"I Was 30 When I Realized No One Else Did This": People Are Sharing Their Unique Holiday Traditions, And They're Unbelievably Heart-Warming
We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to share their most unique holiday traditions. Many of their submissions had me smiling at my screen and feeling super sentimental. Here's what people shared:
1."We top our Christmas tree with a Twilight Burger King crown that was a New Moon promo item. My dad and brother try to take it down every year. Us girls got our mom on our side, so she yells that it’s a tradition, and they have to stop."
2."My grandpa started the 'New Year's Moose' when my mom was little (1950s), and it has stuck in my household. Essentially, whatever Santa 'forgot' to bring you that just broke your little heart not to get, the New Year's Moose would deliver it on New Year's Day. I have no idea what started this, but I love it, and my husband and I use it to give each other fun, random, little things."
3."My dad’s eldest sister started a tradition for their side of the family when she started having kids. Each kid in the family was assigned a winter/Christmas theme, like snowmen, mittens, snowflakes, etc. My dad’s sister would buy an ornament for each kid based on their theme. We got one every year! My theme is stockings, so I currently have 25 stocking ornaments and counting! My aunt unfortunately passed away a few years ago, but her daughter (my cousin) has continued the tradition. My cousin’s kids have also been included in the tradition. I told one of my best friends about the tradition, and she loved it so much that now I send her an ornament (Christmas tree-themed) every year!"
4."When we were kids, my family had a tradition to shout up the chimney on Christmas Eve before going to bed to tell Santa what we wanted. We had many discussions before Christmas Eve to decide what we wanted, and my parents would always say it wasn't fair on Santa to not have decided well in advance of the shouting. So, no changing your mind at the last minute. Dear Reader, I was close to 30 when I realized no one else did this."
5."Tin foil Barbie. Bit of back story: We didn't have a lot of money growing up, but one year I was gifted a beautiful swan princess Barbie from a school friend for my birthday. Our family always liked a fairy/angel on top of the Christmas tree, but we couldn't afford to get a store-bought one, so we used my Barbie. The problem was, me being the creative type, her beautiful dress was no longer a long flowing ball gown, but rather, had been transformed into a mini dress with pen all over it. So, we used the cardboard from a toilet roll to make her a crown and tin foil to create a shiny flowing ball gown (think the good witch from The Wizard of Oz), and so tin foil Barbie was born."
"I'm 33 years old now, and we still use tin foil Barbie and recreate her dress every Christmas. My husband hates it, but my daughter loves it, so we carry on the tradition. We are more comfortable money-wise and could easily buy an angel to go on top of the tree, but tin foil Barbie reminds me of a simpler time and not to take anything for granted."
—Anonymous
6."When my kids were little, we 'grew' candy canes. I bought them each a large, Christmas-themed mug from the dollar store. We filled the mugs with sugar, and they 'planted' a peppermint disc. I would search stores for all different sizes of candy canes, so I would replace the disc with a tiny candy cane, then every few days, I would replace it with a larger one. On Christmas morning, it would be one of those large, fat peppermint sticks! We'd also put prunes outside and say they were reindeer poop. I made a stencil to look like a boot print and would lay it on the carpet and sprinkle baking soda on the stencil to look like Santa's boot print. So many good memories of those days!"
—Anonymous
7."Christmas cat clumps. In my family, each kid had a cat in high school. One in particular would get little clumps of matted fur that had to be cut out. One time, for some reason, I decided to save a clump of matted fur and put it in my brother's stocking. We thought it was hilarious, and this led to us saving little clumps of fur we’d brush off or cut off of the cats and putting the clumps in the stocking of the kid whose cat it was. I saved one from my childhood cat (unintentionally) on what turned out to be her last Christmas. When I found the baggie with the fur in it after she passed, I bawled hard and laughed equally as hard. It was a fun and goofy reminder of my time with my precious childhood friend."
8."We leave beer for Santa. My brother and I are the fourth generation that we know of to do this, so it's genuinely a longstanding tradition in my family. One year, I was scared Santa wasn't going to come because we didn't have the right beer. He came, and I was happy."
9."Once we were too old for Santa, we started 'receiving' gifts from famous people. I've gotten a lava lamp from Bob Dylan, a fancy pen from Bill Clinton, movies from actors in them, and I've given gifts from famous people, too. It makes guessing what the gift could possibly be fun."
10."My mom and aunt had an ongoing prank involving a giant and hideously green Christmas ornament the size of a bowling ball. Every year, they would 'gift' it back to the other in increasingly creative ways. The ornament was not considered 'accepted' until we’d all gone home after Christmas dinner, and then whoever ended up with it was stuck with it for the year. So, my aunt would hide it in my mom’s car, my mom would find it and sneak it back into the garage, and so on. I don’t know where the ornament is now, but I like to think that it’s lurking in a box somewhere waiting to be an unwelcome gift yet again."
