Hi there! :)
I, too, have been looking for traditions to carry on with my children. Here are a few I remember most from growing up:
New Years Eve - Mom and Dad would buy us all the pop we could drink (a rare frivolity in our house!) so we could see who could stay up the latest. We'd sit down at 8:00pm and play Risk (cause Lord knows that game takes forever!) We'd see if we could win the game by Midnight.
Valentine's Day - Mom always got us cards. I always thought it was kinda dumb (especially in my teen years) but as I've grown older, I look for that pink envelope every February. No matter how old you get, it's still nice to know your Mom still thinks of you as her little girl. :)
Easter/Springtime - We'd make a special Easter egg for everyone in the family and put it in their basket, then the next day share why we decorated it the way we did. Also, Mom loves to garden, so every year we'd go to the greenhouse and pick out lilies and irises (her favorites) and plant them around the yard. We'd also buy a bunch of seeds and compete with the bunnies under the shed to see who'd get more of the harvest this year. :P
Summertime - Every year, Grandma and Grandpa would go up to a lake resort in Hayward, WI. They took Dad the first year he met Mom, and after that, Mom and Dad took us. The resort we always went to closed when I was about 15 or so, but we were able to find others on the same lake. I'd get up at 4:30am just to go out on the lake with my Dad. After that, he'd take me into town to the candy shop. There are SO many memories of that place. It's hard not to tear up when I think about it. :P
Fall - Back to School Shopping! My mom acted like she dreaded it (cause lets face it, I had to have EVERYTHING) :P but in reality, it was a great bonding time for us. :) My son's in school now, so I get to do this with him. :) Sure, it's just a shopping trip, but to me, it means a lot more. Also, Mom and I would go shopping for tulip bulbs and plant them. It was always such a nice surprise in the springtime, because I usually forgot about them. :P It was nice to see something grow that Mom and I had done together.
Thanksgiving/Christmas - My Mom makes the best coleslaw known to man. She knows anytime we get together for the holidays to have it, otherwise I'll run to the store and buy the ingredients for her. :P When I was younger (and we had more time) we'd make gingerbread houses for all of our friends in the shape of their house (Dad's quite creative like that). Dad has an old train set from when he was little, and every Christmas we'd set it up around the Christmas tree. I'd put the first piece right under my favorite ornament, which was just a little bronze bell tied on a piece of present-ribbon. I guess it was a gift to my mom from a friend at some point in her life, but it was (and still is) my favorite thing to see on the tree. My sister and I still fight about how to set up the Nativity, now it just depends on who makes it to Mom and Dad's first. :P
Sorry, I guess my list is longer than I thought. :P I hope out of all that you can find something that you'd like to make your own. :) I guess my best advice is just to do your normal day-to-day and see what ends up sticking. It seems that the smallest things take up the biggest space in our hearts.
Happy memory-making,
J.
P.S. Cynthia, I LOVE the underwear story! Lol! :)