As carolers’ voices echo down neighborhood streets and excitement for the holidays builds, families look forward to carrying on their Christmas traditions. Whether it be attending Christmas Mass or opening a present on Christmas Eve, each family has their own special way to grow closer during the holiday season.

1. Attending Christmas Mass
What better way to celebrate the birth of Christ than Mass? Walking through the doors of a church, dipping your fingers in holy water to give yourself the Sign of the Cross and praying with a church packed full with fellow Catholics can strengthen a bond between a family more than anything else. The power that runs through Christ serves as a glue that can hold a family tighter than ever during Christmas.

2. Looking at Lights
As any good St. Louisan knows, there are hundreds of Christmas light venues around the area, but some families prefer to travel a little further for their viewing pleasure.

“My family normally goes down to Louisville to visit my grandparents, and we all head out to see lights on the Louisville campus. They’re more impressive than you’d think, and it has become one of my favorite things about Christmas,” said junior Jon Remmers.

From the car ride to the glistening lights, this is a tradition that will surely be carried on for generations.

3. Exchanging Heartfelt Gifts
Obviously, many people give and receive gifts during the holiday season, but within an immediate family, these gifts can become much more meaningful. Some families open one random present on Christmas Eve to give them a taste of the festivities to come, while others have designated gifts to give to each other.

“We have this tradition that every Christmas Eve, we open one present, but its specifically pajamas that we can wear overnight and into the next morning. We’ve done it since I was little, and I really look forward to it each year,” said junior Braden Buchanan.

Pajamas aren’t the only specific gift family members could exchange. Anything from tickets to a Blues game or candles for your mother will do!

4. Blasting Christmas Music
Speaking from personal experience, I know that one of the best ways to come together with your family is to blast Christmas music as much as possible. Whether my family is flying down the interstate towards my grandmother’s house, decorating the Christmas tree or baking cookies, we have the volume dial turned all the way to the right. There are certain songs such as “Little Drummer Boy” and “A Mad Russian’s Christmas” that are guaranteed to start a choir within my family. Just the first few notes of either of those songs will make all of us giddy with excitement.

As Christmas rapidly approaches, family traditions are a sure-fire way to bring out the best in people. If you mix the joy Christmas with timeless traditions, a recipe for happiness is born.