The Art of Celebration

The Art of Celebration – it’s something that I vowed to teach my children even before they were born.

The word “celebration” might get you stressed just by looking at it. You might think that word means an expensive 1-year-old birthday party (which, if we can all be real for a second – are for the adults, not the kids). Or it means a meticulously planned European getaway for your anniversary. Or a dinner out on the town at a fancy restaurant you wouldn’t normally go to. 

That’s not my definition of celebration.

Now don’t get me wrong – there is nothing wrong with elaborate celebrations, and who doesn’t enjoy that every once in a while? But, when I say I want to teach my kids what it means to celebrate, I’m not talking about the act that follows these events, or the money spent. Because guess what? None of us has our life together to be able to elaborately celebrate every holiday or momentous occasion (if you do – please share your secrets!). 

When I talk about celebrating, I’m talking about teaching my kids to take note of events in their life and other’s lives that deserve recognition. I’m talking about teaching them that a lack of celebration can also be equated to apathy. We celebrate holidays and special occasions for a reason. Teaching them the meaning and significance behind celebrations will give them a feeling of belonging and purpose. An understanding of humanity and the world we live in.

For example, we celebrate the Fourth of July because we celebrate our freedom as a country and our Declaration of Independence.

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Birthdays are celebrated because we want to show how happy we are that a person is here for another year. And we are happy they were born and are in our lives.

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We celebrate buying a house. It’s a huge accomplishment as a family, and a commitment we make together.

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Good school reports are celebrated because of the effort put into doing well. We want to make sure you know how much we appreciate that.

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We celebrate anniversaries because relationships can be fun, rewarding, and yield great things like our family. They are covenants that are hard and require work – and when we add another year to our belt it’s celebratory!

As a family, we don’t always celebrate in a big way. In fact, we rarely spend a large sum of money on a celebration, but we do always find a way to convey that sense of celebration to our kids.

It can be bending down and giving them a kiss and a hug that is longer than usual. Looking them in the eye and telling them how proud you are of that good grade they came home with. Maybe giving them a break from a chore or an extra special dessert for dinner to celebrate.

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It’s taking the time to write your spouse a long love letter for your anniversary instead of the stereotypical store-bought card. And if appropriate (save those racey notes for later), reading it out loud as a family so your kids can hear how much mommy and daddy love each other. They will see your celebration and remember.

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It’s birthday pancakes with a special whipped cream topping and candles, and some homemade decorations around the house when a big birthday party wasn’t in the budget this year. 

So when that next holiday or special occasion comes around, don’t feel bogged down by the expectations of big bucks spent and elaborate planning. Think about what you are conveying to your children. What they will remember and how they learn to celebrate from you. A little creativity and a moment of sincere recognition can go farther than you realize.