When my son was a toddler I read an article that said if you wanted your child to have nostalgia for family traditions when they grew up, you needed to start them now.
In other words, anyone can create a beloved family tradition. That was enough for me to claim Thanksgiving.
Do something. Tell people that you are doing it. Do it again.
For us there are always elaborate edible name place cards and my grandma’s sweet potatoes with toasted marshmallows on top. Pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes on Saturday morning is what my nephew thinks of when he comes to stay for Thanksgiving.
You can start a new tradition anytime.
Last year we started a new tradition—inviting international visitors through World Chicago to join us for Thanksgiving. 2017’s guests were from Saudi Arabia and Palestine. This year we will host three people from the Ministry of Business in China.
If you love your family traditions, this is a great way to share them! (And telling the story of Thanksgiving to “first-timers” is a way to share multiple perspectives, from that of the Pilgrims and the Native Americans.)
Traditions apply to your business, too.
As a retail business, create a product that ties into the season. If pumpkin spice latte is ever offered year round, it will lose its appeal. But only during fall? Around the holidays? People line up for it.
Service businesses can offer an annual contest to give away a free package for one of your services. Create an annual volunteer service day for staff.
More and more companies are purposefully closing on Thanksgiving and letting people know that’s part of their tradition of honoring customer and staff’s time with family.
That sounds a lot like marketing.
This is a lot like marketing. And the most fun part of it. Create something from nothing, package it and turn it into a big deal. Call it a tradition and do it again next year. And then again the year after that.