- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preschoolers today articles
- preschoolers today q&a
- children today articles
- children today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Blending Family Traditions
3 Steps to a Terrific Holiday Season By Sharon Waldrop
"Yours, mine and ours" means more than the name of a hit movie starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. The term also refers to the compromises a new family makes during the holidays when the calendar of events includes combining the holiday traditions of one family with another. Two really shall become one, whether the new family is combined by marriage or the addition of a new family member.
Ray Ritchey from Picayune, Miss., works offshore for seven consecutive days, then returns home for seven days. He hasn't been home for Christmas since this work schedule was initiated seven years ago. Ritchey's family is accustomed to scheduling Christmas festivities around Ritchey's work schedule, and his wife's family now does the same. Both families continue to have their normal Christmas events on Christmas day.
Once Ritchey's daughter was born, Santa scheduled visits to the Ritchey residence on a Saturday morning when Ray Ritchey is home. Ritchey and his wife explain to their daughter that Santa knows that Daddy works offshore and decided to bring their Christmas while Ritchey is at home. "That's Christmas day for the year between the three of us," says Ritchey.
When Stephanie Scodellaro of Crestline, Calif., married her husband, Roman, they decided that Christmas Eve would be their special night. Christmas morning belonged to his parents and Christmas night would be reserved for her parents.
