Purposeful Parenthood

Holiday Rituals: Valentine’s Day

Henry’s love note to me on Valentine’s Day

Either through nature and/or nurture, I have passed along my love of holiday traditions to my oldest son, Henry. Last year he asked, “What do we do as a family on Valentine’s Day?”

Up until that point, Matt and I hadn’t done a whole lot. We only get presents for each other on birthdays and Christmas (not even our anniversary!). So I quickly designed a new holiday tradition:

  1. We wake up on Valentine’s Day and make waffles or pancakes as a family.
  2. While we eat breakfast, we brainstorm what we want to do together as a family to celebrate our love for each other.
  3. Once we get home from school, we do our chosen activity.
  4. Afterwards, we randomly select a family member’s name and fill in a “Love Note” template for them.

The most hilarious thing to me is that for two years in a row (last year as a 4 year-old and this year as a 5 year-old), Tate has wanted to add a “night walk” to our list of options to consider. I guess he just really wants to stay up past his bedtime!

Last year we selected a family game night. This year we voted on a family movie night. I had received a gift certificate to Alamo Draft House for my birthday, so we used it to go see the new Lego movie.

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