ingredients for mother's day traditions

Somethings in life are worth far more than the effort required to maintain them. By this I am referring to 'things' like family traditions, they are not difficult, it just requires us to seek them out.

 

Somethings in life are worth far more than the effort required to maintain them. By this I am referring to 'things' like family traditions, they are not difficult, it just requires us to seek them out.

Traditions can be very powerful, and generally it is family traditions that form the basis of my childhood memories.

For as long as I can remember Mother's Day was always a time to gather the family together, firstly at either of my grandmas home, then later in life at my mum's or my mother-in-law's. More recently, well since my daughter got married, my children come to my place on Mother's Day.

So here are my 4 key ingredients for a traditional Mother's Day.

1. Family - perhaps because of the nurturing nature of mums, but whatever the reason family time is generally very important to mums. And while some family ties may get a little frayed, we all want to be there for our mums. A Mum's eyes glow when she is surrounded by her children.

2. Food - generally always plays a part in any family get together, being from a farming family lamb roast has always been the order of the day. Portion control always seems to vanish on these special occasions and after lunch we tend to all slip into a food coma for a little nana nap. What can I say, its a tradition!

3. Fun - whether we were playing indoor games or outdoor games I have always great memories of playing with my cousins at grandmas place. My children have similar memories, it is these occasions that build the ties across the family. Backyard cricket, playing cards, kelly pool or some strange wooden log game my sister brought back from Sweden, they are all memorable and have added something to our strange family habits!

4. Flowers - ok, there probably had to be some plug in here about flowers or florists. But it is true, flowers have always been part of a traditional Mother's Day in my memory. My Mum has always been fond of orchids, she has been growing them as long as I can remember and still does. My Mother-in-law is known for the roses she grows, just as her mother before her was. Chrysanthemums might be a traditional flower on mother's day but I don't think it matters, your mum will be thinking about the first ingredient (Family) every time she looks at them. You see it is not the flowers, it is the love that they convey.

To all the Mums out there Happy Mother's Day!