Unique family traditions and quirks that make you smile

Nadi

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the little things that are unique to my family. The traditions and habits and quirks that we share that would probably seem odd to others, that make me smile. For example,

• on birthdays we always give a card that is not a birthday card, e.g bon voyage, best wishes on your christening, congratulations on your engagement, graduation card, get well soon, wedding etc etc. For my 50th my sons gave me a sympathy card. We think it's hilarious and we really look forward to seeing what type of card we'll get.
• we don't say "Happy Birthday", we say "Happy to You" this is because one of my sons used to say it incorrectly when he was little and the saying has just stuck.
• balloons on birthdays are compulsory
• If you're male in our house you will always get one sock for every year of age on your birthday. We have lots of spare socks from those odd years.
• we have an emergency word, which is a word we use when we may be struggling with something (like we're depressed or deeply upset) when we can't bring ourself to talk about it. The word is 'pineapple'. If any one of us randomly says that word or sends it in a text, then all the family will immediately drop everything and rally round, no questions asked because sometimes it's easier to say a single word, rather than trying to explain a difficulty you're experiencing or that you are feeling bad
• we have the same seat at the dinner table. What's funny is that when we eat out we sit in the same positions.
• It's a tradition in our house that when my boys got their first pay from their first job they would take mum (me) out to dinner.
• If one of us gets a promotion we always go to Pancake Parlour to celebrate - we've done this since our kids were toddlers.

Just wondering what quirky traditions other families have.

Sister

I'm going to have to think about that - I'm sure we have quirks, but they seem normal to us!  Your first one did make me think of one of ours - we do say Happy Birthday to each other, but it's also likely to be anything but.  Instead, we say Happy Easter, Happy Father's Day, etc.
My husband and I keep the same seats at the dinner table but the kids rotate, seaonally.  They think it's so that they get a change; we know it's so that we get a break from looking at each particular child's eating habits!
Small wrapped presents are always guessed as undies - obligatory.

Karenhappyquilter

We we still give our grown up children Santa sacks on Christmas morning.  We always have melon balls as part of Christmas lunch because my mother in law started it when all the grandchildren were little.  The oldest grandchild is almost 40 now. 

Afraser

Not really quirky but we still refer to washer faces - my daughter when very small tended to turn phrases around. 

arpie

Wow!  @Nadi  -  what WONDERFUL quirky traditions you have!  I laughed out loud at a few of them!   What a clever way of communicating with your family with your 'secret word' ..... that is just brilliant - on so many different levels!  

Sadly, I was at boarding school from very early junior school right thru to Higher School Certificate - so I was only ever at 'home' for holidays - and sadly after altercations with my stepmother was kicked out of home within 12 months of leaving school (as also happened with my sister but within 6 months!) .... so we missed out on most of the family birthdays, traditions etc ... and I never had kids (married one tho!)

I know one of my brothers ALWAYS brings out a CD of The Muppets at Xmas as a part of their family Xmas gatherings & his kids have carried that on.

My husband & I always have a picnic by the water for our Xmas Lunch & then launch our kayaks & have a fish (the waterway  normally being totally devoid of boats - a real bonus!)

Whenever I visit family, I always do a 'special whistle' as I approach an open window or the front/back door, to announce my arrival ..... and they know it is me.

I always have the toilet roll showing with the tissue coming 'over the top' (not underneath .....) and an old buddy who visited last week (friends from the 80s) used to ALWAYS change it over, just to annoy me!  LOL

Keep 'em coming!    

kmakm

We have words and phrases that we've kept in use from when the kids were little, the mangled ones, the sweet attempts. One of my favourites is the 'red danger', my nephew's name for the gas stove lighter. Now they come in many different colours but we all still say 'where's the red danger?'!

We have food traditions of course. And at birthdays, your presents always get piled in The Little Pram which is left waiting for you in front of the fire. It's a toy pram, an old fashioned one made of white wicker, that belonged to me when I was a very small child. My birthday's in the winter, hence the placement in front of the fire. Occasionally I've forgotten to do it and boy, do I get into trouble! The 18yo son is most insistent! We even specifically designed a storage space for it when we renovated our house.

Another very family specific tradition is at Christmas. My parents are English and we always had our Christmas meal in the evening. As kids my sisters and I were always up at dawn's crack, and so to keep us going through the day my mother decided to split the present opening. The Christmas tree was a small one and on a round table. Presents on the floor under the table were opened in the morning, presents on the table (smaller and often jokey) were opened in the evening, before dinner when we were small, after dinner when we were older. They're called Christmas Tree presents, and now with a big tree on the floor, we mark the gift tags with a little Christmas tree to differentiate.

Quality Streets at Christmas, always!

I have some sadness round some of these family traditions. There was only two years between myself and my deceased sister. When she died she took the memories of my childhood with her. She's the only person who shared them with me. My remaining sister is six years younger than me and was raised differently. E and I shared a room, had our own words and particular ways of comnunicating that we continued to adulthood. We had our own call and response if separated, and it makes me sad that I'll never get to do that again. This is making me a bit teary! FU breast cancer.

Ellamary98

Love this thread!  And such great and funny quirks! I have some birthday-themed traditions...

