Whether it’s grandma’s false teeth ending up in the cranberry sauce or Aunt Carol having a little (or a lot) more wine than she needs, most families have some sort of special holiday tradition.

Traditions are usually small things, like going to see a movie on Christmas Eve, as it’s the little things that make each family unique and each family get together memorable. However, some traditions are a little bigger, and there is no better time to ask student about their family’s biggest and best holiday traditions as the holiday season is in mid swing.

Stephanie Dauber, a junior, said that while her family has sadly abandoned most of their traditions, one that remains is that they open presents at midnight on Christmas Eve.

“Yeah, it’s a tradition my Mom started when we were little because she didn’t like waking up early in the morning,” Dauber said.

“We also sometimes do this old German tradition called ‘Hide the Pickle’ where you hide a pickle in the christmas tree. It sounds weird, but I promise it’s fun,” Dauber added.

Another student, Alex Whitwam, said that he had extremely disappointing birthday parties due to his family’s tradition.

“My parents were really dedicated to communism I guess, because at my birthday parties, each child would get a present, sort of dirty Santa-style, so I only got one present. When I went to other kid’s parties, and I found out most kids didn’t do that, I was really upset,” Whitwam expressed.

Stephanie Fuller explained her family has a slightly weird tradition too. “We eat seafood and steak on Christmas because everyone is tired of ham and turkey after Thanksgiving,” Fuller said.

No matter how big or small a tradition is, what really matters is that it brings a family together and helps them remember the good times they’ve had. So take some time and think about your weird family traditions, but more importantly think about your weird family and how much you love them.