The Holidays are a time for my family to rejoice and also look back at the year. It is a time for us to come together and spend time with each other. As a person who is very close to her family, I really enjoy the Holidays when they come around.

Every holiday, from Thanksgiving to New Years Day, are important to me. I make a big day about the holidays, but none more than Thanksgiving and Christmas. Both Holidays are a time for my family to come together and share all that they are thankful for that year. And traditions are a huge part of that.

1. Game Time

Pexels

"My favorite part of the Holidays is when everyone comes together and we break out the games. My family takes game time seriously because we are naturally competitive people. As the youngest, it is always fun when I can beat the people who are older than me. It gives me bragging rights until the next year. That's the best part of the Holidays for me."

2. Preparing the Turkey

Pexels

"Preparing the turkey for Thanksgiving. Mainly because the turkey is synonymous with Thanksgiving. So it feels like an important contribution to the day."

3. Playing Games Together

Pexels

"Playing games after dinner because it allows for everyone's competitive instincts to show."

4. Saying What We're Thankful For

Unsplash

"Going around the table and saying what we are grateful for because it helps you look at some things you may take for granted differently."

5. Watching NBA Games

Logo My Way

"Watching NBA games on Christmas Day is one of my holiday traditions."

6. Christmas Excitement

Pexels

"Just the feeling and especially when you're a kid, everyone's excited and you usually play board games or something together with the family afters. Just the feeling of everyone being generally happy all together."

7. Food

Pexels

"Of course the food."

8. Everyone Being Together

Pexels

"It is the one time of year where all of my kids' come back home."

9. Watching NFL Games

Unsplash

"Once the turkey is craved we start watching football."

10. The Day After Thanksgiving

Pexels

"My favorite tradition is after Thanksgiving, the following Friday, we sleep in late and go out to all of the stores and just look. We have done that since our son was able to walk, and that was at 10 months. It is our tradition that just the 3 of us do and we love it. It is even more precious now because he is getting older and will be going off to college."

11. Putting the Tree Together

"We put the tree together the day after Thanksgiving and have been doing that since he was a baby. We have ornaments that are 17 years old and 9 months."

12. The Kids Playing

Pexels

"I love we all the kids get together running and playing. I love that they all climb on me and beat me up. The sound of all the joy running around the house."

13. Spending Time Together

Gathering, social, wine and dinner party HD photo by Kelsey Chance (@kchance8) on Unsplash

Unsplash

"My favorite holiday tradition is spending Thanksgiving together as a family because it symbolizes unity and being thankful for family. Even Christmas. It's more than the presents, I just enjoy being with family."

14. Making Pizza On Christmas Eve

Free stock photo of cheese, close-up, cooked

Pexels

"One holiday tradition that we have is to make pizzas on Christmas Eve. We get all the grandkids and family together and everyone comes to one house. Then each kid gets to design their own pizza with their favorite ingredients. And of course, the adults have their favorite beverage to go with the pizza and to deal with the kids. It's a win-win for the kids and adults.

15. Baking With The Younger Ones

"I love to bake with the younger kids because it's always fun and messy. It's a tradition that was started with me when I was younger and I am continuing it now."

16. Christmas Tree

Pexels

"We put our tree up the day after Halloween and watch Santa Claus 2."

17. Go To Meadow, NC 

Pexels

"The day after Thanksgiving we go to Meadow, NC to look at the Christmas lights."

18. Make Chocolate Sap

upload.wikimedia.org

"I make chocolate sap on Christmas morning and we put it all over the biscuits. So we have biscuits with gravy and biscuits with chocolate sap."

19. Open Presents on Christmas Eve

Pexels

"We will go home and open our presents on Christmas Eve. A time where it is just the two of us."

20. Sharing Stories

Pexels

"We all get together and share stories. It's stories that people in our family told us. It makes it feel like they are still here with us. Then we tell stories about our childhood."

21. Christmas Pajamas

Pexels

"On Christmas Eve, we let the kids open one gift and they know exactly what it is. It's always a pair of Christmas pajamas and a bag of popcorn. We put on our pajamas and watch a Christmas movie as a family, while eating our popcorn and hot chocolate for the adults."

22. Spending Thanksgiving with A Friend

Pexels

"Favorite tradition recently is since I've moved far from family I don't always get to see them for the holidays. So my best friend that I grew up with and I have made it a tradition to see each other on holidays (since she's on the east coast too) since we can't make it to see our families. I usually go see her for Thanksgiving and she comes here for Easter. It's been a good way to feel with family even when I can't be with them."

23. New Years Eve

c1.staticflickr.com

"I love watching Dick Clark's Rockin New Years Eve with my mom. We have done this since I was 14 years old. We start off watching the show and I end up having to wake my mom at midnight."

25. Having the Family Together

c1.staticflickr.com

"Having the family all together on Christmas Eve and watching White Christmas together."

26. Good Times with Family

Pexels

"It's a chance for all the family to get together without a funeral."

27. Ignoring Family Calls

Pexels

"I hit the ignore button on my phone."

The one thing I love about the holidays is how my family comes together. The years' change, but our traditions stay the same! It doesn't matter what happens throughout the year we come together. It is the time for us to show each other how much we care for one another. Even though everyone's favorite traditions are different, the one thing we all share is the joy of being together.