11."My extended family is huge, so it would be impossible for everyone to buy each other presents without draining wallets or hurting feelings. Instead, we have a dollar store gift exchange on Christmas Eve! Everyone brings a gift that costs a dollar or less, wrapped and ready to exchange. One family member reads a Christmas story, and when we reach the agreed upon word, 'ivy,' we pass our gift to the person next to us. At the end of the story, we open our gifts. You might get a pad of paper, a toy, or a head of lettuce — who knows! It's always a lot of fun to try to keep up with the reader and pay attention, plus it's a great way for the kids to practice their reading and public speaking."
—Anonymous
12."For years on Christmas Eve, me, my sister, brother, husband, and now daughters since they are older get together and wrap gifts while watching the movie Mystery Science Theater 3000. It’s not Christmas without this ridiculous night."
13."We have a smiley face cookie jar that says 'Have a Happy Day.' We call it the happy jar. All year, we (myself, my husband, and our two daughters) write down good things that happened to us, and then on Christmas, we take turns pulling from the jar and reading them out loud."
14."Not a family tradition, but every year on the first snow after summer, my friends and I watch Elf. Been doing it since 2007, and it’s still one of my all-time favorite traditions. We might be watching a Christmas movie in September sometimes, but it’s always enjoyable."
—Anonymous
15."Our family doesn't like Thanksgiving, so we use the food of different cultures to celebrate the people who came before us. Last year, we did Swedish to honor my great-grandpa, and the next year, we will do Polish for my great-grandma. We only do it at my mom's house. My dad likes the traditional Thanksgiving, and we alternate holidays every year."
16."Every year, even as adults, my dad takes me and my sibling out to a state forest that lets you cut trees with a permit (à la Clark Griswold). We get an imperfect, but very memorable tree every year. My favorite trees have been the super bushy, 12-foot-tall monster and the 'jazz hands' tree. They may not be the most beautiful or full trees, but they are full of personality, and the tradition is so unique and meaningful to me. I wouldn’t have it any other way!"
17."This is a little morbid, but an interesting tradition to say the least. My grandmother and her brother kept the ashes of their mother in the postal box she was sent in after being cremated (she passed when I was a baby). The tradition was to hide her back and forth in each other's houses when visiting, and then see how long it'd take for her to be found after every visit. My grandmother lives in Indiana and her brother lived in Florida. If she was ever hidden and found at my grandmother's house for the holidays, I would set her on the kitchen table to have breakfast with me. They finally ended the tradition by spreading her ashes in late 2020 (mind you, this tradition came to my attention when I was 13 or 14, and I'm now 32). A few months later, my great-uncle passed away. Also, they have another sister who has no idea we did this for years (she thought the ashes had been spread years ago without her). She would be furious if she knew."
—Anonymous
18."My family is Italian American. Traditional foods are a huge part of the holiday. Every Christmas Eve, we put out meatballs and a glass of wine for Santa instead of cookies. It's not a big thing, but it's one of those things that makes the holiday feel special."
—Anonymous
19."On Boxing Day, we all get a small present that has to be small enough to sit in the branches of the Christmas tree. Don't know any other families who do this as well, but I think it's such a lovely way to carry on Christmas festivities."
20."We had a tradition of putting our stockings out on New Year's Eve for Mrs. Claus to come. She would leave small things, like candy, gum, maybe a $10 gift card. I guess my mom wanted Mrs. Claus to have a little fun, too."
—Anonymous
21."My family does three nights of Thanksgiving! Wednesday night, my parents, siblings, and I go out for Indian food. Thursday is the traditional Thanksgiving dinner (turkey and all the sides) with first cousins. Friday morning, we go trap and skeet shooting before we do a cousins dinner with second and third cousins. We also always have mac and cheese and salmon for Friday dinner. I look forward to all three parts every year!"
—Anonymous
22."You have to sit on the steps until you are married. Every non-married person waits on the steps until all the adults are in the family room with all the presents before you can come into the room and see what Santa brought. My cousin was 33, unmarried, and chillin’ on the steps with all the younger cousins. She was such a great sport! But, it's tradition! My boys are the fourth generation of kids who have done this!"
—Anonymous
23."My husband and I are avid Jeopardy! watchers, and when Christmas rolls around, we do the 'blind guess' at Final Jeopardy (trying to guess the answer after you see the category, but before you see the clue). If either of us gets it right, we get to open a present. We do get it occasionally, but we always make sure to have plenty of gifts left for Christmas day!"
24."Dad used to sit in front of the presents in a Santa hat and red sweatshirt. He brought presents to each of us one at a time. Everyone watches each person open the gift, and then the next could start. Since we are a big family, it took all day. I thought that was how everyone did the presents. I was surprised that at my in-laws, everyone would all open presents at the same time. On Christmas Eve, my Sicilian grandmother would make homemade raviolis. I miss her and dad, too."
