What holidays do you celebrate and how do you celebrate them?

I like the running joke. Thanks for sharing the holidays that you celebrate and the importance of fellowship and family and friends here.

I am glad that you celebrate your fiesta too. I wish you much happiness during the holidays and in life.

I am glad that you go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas as your relatives are probably very glad to see you and as you do need to have time to be with them all. I have 15 nieces and nephews and more than 30 great-nieces and great nephews... but don't really give too many gifts out to them... Because we are such a large family we came up with ways to enjoy gift giving but to spend less money doing it. I remember some years there was a name drawn. People would purchase a gift for the person whose name they drew. And everyone would get at least one gift. That way Christmas was not as much of a financial burden. Another thing that was done is a Christmas ornament exchange... no gift giving at all.... The ornaments were nutty, fun, strange and sometimes cute but not great. The purpose was to bring laughs and smiles... My dad brought a sign that said, "I gave at the office." My mother brought this huge silver tea caddy which had been strung with flamenco pink and clear beads and that when it was hung on the tree almost brought the tree down.(One of her friends had made the ornament for her. That one ornament became the best one because it was so horrible and gaudy. Whoever got that ornament in the contest got to have Christmas at their home the next year. Families formed tag teams to get that ornament to stay in their families.And when that ornament got to be old enough to almost fall apart it was returned to the ornament exchange in a small display case which got modified by each family who got it.) If you want to do an ornament exchange or mystery gift exchange (no gift over $10) Have family members purchase the ornaments or gifts and bring them to the gathering. Make sure that they know that this will be the only family gift exchange. Bring a bowl or hat. Count the number of gifts or ornaments that are brought. Cut small pieces of paper and write numbers on them. People who bring ornaments or gifts pick one number from the hat. The person who draws number one goes first and picks a gift from the pile. The one who draws second is of course the person with number 2 in his or her hand. That person can choose from the pile or can take the gift that the person who went first picked. If he or she chooses to take from number one then number one can take from the pile. Number three can take from number one or number two or from the pile. Number four can take from all other numbers or from the pile. The same goes for those who draw the other numbers. The gifts or ornaments though can only move three times and then after that they are frozen and the person who has them is stuck with them. And of course if no one wants a gift that you have or no one chooses to take it from you because they know you like it a lot or because they dislike it, you will get to keep it. At the end of the exchange, the first person who picked can pick again if he or she wants too as that person only had the pile to choose from. Then, if someone had it taken from him or her, they have the ones that are already picked to choose from until all of the ornaments are chosen. I am hoping that you enjoy the holidays that you join your family for.