5 Family Traditions

HOLIDAY POETRY SLAM The in-law side of my family has a tradition of reciting poems over homemade appetizers. We work on the poems the week leading up to Christmas and, before opening presents, we take turns sharing. —GINGER SCOTT GLENDALE, ARIZONA GENEROUS SPIRITS We keep all the charity solicitations that arrive in the mail in a basket all year. On the eighth night of Hanukkah, instead of getting gifts, we all sit around and discuss the different organizations and give each family member money to contribute to the organizations they deem most worthy. —JESSICA TOLMACH GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT A VERY PINTEREST NEW YEAR On New Year’s Day, we invite a group of friends and family to each pick a Pinterest recipe and then we spend the day making the dishes. —CHERYL BLANCO AUSTIN, TEXAS PAJAMA PARTY Each year I make my kids a Christmas Eve box. It includes a new pair of jammies, microwave popcorn, their favorite movie snacks, hot cocoa mix and a Christmas movie. We all watch the Christmas movie before bed, with a roaring fire. We started it 17 years ago with our oldest, and have never missed a year! —ERIN WRIGHT WALLACE, KANSAS WHEN FRIENDS ARE FAMILY We celebrate Tamale Day (or so we have named it) with our friends just before the holidays. As the name implies, everyone brings their favorite tamales; each couple usually leaves with five dozen. —KRYSTI ROUSH PHOENIX, ARIZONA