• When we celebrate my father's birthday, all the grandchildren (16) clap him out once he has blown the candles with the number of birthdays. It began on his 61st, with just a couple of toddlers and us parents, and has grown into a much-loved tradition. This year he was 81, so 81 big claps from a house full of kids ranging from 3years old to 21.  He loves it so much that he often gets teary- quite the sight in a grumpy old sod!
• In our own household, if you turn 12, you get twelve gifts and so on. (It seemed a good idea when they were turning 3!) As they have become older, we wrap up pencil sharpeners, Tim-Tams and bits of memorabilia amongst the real gifts. There is almost always an item of my clothing wrapped in the mix, because one year my two eldest children (aged about 8 and 10) were told 'Henry's birthday presents are on our bed with the giftwrap so go and wrap them up while he's not looking.' They inadvertently included a t-shirt of mine left folded on the bed, much to Henry's confusion, and it became a family joke.
• Gifts must be opened in a particular order, and we use photos of them at different ages ( open youngest to oldest) or mathematical equations. Recently, we have introduced musical trivia which they need to answer correctly before the gift can be opened. 
• Our birthday celebrations are very unfussy,-usually afternoon tea, but they are full of quirky traditions, right down to the small cake stand which the birthday person must use as a plate and the old tankard of Fanta, which they thought was so special when they were young.
• Once you start thinking about it, there are so many family traditions, all the more special because they are unique to your own family.  

Mira

We don't have any family traditions that I can think of.  One thing I miss since moving out of my parents home is that Dad used to come to my (closed) door and say "ni(ght) ni(ght) Mira" just before he went to bed every night.  It didn't matter if I was awake or asleep, he just said it.  I used to lie there and wait for it. 

Sister

@Ellamary98 You reminded me of the glass (pretend crystal) cake stand. It was probably a cheapie from Woolworths but it came out at every birthday for the cake. I'd now in my cupboard and still comes out for every birthday cake. And I call out "Don't touch the bottom!" now instead of my Mum when the wish is made and the cake is cut.

Artferret

We always went to the same place for Christmas holidays. Our girls never asked to go somewhere different because it was acknowledged as chill out time for everyone to do their own thing...my husband catching up with reading, my embroidery and the girls always playing monopoly. Having said that Uno and Trouble were always played when we went camping at Easter. Very loudly! Also Rummikub. 
I'd always make the girls their birthday cakes, they would get to choose what design. The ones i had the most fun making were their 18th cakes. One was a Tardis from Doctor Who and the other was this cube thing from a game called Portal.

tigerbeth

Cant think of too many at this moment but there probably is !!
When we are all together for birthdays we sing Happy birthday at about 5 times the speed it should be , any outsiders look on in amazement their faces are priceless.
My dearly departed uncle used to concoct weird & wonderful stories for us growing up , his attention cry at a BBQ usually in the Dandenongs was 'Cook-a-chook' . A phrase often repeated for a laugh !
My young  cousin always said capushion for cushion we still use that ! lol
As early teens my boys liked getting Lynx deodorant ! I still buy it for them for Xmas as a joke !They're not impressed !

Nadi

So many good ones above that I may just have to adopt! Love the clap for every year of age!

Yes, when I am sick, and my thoughts turn dark, it's not my accomplishments that make me smile and comfort me, it's those quirky family things proving that it really is the little things in life that count. A few others:

• youngest in the family always places the star on top of the christmas tree.
• Birthday presents are always unwrapped on mum and dad's (me and hubby's bed) first thing on birthday morning. With five of us and four dogs it gets very crowded during the unwrapping.
• with my youngest 19 we still have an easter egg hunt with cryptic clues that take my husband a week to write. The clues are all about things that have happened during the year, e.g. the step where so-and-so fell and chipped his tooth etc.
• We have a family song that I sang to the boys before sleep every night when they were little. Still going strong.
• We have many lines from movies and quotes that have come to have special meaning to the family over the years. The so-called insider jokes.
• The only dessert my husband ever makes is his 'famous' trifle for special occasions.
• we have watch-til-you-drop night - basically a movie marathon where kudos is given to the last person awake. Hubby and I are always the first to sleep.
• Friday night is always GYO - Get Your Own (dinner)

Ellamary98

@tigerbeth, my 14-year old loves the Lynx!
@Artferret My children always wanted a novelty birthday cake, but it was a fail every time I tried! I'm a good baker, but rubbish at the decoration!
@kmakm My husband is English- Quality Streets at Christmas and Christmas tree gifts still reign.
I can only imagine how it must be to lose your sister and all those sweet memories shared. I miss my mother so much at Christmas- the memories of baking together and preparing the big family meal can be overwhelming, even 7 years on. I bake our Christmas cakes on my own now. She always marked the recipe with each year it was used, and it makes me teary when I see the end of her handwriting and the beginning of my own. I draw enormous comfort from baking recipes she has handwritten- and even some of my grandmother's.

Ellamary98

@Nadi we unwrap on our bed too- 5 big kids and two cats. We keep saying 'this must stop' - last year someone sat on my jam toast- but we carry on.   AND, my husband's only dessert is also the infamous trifle. It's a family joke, because it is rarely successful, despite his crowing!

Afraser

My father created a nonsense word family song - sung in (in four parts!) on car trips. I can still sing it word perfect after more than 60 years. Have to write down all my wretched work passwords though............... : )

kmakm

Thanks @Ellamary98.

Bought the Quality Streets last week when I saw them in Woolworths. Some years they've been very hard to find so as long as the use by dates are OK I grab them when I see them!