Sophomore Annemarie Teagle has a special holiday tradition unlike many other families.

 “Every year we get a pickle ornament and my parents hide it in our Christmas tree for me and my siblings to find,” Teagle said.

 Whoever find the pickle first gets either an extra present or they get to open the first present on Christmas morning. According to Teagle, one year they almost could not find the pickle, which had slipped from its hiding place and ended up on the ground among the presents.

 Teagle’s grandmother started the tradition in her own family and continued it on to Teagle’s mother. Now it  is now in the hands of Teagle and her two siblings, Michael and Katherine Teagle.

The Teagle pickle tradition is just one way families will be celebrating the Christmas season, which usually kicks off right after Thanksgiving.

 Look out the window and lights will be twinkling and dripping from roofs on houses. The smell of evergreens, fresh baked cookies, and peppermint fills the air. Bells  ring in front of shopping centers asking the people passing by for a bit of change.   In most homes that celebrate Christmas, this time of year comes with decorating Christmas trees, hanging stockings in front of the fireplace and wrapping gifts for loved ones and friends. Though traditions like these are a common thread weaved throughout the holiday, each has their own traditions that make them unique.

 According to History.com, Dec. 25 has been a federal holiday in the U.S. since 1870. But centuries before Christians created a day of remembrance for the birth of Jesus, the middle of winter had been a time of celebration, a time when many farming and hunting communities marked the end of winter and the approach of spring.

 Annually, $3.19 trillion are spent in the retail industry in the United States alone, which accounts for the gifts being given and received throughout the country. This is possibly the most widely received and participated in aspect of all the Christmas season, other than decorating an evergreen, as it has no ties to religious thought.

 For many, Christmas conjures up feelings of joy and peace and a time to spend with families. Some families take vacations to warm places to escape the cold and others travel to resorts in order to relish in it. Many families opt to stay home. But no matter where they go, a central focus is that of family.

 LeighAnn Wolfe, girl’s basketball coach and AQR and Algebra II teacher, loves Christmas because it is a chance to spend time with her family and give her children gifts.

 “I really like celebrating Christmas now that i have kids,” Wolfe said. “It’s so much fun buying the presents and anticipating the look on their faces.”

 Wolfe’s mother also sits all of the children down and reads them the “True Meaning of Christmas,” which is Wolfe’s favorite part of the holiday.