This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama.
Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
It's a funny thing, starting a family with someone and getting to decide how you'll live your life together. Establishing family traditions is part of this. Sometimes, as I'm finding with Christmas traditions, one has to be more intentional about choosing what to celebrate and how to do so. Other times, as with cupcakes in my little family, traditions choose you.
I've always loved cupcakes. There's just something extra-special about having an individually-wrapped cake that's just for me. They're easier to bake than larger cakes, too—and if one gets a little messed up, that one gets a little extra icing. I hadn't intended for the cupcake to be a significant part of celebrations in my family, but that's how it turned out.
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Our wedding cakes |
Ever since that day, we've had cupcakes for birthdays and special occasions, holidays and Tuesdays. When I was having a hard day last week, Jaymz brought the most beautiful little chocolate cupcake home for me, and it was even gluten-free!
I enjoy celebrating our half-birthdays with a small gift and a cupcake, which is something I started a while ago in an effort to have that many more excuses to celebrate. I still like this tradition, especially because it's a more private type of celebration, one that most people will forget, and the kind that isn't announced on Facebook for all to see. This cozy, intimate celebration is the kind of vibe I want to have in our Christmas traditions.
When it comes to holiday traditions, we're still in the planning stages. Since Daniel is too young to remember this Christmas, we're taking this holiday season (and probably next year's, too) to feel out what kinds of rituals and traditions fit our family's style and values.
I love hearing about other peoples' favorite traditions, and I've already got a few great ideas for rituals we'll adopt this year and in the future. Now you know, my favorite way to celebrate is with a delicious and beautiful little cupcake.
What's your favorite way to mark a special occasion?

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
- Traditions? What traditions? — Olivia at Write About Birth needs your advice: how can she make the most of the holiday season in a new country with only her immediate family? (@writeaboutbirth)
- TRADITION!!!!!! — Ella at My Intentional Journey reminds us all to be thankful for family traditions; there are those who have none.
- tradition! — Stefanie at Very, Very Fine came to realize that families can make incredible memories, even if they're not wealthy (or organized).
- Taking a child's perspective on traditions — Lauren at Hobo Mama wants to keep in mind how important even the mundane traditions will be to her little ones. (@Hobo_Mama)
- Sunday Dinners and Lullabies — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment finds traditions in the small things throughout the year.
- Simple Family Advent Traditions — Michelle at The Parent Vortex crafted a set of advent bags with daily surprises to eat and to do. (@TheParentVortex)
- Parenting: Family Meetings - A Timeless Tradition — Amy Phoenix at Innate Wholeness discusses a year-round tradition in her household: Family Meetings. (@InnateWholeness)
- Our Mindful Holidays — They may not be "traditional" traditions, but they fit the family of Kellie at Our Mindful Life.
- Our Holiday Traditions, New and Old — Even with three young children, Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings is finding ways to be intentional and meaningful about holiday traditions. (@sunfrog)
- Our Cupcake Custom — Amy at Anktangle knows celebrations need minimal excuse and lots of cupcakes! (@anktangle)
- On the bunny slope of tradition-making — Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama is finding her groove as a holistic-minded mama with a joyful holiday spirit. (@crunchychewy)
- No, Virginia, There Is Not a Santa Claus — Just because her family is not going to do Santa, does not mean that Sheila at A Gift Universe can't instill some mystery and magic into Christmas. (@agiftuniverse)
- New Traditions — Becky at Future Legacy shares a few traditions she is starting for her family, including popovers, a birthday banner, and service.
- My Holiday Family Traditions — The Artsymama continues a long tradition of adopting family members and sharing two favorite games that work well for a crowd.
- Mindfully Creating Family Traditions — Alison at BluebirdMama has ideas for celebrating birthdays, Valentine's Day, and Christmas — though her family's still figuring some of it out. (@bluebirdmama)
- Memorable Traditions — Lori Ann at MamaWit follows four mindful steps when instituting any tradition.
- Let's Talk Traditions — Lily, aka Witch Mom shares her family's traditions that are centered on the wheel of the year. (@lilyshahar)
- Homeschool Christmas — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now did not always celebrate the Christmas season in the same way with her family, but they always celebrated together. (@DebChitwood)
- Holidays, food and family — For Kristen at Adventures in Mommyhood, the holidays are about family and food. (@crunchymamato2)
- Giving Christmas to the Critter — Rachael at The Variegated Life has found a way to tie her Zen practices to the Christmas story of the baby in the manger. (@RachaelNevins)
- Family Traditions + To Santa Or Not To Santa — Stop by Natural Parents Network to discover some of the traditions from other natural parents. NPN is also featuring snippets of posts from NP bloggers on the topic of whether to encourage children to believe in Santa Claus. (@NatParNet)
- Family Tradition Origins — Momma Jorje discusses her family's traditions, and her desire not to make anyone feel obligated to conform to them.
