A family creed for a family of jokers
If your family communicates mostly in inside jokes, a solemn creed will not survive the first reading. The playful tone keeps every line true and still funny. This example puts humor first, with kindness and forgiveness close behind, because the best family jokers know where the line is and apologize fast when they cross it. The fox is the heraldic sign of quick wits, and orange, called tenné, stands for worthy ambition, which is generous for a family that once argued for an hour about how to pronounce “gif”.
The creed
Our family code:
We have more inside jokes than family photos.
We have a happy song for every occasion.
We travel as a pack, like wolves, but louder.
We are nice on purpose.
We say sorry first and argue about who was right never.
We laugh at our own jokes, especially the bad ones.
When things get hard, someone tells a terrible joke, and it helps.
Our great-great-grandkids will say we were fun, and that we had excellent snacks.
Signed, sealed and stuck to the fridge.
Motto options
- Risu et Gaudio (“By laughter and joy”)
- Laugh often. Choose joy.
- Ridere et Amare (“To laugh and to love”)
- Carpe Diem (“Seize the day”)
- Cor Unum (“One heart”)
- Never Lose the Joke
What the crest means
Paly of six Tenné and Or, a fox's mask counterchanged.
- Tenné (orange): worthy ambition
- Or (gold): generosity and elevation of the mind
- The fox: quick wits and cleverness
- A divided field with the charge in both colors (counterchanged) shows two parts of one whole
- The wavy line suggests water and movement
- The motto: Risu et Gaudio (“By laughter and joy”)
Values in this creed
Talk about it together
- What is the funniest thing that has ever happened in our family?
- Who in our family makes you laugh the most?
- When was our family happiest this year?
- What small thing makes your day better?