When I think of traditions, I typically think of going to the beach with my family every summer, eating cake with my friends on my birthday and gathering with my entire family at my grandmother’s house every Christmas. I always look forward to gathering with my family and friends to spend time together eating and having genuine conversations. Just like experiencing larger event traditions, we can also easily have smaller events or tiny traditions in our everyday lives. I always thought that, to have a tradition, it meant having a large social gathering for a holiday or celebratory event, but I have also discovered that traditions can be small, weekly activities that bring happiness. Below, I share some of my favorite tiny traditions that I look forward to each week.
Iced Coffee Saturdays:
Every Saturday, you will find me heading to a local coffee shop to get an iced coffee. Going to get an iced coffee on Saturdays makes me happy since I get to enjoy a delicious coffee. While I like to get the same iced coffee most Saturdays, I do like trying new flavors such as when the fall or winter drink menus are available. Sometimes I will meet a friend at the coffee shop, and sometimes I get my coffee to go. Either way, I look forward to this tiny tradition during the week and am always excited when Saturday mornings arrive.
Mailing Handwritten Cards:
One of my all time favorite tiny traditions is sending handwritten cards in the mail to my family and friends. Whether it be a happy birthday card, a Merry Christmas card, a thank you note or simply just an “I am thinking about you” card, I always enjoy sending these cards. In a time where technology is on the rise, I believe there is something genuine about still taking time to send handwritten notes in the mail. I love how such a simple gesture can bring joy to another person’s day.
Intentional Music for the Drive: Another tiny tradition that I have recently started is listening to different genres of music in the car during different times of the day. In the mornings on my way to work, I like listening to worship music as this music helps me feel encouraged and peaceful to begin my day. Then, in the evenings after I have been at the gym, I will listen to more pop music on my way home. Even though this is a little detail during my day, I do enjoy listening to different types of music based on how I feel or where I am driving.
Baking for the Week: On Sundays, I enjoy baking a dessert to enjoy throughout the upcoming week. Sometimes I bake chocolate chip muffins, banana muffins, banana bread or pumpkin bread. Then, during the week, I look forward to having a chocolate chip muffin or slice of banana bread after dinner as my dessert. Part of why I love this tiny tradition is that I appreciate having time on Sundays to bake as baking is relaxing to me. This is time to slow down while making a homemade recipe before the busyness of the week begins.
Getting iced coffees, mailing handwritten cards, listening to different genres of music while driving and baking a dessert for the week are a few of my favorite tiny traditions that I am excited about each week. I am grateful for tiny traditions and for how these traditions give us opportunities to feel joyful. I hope this article encourages you to start creating or keeping tiny traditions in your everyday life as these small moments truly do bring happiness throughout the week.
