Family Traditions Across the Life Course, Holiday Road Show Program

Continuing family traditions over time is important.  Families remain the core and foundation of society and traditions help create stronger bonds. Holidays are often an exciting time of the year. However, holiday expenses, planning holiday meals, and ever-changing families can make the holidays stressful. Learning how to maintain family traditions may be challenging, so Quicksand Area Family and Consumer Sciences Agents collaborated to host the Holiday Road Show: Family Traditions Across the Life Course program.  Emphasis was placed on maintaining family traditions and lowering financial stress. Each agent demonstrated budget-friendly gifts and decorations for the holidays as well as Plate it Up and festive recipe ideas. One-hundred and twenty (120) consumers participated in the workshop, either in person or by bags -to- go. As a result of this program, $4,121 was expected to be saved. Five hundred and sixty-three (563) Holiday Road Show booklets were distributed. One hundred and thirteen (113) participants made a positive financial decision. One hundred and ten (110) participants intended to implement one or more money-saving strategies. Four hundred and eighty-two (482) participants either made or anticipated making the craft items from the Holiday Road Show booklet. Almost five hundred (499) either made the recipes provided in the Holiday Road Show booklet or intended on making them.

When asked to respond to a survey, “As a result of this program, I will maintain or work to create new family traditions.” One hundred and one (101) people said yes.“I will encourage my family to participate in family traditions” one hundred and fourteen (114) people responded with, yes. “As a result of this program, I know the characteristics that make families strong” one hundred and nine (109) people said, yes.

Traditions, both old and new preserve family identity as they create a sense of belonging, commitment, and familiarity.