There are so many things that make the holiday season special: Watching holiday movies, baking cookies, decorating gingerbread houses, hosting a Secret Santa exchange, decorating your home sweet home. Making it even more special are the time-honored traditions we all look forward to this time of year. Having a tradition is a tradition itself!
Whatever you’re celebrating this season, your friends at Offerpad wanted to share some of our fav family traditions. (Feel free to adopt a new tradition for your family as our gift to you. 😉)
Tabitha’s Dad’s 3 Trials of Christmas
Every year dad organizes The Three Trials of Christmas – three rounds of fun family activities where Tabitha, her mom and sister compete against each other. Some of the ‘trials’ in years past have included an escape room, bowling, bike rides to test their map-reading skills and blindfolded taste tests. The trials also always includes a quiz about dad to find out who knows the most about him. He asks questions like, “What is this obscure detail from a story I told you once five years ago about me when I was in high school?” The winner of the trials gets a small gift; nothing too extravagant so fights don’t break out over who really deserves it or why the trials are rigged. (A note from Tabitha herself, the writer of this post: Because they are, since mom has obviously known dad the longest 🙄.)
Pajama Party!
Sometimes the suspense is just too much on Christmas Eve, so a lot of us like to open just one gift that night to hold everyone over until the next morning. Several of our co-workers have a tradition of giving family members matching pajamas every year so they can bundle up while waiting for the Big Guy to make an appearance and stay warm and cozy the next morning while opening presents. (Matching PJs make for great memories – and photo ops, too.)
Andy’s Annual Cookie Bake
Got cookies, anyone? What started as a family tradition when she was a child (she wouldn’t tell us exactly how long ago that was, but her kids now carry on the tradition with their kids 😉) has expanded to include friends for an annual cookie bake and exchange. Gingerbread, chocolate chip, oatmeal, oh my! In addition to swapping recipes, reindeer games rule the day, along with noel nibblers and her decorative shrimp tree to nosh on. Having some holiday tunes playin’ while baking with friends and family with the crackle of the fireplace as it snows outside is a perfect way to get in the holiday spirit. (Okay, maybe not fireplaces or snow out here in Arizona, but just tryin’ to set the mood.)
Elf on the Shelf
As the self-proclaimed “fun parent” (said because his wife’s Elf on the Shelf set-ups get more love and attention than his do), Joe sets up elaborate Elf on the Shelf scenes every night for his two young daughters. Some of this elf’s more mischievous creations? Wrapping the tree in tinsel and putting those fun reindeer antlers on his wife’s car, forcing her to keep them up (she’s definitely not a fan) because it’s “elf magic.” Adding a little mischief always makes things a little more fun even if it lands you on the naughty list.
Priyanka’s Wish Box
Everyone loves getting gifts (c’mon, you can admit it!), but for many of us, the gift of giving is a gift itself. That’s why every year, members of Priyanka’s family add wishes to a wish box. Not a wish for themselves or things they want, but a wish for each other that they hope will come true. (And you didn’t hear it from us, but Priyanka said she looks through everyone’s wishes because she has access to the box. It’s unclear, though, if she helps to make the wishes come true or if she just can’t wait to see what everyone is wishing for.)
And speaking of holiday wishes, ours is to provide you with the best home selling and buying experience possible; it’s our tradition year-round. Leave the ‘real estat-ing’ to us so you can sit back and relax this winter season. Happy holidays from all of Santa’s helpers at Offerpad!