This past weekend, we celebrated Duffin’s Day.
Duffin’s Day is our made-up annual family holiday – based off of our made-up Family Name.
We all have different last names, so we dubbed ourselves the Duffin’s based off of a hilariously named mountain biking trail we once went on – Duffin’s Trail. (Sorry, not sorry if you’re last name is Duffin’s – but as I’m sure you already know, it’s a pretty hilarious name.)
It marks the day we all moved in together and officially became a family. So every August 15th we make a big deal abut Duffin’s Day.
Yep. It’s ridiculous.
But it’s also one of the most meaningful traditions we have as a family.
In my program, there is a part where we talk about traditions – and how to inject more meaning and magic into them. Not just the “standard” ones like Christmas or Thanksgiving, but the traditions you make up yourself.
Here’s why they’re so powerful ??
Traditions are repeatable rituals that create:
Connection: They bring your people together, creating a sense of closeness and belonging through shared experiences.
Anticipation: They give you something to look forward to year after year.
Legacy: They become your family lore, the stories and memories that creating meaningful moments that can be past down into the next generation(s).
But in my never humble opinion, the best kind of tradition isn’t one that comes from the stat holidays or holy-days, but from your vision, values and vibe as a family.
It’s the perfect way to ritualize and reinforce who you are, who you’re becoming, and what matters most. Because celebrating who you are reinforces who you become.
For us, every year I make a Duffin’s Family Yearbook with the highlights of our lives.
I go through the last year and pull pics of all the shxt we got up to: the trips, the holidays, the milestones, the people who were part of our year and the things we got (puppy made the cover this year!), got up to or did – case in point, one year I put in a pic of me enjoying my 2 root canals. (I actually did enjoy it. Laughing gas is amazing. Highly recco if you have to get one done.)
Then we do something fun!
This year, we upped the ante with a rented RV and did a white water rafting trip. As expected, it was amazing. Yes, with two teens, it took a beat to get them off the meme’s, but in the end it was family bonding at it’s best! I made a reel on the IG if you wanna check it out:
Duffin’s Day checks all the boxes of creating connection, anticipation and legacy. I can picture a future where my kids have their own busy lives and we might not always get every Christmas or Thanksgiving together – but that every August 15, I’ll invite (re: force) them and their families to gather and celebrate Duffin’s Day!
So my vote for you?
Make up your own family holiday!
x.k
If you want the full play-by-play on how to manufacture more magical, meaningful moments like this, let’s hop on a Discovery Call. One of the 10 modules of my LIFE AT A TEN® program is dedicated entirely to engineering enthusiasm in your life.Book a DISCOVERY CALL with me!
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