ARKANSAS, USA — Every year, Jena Branch children participate in a contest that keeps them together in spirit.
Branch is a mother of 11. For the past 10 years, no matter where these family members have grown and moved to, they all decorate pumpkins when Halloween rolls around.
Pictures of these pumpkins are posted to Facebook for the public to vote and a prize of $50 is awarded to the winner.
"One Halloween day we were carving pumpkins and our kids decided they wanted to do a contest, so that's what we did," Branch said. "We let Facebook be the judge. We put them on Facebook and it was just like an outpouring of people voting that we just continue to do it every year."
Baltimore, Maryland. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Houston, Texas — No matter where her kids have ended up, Jena Branch says this contest has become tradition.
"This is a way for all of us to connect, no matter where we are," she said.
Branch's daughter Kyra Marshall agrees.
"We're so far away from each other — all of us, so, it's something that gets us together," Marshall said.
Residing in the Baltimore, Maryland area, Marshall said "everybody is split up" in the family.
"Everybody's out doing their own thing — growing up," she said. "[We're] just making sure that we have that sort of connection, you know, I love that."
Still, all of the family's traditions "were created together," Marshall said.
"We're a big, pretty big-mix-bunch, so we always come together on our things and participation is key," she said.
Meanwhile, Jena Branch said she feels that family traditions are important because it feels to her like it is what keeps the family "bonded together."
"Your traditions are something good and positive that you look forward to that will remind you, 'I have my family. No matter what, I have my family,'" she said.