Labor Day Gifts: Starting a Family Tradition

About this time of year, everyone in our family is mulling over what to buy for a Labor Day gift. Yes, you read it right: we exchange gifts on Labor Day, as we have done each year for more than 20 years. It’s our family tradition.

It Began with a Video

One summer at a shopping mall, as we were passing a video store (remember those?), I spied the Disney “Flight of the Bumblebee” video my younger son had wanted, but hadn’t been able to find anywhere (before Amazon). And it was on sale!

Delighted, I purchased the video as a stocking stuffer, to be stashed away with other gifts for the holidays.

My older son had other ideas. He wanted me to give the video to his brother sooner–five months was too long to wait. I, on the other hand, considered it an item to “bank,” in the run-up to Christmas shopping.

So, my son and I tried to come up with any other gift-giving occasions ahead, but there were none. Past his birthday…past Valentine’s Day…past the Easter basket….

Not to be denied, my son finally sputtered, “…then give it to him for Labor Day!” I don’t know why that argument appealed to me, but it did. I gave the child the video.

Just to see his brother happy would have satisfied my older son. But it didn’t seem right that only one child should get a Labor Day gift, so, of course, I bought something for his brother. Then it turned out that mom and dad should have a gift…and soon our tradition was born.

How our Labor Day Gifts Work

We do a secret drawing, picking names from a hat. The spending limit is $15, which is a challenge. Some years, we’ve gone as high as $20.

Another tradition that binds our family together is our Friday night family dinners.

We try to stick to the amount limit (although we sometimes cheat) because the gift is for a made-up occasion. Food gifts are verboten because they’re too easy. The gift-giver should think about the recipient and be challenged to come up with something he or she might like, within the confines of the tight budget. The gift must be presented on Labor Day. There are no I.O.U.s.

Now that we have grandchildren who aren’t ready to be in the gift exchange pool, I buy their gifts. Usually it’s a child’s necklace or an accessory for Miss T, and toy cars or a book for Master N.

One day, if the tradition continues until they’re grown up, I expect the grandchildren will want to participate in the gift exchange, too, and even carry it on. I can imagine one of them saying to a new spouse, “In our family, we exchange gifts on Labor Day….”

Starting a Family Tradition

I love that we have such a quirky family tradition all our own, that sprang up organically. We have other traditions, of course, mostly centered around the holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day are some of the occasions that bring our family together in specific, time-honored ways.

Are there any traditions you hold dear that are unique to your family? I hope you’ll share them with us. If not, it might be fun to come up with your own idea–traditions are the glue that binds a family together.

Sign Up!

Don’t forget to sign up for my email newsletter. Every Wednesday, I’ll give you a new idea for an activity or insight to nurture the little ones in your life.