The best time of the year is officially here! You might not realize it, but traditions are what make this season so magical. Traditions bring a sense of comfort, nostalgia, and continuity to people all around the world.

Everyone has their own set to make their Christmas complete. Here’s 10 of the best Christmas traditions that we love and highly recommend!

Decorating the tree – My all-time favorite Christmas tradition is probably the most obvious — decorating the Christmas tree. Each year I get back all of the ornaments I forget about and it’s always so nostalgic remembering how old I was when I got each one. Each ornament is different and special, most having my name and some sort of animal on them. I never want to decorate it because it takes so long and my mom is very picky about it, but once I start, I love doing it. -Cady

Elf on the Shelf- They took “…he sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake…” to a whole new level when they brought Elf On The Shelf into Christmas traditions. They generally come around after Thanksgiving, and single handedly keep every naughty kid in check. – Annie

Christmas lights- Looking at all of the lights is another Christmas tradition I love. Whether you go on a drive specifically looking for the best lights you can find that year, or if you just happen to come across a house that went all out, looking at lights never disappoints. The huge neighborhoods in Lexington always have a variety of outside decorations like lights, blow ups, and nativity scenes. -Cady

Making “reindeer food”- Making reindeer food is a simple Christmas tradition, but it holds a special place in every animal lover’s heart. Not only is it fun, but it’s also very easy to make — oats, carrots, cheerios, and of course edible glitter! While you may not have a reindeer walk across your yard on Christmas day, birds, rabbits, or any animal passing by would greatly appreciate this simple snack. – Annie

Baking cookies- The holiday season isn’t complete without baking Christmas cookies. The tiny little ones with trees and elf hats in the middle are the very best. Or you can make sugar cookies and decorate them to make them festive. Personally, I always bake cookies, but you could make brownies, pie, really anything. Baking in general gives your house the comfort of the holidays. – Cady

Putting pickles out for Santa instead of cookies- This is one of my favorite family traditions of all time. We always said that Santa would get tired of eating something sweet at every single house, so we switched it up and gave him a plate full of pickles. -Annie

Movies- Every year once November rolls around, so do the Christmas movies. My favorite is The Grinch (real people edition of course). Christmas movies never get old and they always have the same nostalgia around them. Christmas Vacation, Elf, Home Alone — the whole country will continue to watch these year after year, and love them each time. -Cady

Opening one present on Christmas Eve– This is a family tradition that many people around the world celebrate. Opening one gift the day before Christmas sets the mood for how awesome your actual Christmas will be. In my family, my mom will let us open one gift the night before. She will never tell us what it is to keep us excited but every year without a fail it has been a pair of pajamas. -Annie

Gingerbread houses- From being a little kid, to now, gingerbread houses have been an annual tradition. As the years go on, the stores start getting really extravagant and now there are gingerbread mansions, cars, cities, etc. The competitive aspect of who can make the best house combined with how good the cheap frosting in those packages are makes this the perfect tradition. And it changes a little bit each time because the home decor evolves with you! – Cady

Buying a real Christmas tree- The most traditional Christmas tradition of all time is buying a real tree to decorate for the holidays. It may be a hassle to bring into the house, or it may be a hassle having to water it and clean up around it, but real trees permeate the house with a cozy Christmas smell that candles can’t get just right. It’s rare nowadays to have a real tree, but those who get them will never stop this tradition with their families. – Annie

Traditions hold a special place in everyone’s heart. Whether it’s worldwide or just in your family, they bring togetherness into every holiday. If you’ve never done something off of this list, you can start a new tradition for you and your loved ones this year!