Each person on our MyGift team has a unique way of celebrating the holidays. From watching festive holiday movies, to baking sweets, building gingerbread houses, and Christmas piñatas: Find out more about our diverse Christmas traditions!
Camtu – Product Launch Manager: “Our Christmas Tradition starts on Thanksgiving: Santa sends Sugar (Elf on the Shelf) to stay with us until Christmas Eve. He moves around our house, watches the kids make sure they are good and reports back to Santa. On the days they are “good,” he leaves little treats for them.
My daughters create their Gingerbread houses, we watch Elf every Christmas Eve and the girls open one gift on Christmas Eve. Of course, Santa always arrives whether they have been naughty or nice... The girls always wake up at the break of dawn to open gifts, even as teens!
We have a small brunch with homemade cinnamon rolls (not made by me, but a fabulous local baker who has a small home business).
My Family owns Thai restaurants, so usually we would have large family and friends gathering at the restaurant for traditional Thanksgiving feast along with Thai dishes. Usually, we do white elephants since our family is SO big: My parents, 4 sisters (plus their husbands), 4 brothers (plus their wives) and 19 children between all of us! Of course this will be different in 2020, for the first time in 28 years...”
Emily – Marketing Content SEO Strategist: “Every Christmas Eve we order Chinese food and watch A Christmas Story. Usually we open gifts from Aunts/Uncles and grandparents on Christmas Eve too. Christmas morning, we all got to open our stocking which had lots of gifts and candy. Once the parents were awake, we would make a big breakfast and get to open the gifts under the tree once our beds were made and rooms cleaned. Christmas dinner was always full of delicious roast beef, potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and we’d always get Canadian Christmas crackers. These are a different type of Christmas crackers than the US kind, more like a giant popper with gifts, paper hats, and riddles inside. Boxing day, December 26th, when we were younger we would go to our grandparents, now we just use it as an extra day to relax. Now with my daughter and husband, we are starting new traditions and keeping some of the old.”
Luz – Customer Service Associate: “We travel to Mexico to spend the time with my family. On Christmas Eve we have a big dinner (the whole family from Grandpa to second cousins) we have prepared typical dishes from Mexico, from tamales and even Turkey. It is a big feast! We also do a “posada” is kind a like a Christmas party but is more traditional.
We have piñatas and sometimes a Christmas gift exchange, we dance, do Karaoke and have a few drinks.
On Christmas night my Dad usually take us to Downtown Mexico to see the Christmas lights and for the kids to play in the main plaza called Zocalo, it is very fun and we eat so much good food!!”
Austen – Copywriter: “I have a few favorite Holiday traditions, and they start with visiting the Redmond Lights Christmas tree lighting. A huge part of my Holiday experience is watching Christmas movies through the month of December: Elf, Christmas Vacation, Bad Santa, and other holiday classics. And, of course, Die Hard! This may or may not be a Christmas movie, but is packed with explosive yuletide action and mayhem... Wearing terrible sweaters is as much part of the plan as writing Christmas song covers on my electrical guitar. I feel that Christmas songs need more mosh pit breakdowns...
I am dairy intolerant, so I usually make non-dairy pecan pie truffles. Yes, I enjoy Christmas desserts that don’t make my throat close up! Of course I am getting a Christmas tree and decorate my apartment. And, of course, giving gifts and making cards for my family and friends!"
Michael – Warehouse Manager: “Every Christmas Eve we gather together in the family room around the tree and presents. We try to find a Christmas movie on TV to watch in the background. We are untraditional in the sense that my wife serves us several different dishes as snacks. This can be chips and Queso, crackers with sausage and a cheese log. She mixes it up with shrimp tempura, cheese sticks, and other finger foods. "Pigs in blanket" with different sauces are always our to-go snack in the past 25 years!
Finally, after we have eaten our fill, everyone is allowed to take down their stockings and see what little goodies have been left in them.”
Lena – Marketing Specialist: “I was born and raised in Germany. There, we are lucky enough to have three “Christmas Days”: Christmas Eve (December 24th), the 1st Christmas Day (December 25) and the 2nd Christmas Day (December 26). Of course, we celebrate Christmas all December long, baking cookies and building Gingerbread houses, a visit of St. Nikolaus on December 6th, Holiday markets, and everything else included! Gift giving traditionally happens on the evening of Christmas Eve, the 1st and 2nd Christmas Day are for visiting family or just relax.
Just like in the US, a Christmas tree is part of the deal – but it might be unbelievable that Santa is not visiting Germany… Instead, the “Christkind” (“Christ Child”) will bring presents on Christmas Eve, usually pictured as an angelic girl or young woman with long golden hair and a white gown. In honor of the Christmas Holiday, most Germans might visit the church on Christmas Eve, either before or after gift giving – often, this is the only visit for the year though.
Now, being an adult and having a daughter in my own, we spend Christmas Eve with my parents in law. My mother in law is German heritage, so gift giving is still happening on Christmas Eve and I love to keep this tradition alive for my daughter!”
Graham – Growth Marketing Manager: “I was raised in Great Britain. Growing up in a small family, our Christmas traditions were more quiet and laid back. However, my mom always makes personalized crackers for everyone at the dinner table, with mini bottle of alcohol or hand cream and other items in. We typically have roast turkey, with stuffing, roast potatoes, pigs in blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon), and a load of veggies..."
