The 12 Days of Giving may be over now, but they sure were fun while they lasted. If you haven’t yet had an opportunity to go through the comments, we’d like to encourage you to do so. Each new day and new question brought in hundreds of comments from around the country. Some were sweet and heartfelt while others were funny; we had some sad ones, some silly ones, and some very, very short ones. All in all, it was great to be able to step into your world and share a bit of the holidays with you.
We learned a little something, too. You just can’t read almost three thousand comments without picking up a few common threads. Most of you came back more than once to participate in the 12 Days of Giving, and a few of you even made it to all 12 Days. It could be fun to put together all 12 answers from the same person and see how they summed up the holidays. Hmm, maybe after the holiday rush.
In the meantime, here are a few things we noticed as the days went by:
Day One: Dr. Martens – “What is your first holiday memory?”
No surprise, the memories you shared were all over the place; lights, cutting trees, broken ornaments, favorite childhood presents and more. If there was a theme at all, it was family. Most of our earliest holiday memories had something to do with family.
Day Two: The North Face – “What is your favorite holiday-themed movie?”
While some of you prefer non-traditional holiday-themed movies, such as Die Hard, Love Actually or Gremlins, it was the classics (new and old) that took the award for Best Picture here. Your favorite movies (in random order) included White Christmas, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s a Wonderful Life, Elf, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story and Muppets Christmas Carol.
Day Three: Soleus - “What is the best holiday gift you’ve ever received?”
Favorite holiday gifts were as individual as first memories; there were surprise trips, jewelry, Cabbage Patch dolls, bikes, electronics and animals. Unlike first memories, though, the most frequent holiday gift comment had something to do with the ability to just be around your loved ones during the holidays. Your favorite gift is each other.
Day Four: Rockport - “What is your favorite holiday memory?”
We could copy and paste the summary of Day Three right here and, for the most part, it would be accurate. Your favorite memories were about surprise trips, Cabbage Patch dolls, animals and all that “I got just what I always wanted” stuff, as expected. But again, like first memories and favorite gifts, your favorite holiday memories were about family and friends.
Day Five: Tecnica - “What is your favorite winter activity?”
Snow, snow and more snow. With apologies to our friends in warmer climates, your favorite winter activities were almost completely snow-related. There are plenty of sledding, skiing and snowboarding fans among you, but there are just as many that look forward to simple walk (or snowshoeing) when the snow falls. And let me just say two more words: Snow angels.
Day Six: Sanita - “What is the worst holiday gift you’ve ever received?”
Some made us laugh, some made us cry and some brought back childhood memories of our own. Sometimes your worst gift earned its place in your heart because of the person who gave it to you, but for most of you your worst gifts were just plain bad on any scale of measurement. Jewelry engraved with other people’s names, old sweaters from storage, half-used items, re-gifted items returning to the person who gave them in the first place….they all just need to go to the Island of Misfit Toys.
Day Seven: SOREL- “What is your favorite holiday gift to give?”
Without a doubt, most of you prefer to give something homemade, handcrafted or personal in some way. You like to give a little of yourself in your gifts. Of course, there were also a number of folks whose gift-giving seemed more aspirational than realistic…yes, we’d all like to hand out iPads to our friends and family.
Day Eight: Giesswein - “What always gets you in the holiday spirit?”
For the most part, holiday music was the number one response when it comes to getting into the holiday spirit. Food was second, but by a fairly wide margin, and then things like a specific movie, event or family gathering filled out the list. So, next year we’d recommend starting with holiday music, moving on to making cookies and treats and then gather the extended family for a little quality time. Instant holiday spirit.
Day Nine: Jessica Simpson & Sperry Top-Sider – “What is your favorite holiday treat?”
Getting people to talk about their favorite holiday treats is about as difficult as getting grandparents to show pictures of their grandkids. Just about every holiday treat you can think of is represented on our list; Christmas cookies with names we couldn’t pronounce, eggnog, pies and homemade candies of all types. From hand-crafted goodies to seasonal coffeehouse beverages, everyone has a favorite way to greet the holidays—and let’s just agree to hold off on using the bathroom scale until next year.
Day Ten: Columbia - “What is your favorite holiday song?”
You want an easy way to create a playlist for your holiday party? Just ask 300 people to name their favorite holiday songs. Here are the top dozen songs:
- White Christmas – Bing Crosby
- Home – Michael Buble
- Silver Bells
- Silent Night
- O, Holy Night – Nat King Cole
- Jingle Bells
- Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Ray Charles
- Santa Baby
- The Chanukah Song – Adam Sandler
- Hallelujah Chorus
- Feliz Navidad
- I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Sorry, we can’t list Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, even though it was submitted a dozen times. It’s just too soon.
Day Eleven: Tsubo - “How do you decorate for the holidays?”
Decorating for the holidays showed a preference for moderation this year. By a small majority, people are choosing to put up a modest tree, string a few lights around the house and not go too over-the-top with their decorating. Of course, there were the other folks as well–holiday decorations everywhere and all the time. A fairly significant number of people said they liked to turn on the Christmas lights the minute Thanksgiving dinner is over, and a few people were all about decorating their homes like Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. You can see their houses from space. Awesome.
Day Twelve: Sherpani - “What is your favorite holiday tradition?”
Some of you are nuts. We’re not naming names, but the tradition of pizza and French Fries for Christmas breakfast or travelling to a family gathering where everyone is in their pajamas all day is…well, perhaps “Not for me.” is the best way to say it. The rest of you submitted comments about opening stockings on Christmas Eve, midnight church services, gathering for family celebrations, singing songs and sharing meals. Much like most of the almost 3000 submissions we read, your favorite holiday traditions were all about being with friends and family. And on that note…
Thank you for all of your comments and sharing a little bit of what makes the holidays special for you and yours. We look forward to seeing you again in the New Year. All the best, from our family to yours.
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