New Year Ceremony for Families

Here is a simple ceremony you can share with your family for setting New Year Intentions

Materials: 
Candles and lighter
Sage
A small altar cloth
A few items that represent this past year
A few items that represent the coming year
A few pieces of paper (enough for each person and one for the whole family)
Special meal or dessert

Ceremony Details: 

1. Set Up Altar
Over the next week or month, really there is no rush, start to build your family altar.  We like to create our family altar on our dinning table. We first set down a small altar cloth, this helps limit what can go on the altar. If your kids are anything like my kids they get really enthusiastic about putting a lot of things on the altar. 
As a family build a tiny altar with memories from the past year that you are grateful for and memories over the next year you hope to create. Make sure each person in the family puts at least one item onto the altar.

2. Create Sacred Space
On New Years Day, or any day in January is fine too,  pick a time to gather as a family.  Each person light a candle and set up the room however you wish. Some ideas are; to dim the lights some, put out some fresh flowers, play some of your favorite music, and then burn sage or incense to purify your space.

3.  Define Intention
You may find it helpful to describe an intention as a thought you have that leads to a dream.

4. Set your Intentions
As a family, and individually, take time to set your intentions for the New Year. Write down your intentions as a family on one paper. Then give each person their own paper to write their individual intentions. You can write your kids intentions down or they can draw a picture of their intentions. Put them on the altar.

5. Close the Ceremony
This can be done however you wish! Blow out the candles, each person give a gratitude of thanks. It might be fun to then eat a special meal together or dare I say dessert.

6. Follow Up
You may choose to keep reminders of your intentions alive throughout the year. This might be done with a photo from the ceremony placed on the fridge or by keeping the intentions paper on the fridge. Encourage your children to check in with the intentions.