25."My family has a tradition where we each get our favorite Pop-Tarts in our stockings so my parents don’t have to make breakfast! It started because when my dad was a little kid, his dad was always working on the railroads. Money was tight, and his mom was alone with four boys most of the time. Well, one year, my grandpa was going to be there really early on Christmas morning, and my grandma didn’t want to cook. When he came, he brought new stockings for all of them with their favorite Pop-Tarts."
26."My aunt would write the 'big' news of the year on a Christmas ball. It didn't need to be earth-shattering, just something memorable from that year. I started it in 2009 when I got married, and I love taking each one out and reading them as I put them on the tree. My kids are starting to get into reading them, too. It’s fun to relive some of those milestones. Just make sure they’re on Christmas balls that are unbreakable!"
27."Every year, my grandparents put a pickle ornament on their tree. It has been a competition forever to see who can find the pickle ornament first."
—Anonymous
28."My husband and I do 'Christmas Eve Eve,' thanks to impatience mixed with new love. We open our gifts from each other and go out to dinner on December 23rd. We started this 15 years ago and are still going strong! Some years we go out to dinner, some years we stay in, and for a few years, we had ice cream sundaes."
29."Growing up, my parents would give us a small gift on New Year’s Day. They always wanted us to start the New Year on a good note. This tradition is one I hope to do with my own kids."
—Anonymous
30."We have 'the book' that gets passed around every year. We plan a silly game, and whoever wins gets the book, which is a photo album. You put your picture in with the year, and then it's your job to plan the game for next year. Last year, we played hot potato. We'll do any game that the little ones can play, too, and the sillier the better."
31."Every year that my paternal cousins get together, we put on a show for the 14 aunts and uncles. We start months before and each write skits making fun of our parents and each other. There are about 40 of us cousins, and the show takes hours. It always ends with all the cousins mooning the room. We’ve been doing it for over 30 years! Christmases with that side of the family are always my favorite!"
32."Growing up, instead of leaving out cookies and milk just for Santa, we’d set up four place settings for Santa and the holy family (Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus) at the dining room table. We’d use the good china and glassware, and have cookies and other baked goods. Baby Jesus would get milk (and a stuffed animal to play with), and the others would get wine or brandy. I used to think that last part made my family so edgy. Of course, I eventually realized the wine and brandy were for my parents after spending who knows how long putting together toys/wrapping gifts after us kids had gone to bed."
33."Most people only spray their houses for roaches and ants. A week before Christmas, the stepson and I spray the house for Krampus, and go over his report card from the prior semester to determine our chances of having to deal with him. No Yuletide victims in MY house."
34."Since the 1950s, we've had something called 'the surprise.' Everyone gathers and has to play a silly game, and it changes each year. Once you complete the game (it could be decorating your partner as a human Christmas tree, shooting targets with a marshmallow gun, etc.), you get your assigned number. There are wrapped presents with a long ribbon attached to each, and at the end is a tag with your number. The catch is that all the strings are tangled into a giant mess. Once everyone has their number, we rush over to find the tag with our number, and you race to try to untangle and trace your ribbon to your attached present to open it. There is a lot of shoving, and some (cough, cough, my dad) try to purposely tangle and pull on other people's ribbons just to mess with them. Whoever gets to their present first wins."
"The gifts are always funny things like tacky swim trunks and ugly socks. It was started by my great-grandpa when my mom and uncle were young, then my uncle continued it. Now, for the past 10 years, my sister has been in charge of setting it up."
35."My mom goes all out for Christmas decorations. One of the decorations is a 4-foot-tall penguin in a hat and scarf that says 'Welcome!' Whenever I’m home, my dad and I take turns putting it in places to surprise one other. He leaves it outside my bedroom door, I put it in his car, he puts it in my bed, I put it on his spot on the couch holding a glass of brandy, etc. We do it every year."
—Anonymous
36."When it comes to opening the presents, we gather around the coffee table in the living room, and everyone, in turn, throws a dice. When you score a six, you can open one of your presents, and everyone else watches. If not, it's the next person's turn, and maybe you're lucky the next round. This little game is stupidly funny, and it makes us worship the presents even more because we open things together rather than everyone ripping open their presents at once and ignoring each other."
—kaa
37."The kids, my husband, and I all have pigs in a blanket for breakfast Christmas morning. And then, my extended family (parents, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters-in-law, plus my kids, and husband) get together and open gifts, but we put clues on the gift, and we go around one by one and read the clue and try to guess what the present is. You still get the gift regardless if you are right or not, but it adds a fun element, and it’s more about spending time together and not just ripping into presents."
38.And: "I’m not sure if you’d call it a tradition, but my family is religiously divided, and not everyone celebrates Christmas, but we all still want to see each other. So, the rule is that the family who celebrates gets together first, and they do all the Christmas stuff (open presents, play Christmas music, etc.). Then, at 5 p.m., all the Christmas festivities are over, and the rest of the family who doesn’t celebrate arrives, and we all eat, watch football, play games, and just chill. I love that my family is so close that we’re all willing to compromise a little so that we can all be together."
🥹 Do you have any unique holiday traditions you'd like to share? Tell us in the comments!
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
