Celebrating Family Day, Every Day
Every February here in Alberta, we get to enjoy a nice, long weekend together with the people we love as we celebrate Family Day. That extra Monday off provides a great opportunity to spend some time with kids, partners, and parents to focus on what matters most: enjoying each other’s company, and reflecting on what it means to be a family. Here at Pumpkin’s, we always try to set aside every Family Day to be with our kids and reconnect with one another – but beyond that, we like to take the day as an opportunity to consider how we can spend the other 364 days of the year being a better, more tightly-knit family. If you’re looking for some tips on how you can celebrate Family Day every day of the year with your loved ones, read on – we’ve got a few ideas that should help bring everyone closer together.
Do Things Together
This might seem like a no-brainer, but the more things you do together with your family, the more shared experiences you’ll have as a group, and the more you’ll find everyone is able to relate with one another. Spending time together doesn’t mean everyone sitting in the same room glued to their respective smart phones, mind you! Instead, make it a point to eat dinner together (at the table!) as a family. Establish daily routines that encourage communication and storytelling – this keeps everyone on the same page, and allows for family members to step up or help out if one individual is struggling, or having a bad day. Plan fun events and outings that everybody can look forward to – it might be tough to pick out something everybody likes doing, but family time should be enjoyed by all, so find an activity that everyone can get behind, and make it happen!
Work as a Team
It’s all well and good to enjoy spending time together doing fun things, but that’s the easiest part of being a family. When there’s work to be done and difficult times ahead, that’s when it’s truly important for family members to come together and support one another. Cleaning house and running the kids to hockey at 5 in the morning isn’t anybody’s idea of fun, but it’s important for everyone to band together and help pitch in to take care of day-to-day chores and tasks. Not only will coordinating as a team help make quick work of that jobs list, but spending time helping your fellow family members demonstrates comradery, commitment, and a healthy respect for the work they do – both at home, and throughout the rest of their day. Plus, you might actually share a few laughs together while walking up and down the aisles at the grocery store – time together with one another is never a bad thing, after all!
Demonstrate Love
More than anything else, families are defined by their day-to-day displays of love and affection. There are plenty of ways to show your family members that you care for them. The most obvious expressions of love are the physical hugs, cuddles, and kisses we give each other every day. Never underestimate the value and importance of physical contact – as human beings, it’s one of the most basic ways we have of communicating fondness and commitment! Beyond this, though, strive to show your family that you love them in every action you take.
Listen intently. Communicate openly. Cheer your family members on in their accomplishments. Commiserate with them during their defeats. Be a shoulder to cry on. Follow through on promises. And above all else, tell the people in your family that you love them each and every day. These might seem like platitudes or clichés, but if you integrate these practices into your day-to-day life, we think you’ll be surprised at how powerful an impact they can have.
Family Day only comes around once every February, but we encourage you to spend all 365 days of the year celebrating your family – and hopefully, these tips have given you some ideas on how to do just that!