Holiday Traditions!

I am a rather festive person. Especially around the winter season. Heck, I was head editor for a flash fiction anthology called “Happy Howlidays.” You can draw your own connections about how I feel about the holidays.

The holiday I usually fixate on the most is Christmas. It’s what I was raised with. It’s a fun day where you can show the people in your life how much you know and care for them. I get so much joy from giving people gifts. Sure, it costs a lot of money sometimes. But it’s worth it for me.

I went to a Christmas party on Saturday (the 14th!) and was able to take part in one of the most chaotic Christmas tradition. The White Elephant exchange. For those who don’t know, the White Elephant exchange is where everyone brings a gift that meets a maximum payment requirement, and everyone takes turns opening (or stealing gifts from other people.) Everyone has different ways of enjoying it. Sometimes people bring really cool and desirable gifts (my sister left with a case of really cool looking knives) or gaggy gifts (Like a Home Depot gift card accompanied by a literal brick! (I got this one!))

I have been to at least six parties that utilized this, and it is by far one of my favorite Christmas traditions. Just think! A group of people is going to have several different mindsets. No one is going to go in with the same plan as others do. My plan for these is always something self-care related. Like baked treats, coffee and coffee accessories, or soaps and bathbombs. Another person may go for a gift card that meets the maximum cash expectation. Someone else might get regift a gift from a previous year. (We have had this happen! There’s a gift called a WonderFile. And it has appeared at the White Elephant Exchange every single year for the past five years. EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR.)

And there are other traditions I love too! Secret Santa is a fun way to swap presents with friends, and possibly adds a “Whodunnit” aspect to gift giving? (I haven’t done it before though. I just love the concept.) Making Christmas cookies and Gingerbread houses offers a creative twist to a fun day of present opening.

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? I don’t know a lot outside of the ones I have seen done around me, but in my defense I didn’t get out much as a kid (or as an adult. X3)

But yeah! I’d love to hear some fun traditions that you go to for your holiday practices!