Here Are Some of Our Favorite Parts of The Holidays!
One thing that working in a multicultural field has given us is an appreciation for the diversity of holiday traditions. Every culture, every group, even every family has a tapestry of unique traditions that become a rich part of our humanity. In honor of the upcoming holiday season, we asked our team to share some of their favorite ways to celebrate!
We spent the last week surveying our team to get their feedback and capture some of their favorite holiday traditions and memories. Without further adieu, here’s what they shared!
First up is our fearless leader, Bobby Lahiere:
What, if any, holidays do you celebrate?
Christmas
What’s your favorite holiday or family tradition?
My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, but since this is a December blog, I will focus on Christmas…every year at Christmas, we play the Saran Wrap Ball Game with our (now grown) kids. We wrap a bunch of small gifts (gift cards, candy, soaps, shampoos, small liquor bottles, trinkets, etc.) in an ever growing Saran wrap ball. When it’s one kid’s turn to try to unwrap it, the next kid in line rolls two dice…the first kid keeps frantically trying to unroll the ball and release any of the “buried” gifts (keeping the ones they liberate while it’s their turn). Whenever the kid rolling the dice rolls doubles of any kind, the kid unwrapping the ball stops immediately and all the kids switch places. The process repeats until the ball is completely opened.
What your favorite holiday movie and why?
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is my favorite holiday movie because I have a big sense of humor, and it has just become a tradition to watch it every year.
Kim Beck, VP Remote Services
What, if any, holidays do you celebrate?
Christmas
What’s your favorite holiday or family tradition?
I actually have two favorites. First, we have a family tradition of giving at least one handmade gift to our immediate family. These gifts are always my favorite because of the time and thought put into each one. Second, when our kids were young, we would drive around neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights while drinking hot cocoa and singing Christmas songs. Now that our kids are grown, we take our grandchildren. It’s just as much fun now as it was when I was a kid!
What your favorite holiday movie and why?
My favorite holiday movie is A Christmas Story probably because it is so funny and relatable. Every kid has tried to convince their parents to get them a particular item for Christmas at one time or another, and everyone has a family that is less than perfect. The movie is filled with various scenes and one liners that will keep you laughing. One of my favorites is when Ralphie’s dad, who has won a “major award,” receives a large wooden crate. Everyone is gathered around the crate in anticipation. When his dad reads the label “fragile,” he sounds it out as “fra-gee-lay,” then declares “It must be Italian!!” It may be the “foreign language” connection, but it makes me laugh every time!
Karen Cummings, Executive Assistant
What, if any, holidays do you celebrate?
Christmas
What’s your favorite holiday or family tradition?
I am in charge of cooking the dressing at my mom’s house, and it’s a joke between my dad and me that it must have “crunchies” around the edges. Everyone knows to scoop their serving from the middle of the dish and leave the edges for the two of us.
What your favorite holiday movie and why?
The Holiday- I love the scenery in England during the holidays, the romantic story plot, the way they all became friends, and the happy ending.
Kathleen Clark, Director of Client Services
What, if any holidays do you celebrate?
Christmas
What’s your favorite holiday or family tradition?
Halloween
What your favorite holiday movie and why?
A Christmas Story is my favorite because I like to see bullies getting beat up. Just kidding! But I do like it when the dogs steal the turkey. The entire movie is just great.
Candice DeRiso, Marketing Strategist
What, if any holidays do you celebrate?
Christmas and Winter Solstice
What’s your favorite holiday or family tradition?
I love to decorate the Christmas tree on the winter solstice (also my sister’s birthday) with my family. It’s so much fun to see all of the ornaments we have collected over the years. Some of the best ones are from when I was a kid. It’s also a tradition to receive your childhood ornaments from parents once we get married. Now my collection of ornaments gets combined with my son and husband’s ornaments.
What your favorite holiday movie and why?
This is a tough question! My first instinct is to say Frosty the Snowman, but Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is pretty crucial for the season as well. Those are the “kid” movies I love. My “grown up” movie favorite is definitely all about the Griswalds – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Sally Clark, Project Manager
What, if any holidays do you celebrate?
Christmas
What’s your favorite holiday or family tradition?
My favorite holidays are Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We go all out for Halloween, decorating so much that the neighbors are envious. Dressing up when there’s enough time to do so, and wowing the kiddos with full size candy bars. It’s a lot of fun. Thanksgiving and Christmas are a given, in my opinion, as they’re centered around family, charity and kindness.
What your favorite holiday movie and why?
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. I absolutely love the movie because it’s hilarious, a little over the top, and never gets old. The portrayed sentiments towards family members are relatable. Everyone knows someone who can truly sympathize to Clark’s outburst after receiving enrollment to the ‘jelly of the month club’ instead of his usual Christmas bonus. LOL
What Are Some Of Your Team’s Holiday Traditions?
How about you? Do you and your family have unique holiday traditions, favorite movies, or memories? How about your team member’s holiday traditions? Let us know about it!
As we wrap up a busy year here at SpokenHere, we wish you all a restful and joyful holiday season, and look forward to the new year ahead. Happy holidays!