. Family traditions are like spiritual and emotional cement in the foundation of a happy home. They create fond memories, and these memories bond us together as nothing else can. –L. Tom Perry
Several years ago, my husband and I had a Family Reunion at our home in San Antonio, Texas. I wanted my children to know the lives of their ancestors, I want them to know their stories, the games they might have played, the country they came from and the food they ate. One of our lines is from Italy, so I found the stories of those ancestors and pictures of them. I researched Italy’s historic sites, and native dress. We also planned games that were native to Italy. During the ancestral meal at this gathering, we shared the stories of these special ancestors. The fathers and sons made a scarf (Gypsy like, red and white) to tie on their heads. The girls made bright colored crept paper flowers to wear in their hair. Then we served spaghetti, bread-sticks, green salad, and an Italian dessert, set on red and white tablecloths, decorated with candles. Was it worth it? One little 4 year old granddaughter had been watching the preparations with great excitement but fell asleep before we sat down to eat and missed the dinner. We cleaned everything up and the girls went to a late night movie, when we returned she was awake and said to me, “Grandma, can you and I have a snack with the candles lit?” It was ten o’clock, but I could not resist her request. We sat down to an Italian bedtime snack.
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