Tap Your Family Traditions When Writing

Here's a Christmas tradition many of us probably have not heard of. I suppose that Christmastime in Iceland is pretty cold, maybe icy and snowy, so staying inside with a new book sounds pretty pleasant. 

Many families follow certain traditions at Christmas or Hanukkah and other holidays through the year. Maybe you used the same menu for the holiday meal every year. No one would dare think of changing it. Some of you may have had a special way of passing out the gifts each year. Mothers and daughters sometimes follow a tradition with a shopping trip and lunch at a favorite spot. If I have family home for Thanksgiving dinner, it's a sure bet that I must fix the famed Green Bean Casserole for a side dish. I skipped it once, and I thought my adult son was going to cry. 

If you have traditions in your family for certain holidays, you have a writing project right under your nose. You could write any of the following:

• a nonfiction article for a children's magazine
• a fiction story for a children's magazine
• a memoir piece for a magazine 
• a memoir piece for a contest
• a short story for adults using your family tradition as the base
• a nonfiction article for an adult magazine
• a family memory story for your Family Memories Book

Give some thought to the traditions in your family for the December holidays and others throughout the year. A small tradition can be expanded into a great piece of writing if you give it your full attention.