The Power of Rituals, New Traditions, and Why We Are the Best Destination for a "Framily" Vacation
Perhaps you’ve heard of the idea of a friend family, or chosen family. Here at the Lodge we affectionately call this phenomenon the “framily.”
Up here, we’re pretty familiar with this concept. Many people that work at the Lodge or go through the COLT program form lifelong friendships that stay with them long after they leave the lodge. These friendships are usually interconnected in a beautifully complex web that together form what we call the “Framily”.
We see many Framilies come on group vacations – groups of close pals that book the same cabins at the same time every year. We love hosting them and seeing them grow and change. Perhaps the most special part of these returning groups is witnessing them uphold the same traditions and rituals every year- having a salmon BBQ together, jumping in the lake first thing each morning for “polar bear swims,” or hosting their own olympics where they run around the lodge in ridiculous made up competitions involving canoe jousting or scavenger hunts.
An episode of the podcast “The Happiness Lab” by Dr. Laurie Santos entitled “The Power of the Made up Ritual.” speaks to the power of made up rituals, big or small, to help us gain back a sense of agency when things feel unmanageable. We’ve certainly been in a time of uncertainty, and it seems that now is a better time than ever to explore the power of the made up ritual. Perhaps your usual summer plans weren’t able to happen this year due to safety concerns around covid, so why not get creative and make up a few new traditions?
A team jump in the lake each morning? An outing to Myra falls complete with costumes and a photo shoot? A campfire cook off competition? An epic relay race? We are the perfect setting to start new traditions with your favourite people. Make them as ridiculous as you want…. we support you!
Our cabin rentals are open year round, so call up your “framily”, lock in some off season dates and get up here!
We have an outrageously stunning and inspiring location. Wake up, stroll over to your best buddies cabin, make a pot of coffee and sit out on the porch to take in the view and plan to start some made up traditions together. It doesn’t get much better than that.
With love,
Your Strathcona Park Lodge Framily.
