I am beyond excited for the holidays. Who doesn't love watching festive movies, decorating with your family and eating delicious food? My family is my everything, so spending time with them is definitely my favorite part of the holiday season. Growing up, my parents always created traditions that my brothers and I always say we plan to pass on to our families in the future.

One of my favorite Kagan family traditions is decorating the Christmas tree. We eat Christmas cookies and drink eggnog while watching "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." Our Christmas ornaments all have sentimental value, so while we hang them up we always reminisce and treasure the memories that each ornament represents.

Another one of my favorite traditions is the "gift card game" that we play. After we are about halfway finished with opening our presents, we take a break and play the game while we have breakfast. Every year, my mom cooks an egg and sausage casserole with bacon and cinnamon rolls. Our tradition of the "gift card game" started ten years ago. My mom sets up blank pieces of paper with pictures of gift cards on one side. When my brother or I flip two papers that have the same gift card picture on them, we win that gift card. It's essentially the memory game, but with gift cards. It's fun because sometimes at the end of the game, my brothers and I try to convince one another to swap gift cards.

For example, I remember one year my brother, Shawn, and I made the perfect swap. I didn't bring my car with me to college freshman year, but I got a gas station gift card. Shawn, who lives in a New York City and uses his car every day, won a Sephora gift card, so of course he wanted to switch. My brothers and I always tell my mom how creative she is because it's such a unique game and a great bonding experience for us.