- Everyday Traditions — For Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children it's the small, daily traditions that make life special.
- Establishing Traditions and Older Child Adoption — MrsH at Fleeting Moments is trying to find ways to start traditions with a family that was made very quickly through birth and adoption.
- Emerging Family Traditions — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares some of her favorite birthday and Christmas traditions. (@bfmom)
- Does Rebellion Count? — Seonaid at the Practical Dilettante has instituted a day of rest and PJs at her house on Christmas. (@seonaid_lee)
- December Carnival of Natural Parenting: Family Traditions — Sybil at Musings of a Milk Maker tries to give her girls a mix of traditions to foster togetherness — but worries that not being near extended family is a disconnect.
- Craft-tea Christmas Celebrations — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud created a delicious Christmas tradition that she named "Craft-tea."
- A Christmas Tradition — Luschka at Diary of a First Child knows that even though she won't be able to have her usual holiday traditions this year, the important thing is that she has her family. (@lvano)
- Celebrations without the Holiday — Asha at Meta Mom shares several ways to celebrate the winter holidays without focusing on religious traditions. (@metamomma)
- Celebrating the Journey We Have Traveled Together — Acacia at Be Present enjoys the chance to draw closer to her family during the Christmas holiday.
- Celebrating Motherhood — Do you celebrate the day you became a mother? Dionna at Code Name: Mama offers some ideas for traditions to mark your passage into motherhood. (@CodeNameMama)
- Celebrate! Winter Traditions Brought Home. — At True Confessions of a Real Mommy, TrueRealMommy and her family are celebrating many different religions and traditions this month. Stop by to see their schedule of events. (@TrueRealMommy)
- "Always Ready", Holiday Style — Amy at Toddler In Tow discovered that it's not the traditions themselves, but the emotional experience behind them that makes them special.
I LOVE cupcakes!! Check out my yummy chocolate cupcake recipe. x
ReplyDeletehttp://thequeenofpuddings.blogspot.com/2010/12/chocolate-cherry-cupcakes.html
I love this! One of my friends made a cupcake wedding cake (just a collection of colorful cupcakes) and it was SO awesome! What a neat tradition!
ReplyDeleteMm, sounds tasty!
ReplyDeleteI'd have to say my favorite way to mark a special occasion is by a special event -- going out to dinner, on a picnic, on a date. My favorite birthday recently, my "present" was being taken to the ballet by my then-fiance. It was so fun, plus I knew it was a sacrifice for him. ;) I remember these events so much more than physical gifts.
Aw, MAN . . . now I really want a CUPCAKE! My pregnant belly is going to have to settle for a muffin though. At least I have one of those on hand. After reading your post, I was just drooling over all those delicious little cakes at your wedding! Yum!
ReplyDeleteI love your leanings toward traditions that are "cozy and intimate" - the half-birthday is a great idea that I might just have to adopt!
And not really on the subject of your post, but my best friend in the world is also a big fan of cupcakes (as a matter of fact, her SO and I actually call her "cupcake" as a pet name) AND she just found out she has a gluten allergy. What a small world!
YUM! I've seen cupcake wedding cakes before - but yours is really awesome. I love that you had 5 different flavors! We had a 3 layer cake with 3 different flavors, because I couldn't just choose one.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet (in both senses) tradition!
I love that you use cupcakes to celebrate a major holiday or a Tuesday! So fun. And a small celebration for half-birthdays - that's awesome!
ReplyDeleteMmm…cupcakes. What a sweet idea to carry through from your wedding into everyday life. I love the idea of celebrating half-birthdays with a cupcake. That's perfect!
ReplyDeleteWe do eat a lot of cupcakes around here, too, whenever we pass my favorite cupcake place. ;) Because that's cause for celebration!
Cupcakes are one of my favorite things too. Whenever there is a need for a small celebration we bring out the small, yet beautiful cupcakes.
ReplyDeleteYour wedding cakes are absolutely gorgeous! And... cupcakes every Tuesday as well as on special occasions? That sounds like a great tradition to me!
ReplyDeleteCool! It's fun when the bride and groom incorporate their personalities in the wedding. I love cupcakes for their customization. There are so many ways to decorate, let alone differing flavors (last year I made pink lemonade cupcakes). Have fun celebrating with cupcakes! :)
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