I wish I had thought to get that bottle of commercial ketchup off the table before we took the above picture, but…oh well! I love this picture of my family, anyway! This was our last evening dinner before sending off my second boy on a mission. It’s not picture perfect, because my husband isn’t smiling, the two older college kids are missing, and that durned bottle of ketchup mars the picture, but it works! And that’s how family traditions are. They don’t have to be picture perfect. They just have to work. They just need to help us feel loved and help us have “wholesome family recreation,” or fun, in plain terms. These traditions relieve the pressures and dreariness of live.

Here’s our absolute last meal together before he entered the MTC with Grandma. My oldest was able to be there on his lunch break from Familysearch but not my daughter.

This is such a wonderful time of year because of the opportunities of family togetherness. But let’s not forget to power of everyday moments all year round. As moms, do we realize the power we have in using family dinnertime and other traditions, for holidays and everyday, to bind our families to each other, to Christ, and to create desires in our children to go out and create goodness in the world?

Here are my three Black Friday gifts for all of you to aid you in those powers.

1. LaDawn Jacob’s Fun Family Traditions ebook. She gave me permission to share it online. Read here to know who LaDawn Jacob is. Here is the link to her ebook on my Google drive. It is full of fun ideas you can use all year round to make ordinary days and holidays special!

2. a link to the articles by Nancy Campbell about the power of family mealtime. Then over here is an article from Nancy’s magazine (pages 1 through 4, then continued at page 7) full of ideas of games for family gatherings. Nancy is the founder of aboverubies.org. This is a ministry devoted to strengthening women in their roles as wives, mothers, and homemakers. On top of that, Nancy is also the mother of the two authors of the Trim Healthy Mama books. Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett, who are sisters. So Nancy created  the family culture that fostered a love of learning and desires to serve God and mankind in the authors, Serene and Pearl. What will your children create because of the goodness fostered in them around the family dinner table?

3. This video below showing Nancy Campbell with her husband, and some of her children and grandchildren sharing dinner, meaningful conversation, and prayer for those who need help.