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Sydney and I love traditions! This is one of the many things that I have passed down to her. Several things we do as a family stem from my memories as a little girl. One of my favorite traditions from childhood was going to the drive-in movies with my mom, dad and sister. A&W® Root Beer was a big part of this particular tradition.

It just so happens that A&W is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year! It’s neat that it has been around much longer than our multi-generation tradition. Happy Anniversary A&W!

My Favorite Childhood Memory

We would always go to the drive-in theater at least once or twice each summer. My sister and I would get so excited when we saw my mom pouring A&W Root Beer over a roast in the crock pot. We knew this meant family movie night! As the day went on we would get more and more excited as we smelled the roast cooking. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the roast was ready. Mom would shred it, put it on buns and top with barbeque sauce. We would enjoy our sandwiches with a can of A&W Root Beer, of course! Growing up we didn’t get soda pop very often, so getting a can with dinner was an extra special treat!

After dinner we all had special jobs to do. Mom would clean up the dishes and make popcorn. Dad would pack up the station wagon with the cooler, blankets and pillows. My sister and I would take a bath and put on our pajamas and slippers. Back in the day you were not caught out in public with your pajamas on except for the drive-in movies. It was very permissible to wear them there. So this just added to the excitement that we were wearing our pajamas to the movies!

Once we arrived at the drive-in theater we were allowed to dig into the popcorn and potato sticks that we had brought with us. We also got another can of A&W Root Beer, to quench our thirst, while we watched the movie. Two cans in one day was a huge deal!

Family Movie Night Lives On…

This is a tradition that I have carried on with our children. Now that they are adults it looks a little different, but that is okay. I love that we still get together occasionally and have a movie night.

I still make the Shredded BBQ Root Beer Sandwiches that we love. Then after dinner we gather in the family room with popcorn, snacks and more A&W Root Beer and watch a movie or two. I absolutely love this special time and the wonderful memories that we are making together. For some inspiration for you to create your own traditions, check out some more ideas here!

Quick & Easy Is The Key!

Another thing I love is how easy Walmart makes it to go through check out for movie night! I can do the quick check out if I am just getting the roast ingredients, snacks and A&W Root Beer. If I am getting groceries along with the movie night goodies I can use the traditional check out.

I have included our Shredded BBQ Root Beer Sandwich recipe with you below. Hopefully your family loves it as much as mine does!

As you can see the recipe is quick and easy. You don’t have to slave in the kitchen to make a family meal before movie night. I love this because you are not worn out, from making a big meal and all the messy clean up, to enjoy the movie part of the evening.

To make things even easier, pick up a DVD or two while you are at Walmart. You can get your food items, plus go to the electronics department and grab a movie from their great selection of DVDs. One-stop-shopping for everything you need for family movie night!

I hope you enjoyed one of my favorite childhood memories and I hope you try making this delicious recipe that was handed down to me from my mom.