anticipation!)
  • Anything that strikes your fancy: Cupcake Day, Spaghetti Western Day (you’ve gotta eat spaghetti, too!), an annual film festival with your favorite actor, Inflatable Swordfight Day, Try to Get Away with Wearing Different Colored Socks Day, Fight Club Day, Food on a Stick Day, Stay up All Night nights… It’s all about taking what you like and making a regular excuse to enjoy it with no distractions.

Keeping Your Tradition Fun and Simple for the Long Haul

Then, just keep it up for as long as you enjoy it. Don’t become a slave to made-up traditions; they can grow and evolve (or devolve) around your needs. That’s the beauty of starting your own traditions: they’re all yours, and they’re all about adding enjoyment to your life, not creating stress.

You can also make your traditions more enjoyable by planning them for convenient times during the year. You may not want to add anything to your plate during December, but would love some distraction by March. Do what’s right for you, and let your wishes lead the way.

What kind of traditions have you started? And also, did they ever get to be more of a pain than a pleasure? If you’ve got any ideas, please hit up the comment section with your take!

Creative Commons License photo credit: danagraves

Creative Commons License photo credit: ĻiĻ Pië

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