Winter Traditions to Start with Your Kids
November 1, 2024
Winter is a magical time filled with holidays, snowy landscapes and the warmth of togetherness. It’s the perfect season to start traditions that your kids will look forward to every year. Traditions create a sense of belonging and memories that can be cherished for a lifetime, shaping how kids feel about winter and family. Here are some cozy, creative and fun ideas to start your family’s unique winter traditions!
1. The Winter Book Countdown
Books can be a powerful tool to spark imagination and excitement. A winter book countdown is a way to celebrate the season with stories. Gather a mix of winter-themed books, holiday classics and family favorites, and wrap each one individually. Starting on the first day of December, let your kids pick one book to unwrap each night and read it together as a family. This countdown builds anticipation for the season and encourages nightly family bonding through stories. It’s also a chance to share tales from around the world and introduce your children to different holiday customs.
2. Winter Nature Walks and Treasure Hunts
Winter transforms the world outside into a frosty wonderland, and even a simple walk can turn into a magical adventure. Bundle up and go for a family walk, focusing on finding and observing nature in its winter state. Look for animal tracks in the snow, unique ice formations, pinecones and other seasonal treasures. To make it even more fun, create a winter treasure hunt list. Include items like “a red berry,” “an animal track” or “a snow-covered tree.” This tradition encourages kids to notice nature's beauty in winter and to enjoy the outdoors, no matter the temperature.
3. Family Craft Day
The shorter days and longer nights of winter create the perfect setting for cozy indoor crafts. Gather supplies like paper, markers, pinecones, glitter and glue, and set aside a day dedicated to making winter crafts together. Some ideas include snowflake ornaments, handprint wreaths, or pinecone bird feeders. You could even make holiday cards for friends and family. Displaying the crafts around the house brings an extra layer of warmth to your winter decor and gives kids a sense of pride in contributing to the holiday atmosphere.
Tip: consider using treasures you find on your nature walks for your crafts.
Tip: consider using treasures you find on your nature walks for your crafts.
4. Family Story Night
Winter is a wonderful time to snuggle up for storytelling. Family story night can involve reading classic winter stories, sharing family memories or even letting kids come up with their own winter tales. Give each family member a turn to tell a story or share something they love about winter. You might even record these story nights to play back in future years—it’s a great way to preserve family memories and see how everyone’s interests change over time.
5. Year-End Gratitude Ritual
The close of the year offers an opportunity for reflection and gratitude. Create a simple family gratitude ritual by making a “thankful jar” or “gratitude tree.” Each week, have each family member write down one thing they’re thankful for and add it to the jar or tree. On New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, gather as a family and read through everyone’s notes. It’s a special way to close out the year, teaching kids to focus on the positive moments and appreciate all they have.
Starting winter traditions with your kids doesn’t have to be complicated. The key is to choose activities that you’ll enjoy as a family and that reflect what makes winter special to you. These traditions are more than just fun—they’re about building bonds and memories that will last a lifetime.
As we move into the second quarter of another exciting year, I want to take a moment to reflect on our accomplishments and share some of the new initiatives we are implementing in the realms of sales, marketing and community engagement. Over the past year, GBU Life has reached significant milestones thanks to the dedication and hard work of our team and the trust and support of our members. Our sales department has exceeded targets, and we have expanded our reach to more communities than ever before. We have launched several successful marketing campaigns that have not only increased our visibility but have also strengthened our brand's presence in the industry. For this year, our focus will be educating potential new members on the importance of securing their financial futures through life insurance and annuity products while serving their communities as part of our great Society. Looking ahead, we are committed to enhancing our sales strategies to better serve you. We are introducing some tools for our agents to enhance our products. One new tool is our Defined Benefit Annuity program which combines the Future Flex Fixed Index Annuity (FIA) with a software tool that can help determine retirement savings needs and break them down into contributions over time to help you meet your retirement goals. Be sure to keep in touch with your GBU agent to review your plans and products to see how adding an FIA to your retirement planning can help boost your savings efforts
GBU members between the ages of three and nine years old can enter their colored page in this year's contest, which is themed Pawprints on My Heart. Three age categories will be judged as follows: Category I: Ages three and four Category II: Ages five and six Category III: Ages seven, eight and nine Entrants may use crayons, colored pencils, markers or watercolor paints. Entries will be accepted through Monday, August 18, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST. The picture on the next page can be reproduced, or copies can be obtained by calling the Community Engagement Team at the GBU Home Office (800-765-4428) or by printing the image above. Cash Prizes for Each Category First prize: $75 Second prize: $50 Third prize: $30 How to Enter Send the three- to nine-year-old GBU member's coloring contest entry with their name and address on the colored page to: GBU Life ATTN: Member Benefits 4254 Saw Mill Run Boulevard Pittsburgh, PA 15227-3394. Or email contest@gbu.org with "Coloring Contest Entry” as the subject line. General Information Judges reserve the right to accept or reject any or all entries. Their decisions will be final. Artwork will be handled at the GBU Home Office with the utmost care. GBU reserves the right to reproduce entries for whatever use it wishes, provided proper credit is given. Permission does not include the sale of such work.
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