HOLIDAY TRADITIONS!
I have scoured the internet, talked to friends and talked to family about some of their holiday traditions so you guys can integrate some of them into your festivities. I’ve compiled a list for you BUT I would still love to know what all your favorites are. Spill everything in the comments below.
My favorite is still the Christmas Pickle, but that’s just me.
What you do is get a pickle ornament to hang in your tree on Christmas Eve, then on Christmas morning, whoever finds the pickle first will have a year of good fortune. It’s so fun & out of the box- I love it. If you have kids, or there are kids around, the first kid to find the pickle gets an extra present from Santa. Such a fun way to start Christmas morning.
I bet this is a tradition so many people do that has evolved over time into something unique for each family. So if that’s you, I NEED to know all the different ways you guys practice this tradition. Tell me everything.
Actually I guess my most favorite tradition is my family Christmas card photo shoot. Every year we choose a movie & reenact the poster for it so our card is like this parody of a movie. It’s always so funny- as you can see from the pic.
There’s also nothing better than drinking hot toddies while wrapping presents. This is one of my favorite things that I do with my godparents. What’s better than getting shit done while you get a little tipsy?!
TSC member Emily & her family drop off gifts for all the kids in their family at the local fire station. Then someone from the fire station dresses up as Santa & comes by the house to drop the presents back to all the kids. They also end up singing 1 or 2 Christmas songs together. So cute!
Val who is Manager at The Skinny Confidential said her family…. “is pretty spread out right now over the country so when we all get together it’s really special. The holidays are one of my favorite times. We’re Italian which means there’s always a feast, and I mean FEAST, plus tons of loud banter and laughing. One of my favorite traditions is super random.
Do any of you remember the Muppets? Well, they came out with a Christmas CD years ago and it’s a real riot if you take a listen. They do some classics and have a few tracks of their own creation. It’s a nice switch from the sometimes serious Christmas music. My dad will put the disc on as we’re cooking and we all end up singing & laughing in the kitchen. It’s one of my favorite moments.”
LOVE LOVE LOVE a family inside joke like this.
My dad always gifts everyone matching pajamas & we all all wear them on Christmas day.
Also a cookie swap is so fun & is a little something extra to add to a Christmas gathering with all your girlfriends. Basically, everyone bakes the same amount of cookies – recipe of their choice ( I would for sure make these )- then everyone trades so you end up with TONS of different types of cookies. This is so perfect if you do a lot of hosting or have family in town because you don’t have to spend hours & hours baking a billion different recipes.
On a recent Instagram post I asked you guys what your favorite holiday traditions are &, as always, you guys delivered. Seriously love this community…
@samwise.may – we always buy an ornament that reminds us of each other and exchange them on Christmas Eve!
@reneedumont – We watch A Christmas Story and drink wine every time someone tells Ralphie he will shoot his eye out.
@one.blueiris – My husband reads How The Grinch Stole Christmas while his dad plays the song on the guitar. So much fun!
@karaokeislandvacays – Singing “Last Christmas” and “Let It Snow” at every karaoke dive bar I can find.
@chandlerfcarlson – My family always does a big Italian feast on Christmas Eve! My great-grandma’s best friend was from Italy ( her name was Santa! ) so we make Italian in her honor. We do homemade pizzas ( homemade dough, sauce & meatballs ), spaghetti with homemade sauce & meatballs, salad & bread. It’s amazing.
@amandamayfoltz – Building a kickass gingerbread town!! Last year was the London bridge. This year will be New York skyline.
There are LITERALLY SO MANY MORE amazing ones. You guys have to go read them. Some are so cute & heartwarming, others are so funny & cool. OBSESSED.
Also, so glad to hear that tons of you love The Christmas Pickle too.
Let me know your holiday traditions below, it’s always fun to have something to do together with your family.
x lauryn,
+ Be sure to check out my Favorite Things of 2018 post – that’s right, just like Oprah.
FESTIVE HOLIDAY TRADITIONS
The whole family comes together on the second day of Christmas (you celebrate two days of Christmas in the Netherlands, 25th & 26th). We all make some food. We are like with 15 of us so there’s always lots of good food! We sit on a long table and it’s decorated very festive. Love it!
2 days of Christmas! So fun!
Re: pickle tradition. My family is Italian and so we do the feast of the 7 fishes every Christmas Eve. It’s a real Italian tradition and is so festive & fun. Here’s where the pickle comes in: every year at my grandmother’s house (where Xmas eve took place), the pickle would be hidden (when we were young ON the actual tree but as we got older it would be hidden somewhere in the house and my uncle would create a riddle to help us find it), and the winner would get a prize – usually money or candy. It was SO much fun for the “kids” (we’re now all in our 30s but will continue the tradition with our kids). Long live the Christmas pickle!
I recently heard about the feast of 7 fishes! Sounds so fun! and I definitely want to start the pickle tradition at my house 🙂
growing up, my mom always “hid” the pickle on the tree first and then for the rest of december we would all secretly look for it & move it to different hiding places in the tree all month long. whoever found it first on christmas morning got to open the first gift! it’s such a fun tradition. we still move it around now whenever we get the chance to, and we’re 26 and 19!