Family Traditions

I have been going to the same Maple Syrup Festival since I was a little girl. I remember going with my Grama & Grampa for what seemed like a long drive to Elmira, Ontario.  Then as a young gal living on her own I took my best friend and introduced her to all the delights of the festival. It's now blossomed into a new family tradition for my husband and I. We have been going to this event since we were dating and the last 3 years we've taken our son. We've also introduced other friends and their kids to all the fun.

I love the idea of this being something we look forward to every year. We've gone in all kinds of weather; rain, snow, ice pellets to almost being able to wear t-shirts. We usually start off with pancakes, served in a big tent, hot off the skillet and topped with fresh maple syrup.  We each have our favourite things to snack on throughout the day, there's plenty of food.

In the past we've taken the tour of the Mennonite farms and trip out to the sugar bush to see how the syrup is made.  In recent years we've gone into "Old McDonald's" barn to see the farm animals, which kids of all ages love. For the first time today my son got a tour of a real fire truck, very exciting.

I'm so thankful for all the fun we've had over the years and that the tradition carries on. Family traditions are important; I know my son won't remember sitting around watching TV with me, but he'll remember the times like these that we spent together. Not expensive, not necessarily "educational", but full of precious time together.

I hope you enjoy a few snapshots from our day!!