People celebrate so many different holidays this time of year. And we think it's pretty cool that even when people celebrate the same holiday, how they celebrate can vary widely between cultures, families or regions of the country.
We checked in with the Left Hand Agency team to learn about their holiday traditions. From Christmas Vacation watching to tamale-making, our team shared some fun traditions with their families and friends. We hope you enjoy learning how they celebrate ... maybe you'll want to adopt one of these fun traditions yourself!
Lauren Ridgley (CEO) - My family isn't religious so our family traditions are very food-based. On Christmas morning my mom used to make German Pancakes AKA Dutch Babies - they are fluffy eggy pancakes and we put lemon juice and powdered sugar on top. I have recently taken over the Dutch Baby making for the holidays and hope I can make them as well as my mom.
Ryan Pitz (CGO) - My favorite thing to do as a family is: We pick a night in early November to make some hot chocolate, put Christmas Vacation on the TV and put up the Christmas tree & decorate the house. It's always super fun and brings back so many great memories.
Stacy Woelber (Media Buyer) - Since having kids, traditions have certainly changed. We start out letting my boys help put up the tree and decorate it. Every year I take time off around the holidays when the kids are out of school just to do fun things. We bake cookies and all kinds of snacks and make homemade wooden ornaments that we paint and put their name and year on each.
Shikha Patel (Media Coordinator) - My family doesn't celebrate the holidays, but something that I like to do with my friends is go see the Christmas lights. We sing Christmas karaoke in the car while we watch the lights and although we can't sing we sing our little hearts out.
Zakiiya Mackey (Media Buyer) - Holiday traditions growing up my family would celebrate both Kwanzaa and Christmas. I remember going to Kwanzaa gatherings and my mom would set up the Kinara which holds seven candles that represent the seven principles of Kwanzaa- Unity, Self Determination, Collective Work & Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith. We would also open one gift the night before Christmas and it was always new pajamas. Now as adults, we gather on Christmas morning for my mother’s famous hot chocolate and chicken n’ waffles paired with a full spread of toppings like blueberries, pecans, strawberries, chocolate chips, marshmallows…literally whatever your heart desires. Spending time and having fun with family is definitely my favorite part of the holiday season.
Carissa Polo (Content lead & Social Media) - Every year my parents hide an ornament that looks like a green pickle in our tree. On Christmas morning, my brother and I compete to see who can find it first. The person who finds it gets a gift at the end! Usually it's a jumbo candy bar, which is always appreciated.
Lexie Kolb (Social Media Lead) - As a child, my parents would wait to put the presents under the tree and fill our stockings until the morning of Christmas before we woke up. I would go to bed early with my sister and hear my dad tiptoeing around the hallway, wrapping gifts (usually with Christmas Vacation playing in the background), and taking them downstairs to the tree. My grandpa always told me there was no setting an alarm clock because it would ruin the Christmas Magic (Hehe- wise advice). Spending Christmas day surrounded by the ones I love will always be the most meaningful part of the holidays.
Beth Lopez (Data & Strategist lead) - Spending time with my family is what I love most about the holidays. Even though we are all grown up now, we still head to my parents' house on Christmas morning in our pajamas to open our stockings and presents together! Before the holiday itself, my family has a tradition of making tamales with my abuela, my aunts and uncles, and all of our cousins. We make enough for all of our families and enjoy them on Christmas day, too.
Maia Brusseau (Account Director) - My favorite holiday tradition is my family's Christmas Eve celebration. My maternal grandfather's birthday was on Christmas Eve and now that Papa Jim is no longer with us, we always start the celebration with a hot buttered rum toast in his honor. Then we enjoy delicious food, great wine (more toasts to Papa Jim!), and lots of laughs. We honor his memory by having the kind of evening that he would have loved!
Whatever holiday you celebrate and however you choose to celebrate it, we hope that it's happy!
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