Do you remember back in the day when families enjoyed a meal together on Sundays? Sometimes it was lunch after church, or an early-evening supper, but families made it a point to spend time together. I believe it’s important to create a Sunday dinner tradition with your family, so today I’m sharing how it works in our family.
Why create a Sunday dinner tradition anyway?
Isn’t it just one more commitment? One more thing you have to do in an already busy weekend? Sure, but it’s a tradition worth establishing for the following reasons:
First, family is important.
When I was a kid, my mom’s side of the family got together on almost every Sunday after church. We would either all go out to eat somewhere, or we’d end up at my grandma’s house. Those lazy afternoons playing with my cousins and listening to the adults talk are some of my favorite childhood memories.
Second, you really need to get out of your immediate family bubble.
Here me out. I know you have a ton of stuff going on in your life. Your kids have activities, you have commitments, and it’s so easy to spend Sunday afternoon decompressing at home.
But you have to make an effort to cultivate the relationships with the rest of your family, too. We decided to create a Sunday dinner tradition with my side of the family because we didn’t want to drift apart as we all grew up and started our own families.
Finally, your family won’t be around forever.
My grandfather passed away suddenly eight years ago, and I still miss him like crazy. He was an amazing man who always took the time to bond with each of his grandkids. He always listened to what we had to say, and we knew we could always come to him with our problems.
Create a Sunday dinner tradition with your own family so you can cultivate those relationships while you still can. I’m so glad I had that time with my grandfather, and I want Little Man to have that same opportunity with his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.
Create a Sunday dinner tradition that works for your family
As we established, the entire point of Sunday dinner is to spend time with family, so it shouldn’t be a huge, stressful event.
When
First, decide when you want to have Sunday dinner. Perhaps it’s right after church. Or maybe it’s early Sunday evening. It could even be Saturday if you want. My family decided to create a Sunday dinner tradition early in the evening on Sundays. Most of us serve at church in the morning, so it’s nice to have time to relax with our own families in the afternoon before getting together around 5 pm or so.
Where
Second, decide where you want to hold Sunday dinner. If you have a large family, you may want to rotate who hosts every week, that way one person isn’t responsible for it every week. But there’s something to be said for consistency. We hold Sunday dinner at my mom’s house every week. It’s kind of our central meeting place, and she loves having everyone over.
Who
Third, figure out your guest list. Sunday dinner is open to my family, my mom, and both my brothers’ families every week. It’s a standing invitation, so everyone knows we do it at the same time and place each week. There’s usually no confusion about what we’re doing on Sunday evenings; it’s just built into the weekly schedule.
Food
Finally, decide on a menu. Obviously, you can’t create a Sunday dinner tradition without food! We do a potluck-style dinner each week. Most of the time, we decide on the menu the week before, and everyone brings a dish. It’s really fun because we all get to try each other’s cooking. I don’t know about you, but I get tired of eating my own cooking sometimes, and it’s nice to eat something prepared by someone else.
It’s interesting because since we started Sunday dinner, my mom, sisters-in-law, and I have all kind of found our specialty. I’m not great at baking, but one of my sisters-in-law makes amazing desserts. She’s said she doesn’t enjoy cooking as much as baking, so the rest of use usually make the main and side dishes. It’s so much fun!
Fellowship
Fellowship with family is really what makes Sunday dinner an amazing tradition. It gives us the opportunity to catch up on what happened during the week, and we get to share our struggles and triumphs. When we struggled with infertility, Sunday dinner was when our family rallied around to encourage and pray for us.
Menu ideas for Sunday dinner
If you’re stuck on the food aspect of Sunday dinner, here are a few menu plans my family uses pretty frequently.
Mexican Fiesta
I come from a Hispanic family on my mom’s side, and Mexican food is our go-to menu. Here are some menu options:
- Tacos
- Beans
- Red or green chile
- Posole
- Enchiladas
- Spanish rice
- Tamales
- Fried potatoes
Frito Pie Party
This is another favorite Sunday dinner menu. We love our Frito pie!
- TexMex chile
- Fritos
- Cornbread (I love Ben Mims’ Perfect Cornbread Recipe)
- Salad
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner
Always a Sunday dinner staple, fried chicken is one of our go-to menus. My mom makes the best fried chicken fingers you’ll ever try.
- Fried chicken fingers
- Mashed potatoes
- Stuffing
- Green beans
- Salad
- Biscuits
So there you go, mama. It’s not hard to create a Sunday dinner tradition with your family, and I believe you’ll enjoy it. Sure, it might get messy sometimes, and you may not always feel like going every week. But family is so important, and I promise you and your kids will look back fondly at the memories made and relationships strengthened at Sunday dinner.
Do you have a Sunday dinner tradition in your family? Tell us about it in the comments!
