Everyone has their own family traditions for Christmas and the holiday season. Whether family gathers at your house, your aunt’s house, your grandparents’ house, you stay in town, or you go out of town, every family has their own traditions for the holiday season. For my family, our Christmas and holiday traditions have changed a little over the years. 

When I was younger, for Thanksgiving, my family and I would go over to my great aunt and uncle’s house where my cousins from in town, cousins from out of town, and great grandparents also would spend the day. My cousins and I would play with all of the toys in the basement. Once my cousin got married and bought her own house, we spent a few Thanksgivings at her new house. They turned an old car-repair shed into a house, so it was so big. We would watch movies in their movie theater room and play with their young kids. Now, we normally have Thanksgiving with my first cousins, either at my home or at their house, or it is just my family at my house and my cousins go to their grandma’s house on the other side of their family. 

My family and I never really went all out for Black Friday shopping. We would go to a few stores here and there during the day but never any waking up early to go shopping. For three or four years, I have gone Black Friday shopping with my friends, where we wake up super early and go to the mall to get all of the good Black Friday deals.

On the few days leading up to Christmas, I go shopping with my dad for some last-minute gifts. On Christmas Eve, my family and I go to church in the evening, where my brother and I normally participate in the church service with the other young people that go to my church.

Where my family celebrates Christmas has also changed a little bit over the years. For the majority of my life, my family would celebrate Christmas with my cousins at my grandparents’ house here in town. Unfortunately, they have both passed away, so we no longer can gather at their house for Christmas Day. Instead, I celebrate with my cousins either at their house or mine.

My family also has traditions for New Year’s Eve and celebrating the beginning of a new year. For as long as I can remember, my family, my cousins, and a few other family friends gather at one of my dad’s lifelong best friend’s house. Every family brings food and drinks, and we all have a great time. All of the kids catch up, play games in the basement, and we countdown the end of the year with New Year’s accessories including glasses, hats, and blow horns. We stay pretty late into the New Year’s Day, and then relax all day on New Year’s Day to ring in the new year.

No matter how your family celebrates the holiday season, traditions are very important and sentimental. My family’s holiday traditions are something that I look forward to every year.