【Nikki Nova Archives】

Many families -- maybe even yours -- honor holiday traditions that have Nikki Nova Archivesspanned generations. You know, like choosing a yearly Christmas tree ornament, or pulling apart that turkey wishbone with Aunt Patricia.

In fact, festive traditions are so fun that it's tempting to start a few more this year. But in 2016, a year already fraught with holiday political arguments and tense family dinners, starting a new tradition might be a little difficult.

But it's not impossible! Try these 2016-appropriate traditions and you and yours will be soaked in warm holiday spirit in no time.

1. Enjoy the world's natural beauty by taking the scenic route to Grandma's.

For example, if you're going from Baltimore to Washington, D.C., try driving up to Detroit, tracing the entire Canadian border, enjoying the Northwest, then cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway before heading back east to kick off the holidays.

Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

2. Employ the traditional holiday greeting: a low, wordless hum.

If everyone says "hi" to each other with a low, wordless hum, no one can ask you about your nose piercing -- at least for now.

3. Instead of holding hands for the before-dinner prayer, do not hold hands.

A fun twist on holding hands.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

4. Before you eat, go around the table and reveal the place you would rather be.

For example, you would rather be driving along the Canadian border.

5. Make sure to laugh at someone else's answer.

But if someone laughs at yours, don'tbe a good sport.

Credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

6. After dinner, enjoy a nice book in a room separate from everyone else.

If all the rooms are taken, head out to the driveway. Don't forget to put on your coat!

7. Call out your cousin for cheating at Trouble.

Every year, Cousin Brock cheats at Trouble, a children's game at which it is nearly impossible to cheat. This year -- and every year henceforth -- Brock's getting called out for moving seven spaces instead of six. Hell yeah.

8. When they're not watching, drop a big piece of coal in each of your relatives' pockets.

Just like the bell in The Polar Express!

9. Watch your beloved VHS of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which, as you have known for years, is broken and will stop playing somewhere around the 41-minute mark.

It doesn't matter anyway -- everyone will fall asleep by minute 30.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

10. Yell.

Yell at your family, especially those who have wronged you this year.

Happy holidays!

---

Featured Video For You

---

Adorable parade of Santa penguins is the best gift you'll get this holiday

---

• Life
• Entertainment
• Games
• Shopping
• Social Good
• Deals
• Digital Culture
• Science

• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2025
• Cooking with Aglaja Veteranyi by Valerie Stivers
• “Daddy Was a Number Runner” by Deesha Philyaw
• Beaver Moon by Nina MacLaughlin
• Is it 'Thunderbolts*' or *The New Avengers'?
• Dodie Bellamy’s Many Appetites by Emily Gould
• Spiky Washes by The Paris Review
• A Woman and a Philosopher: An Interview with Amia Srinivasan by Lidija Haas
• Time to Unite
• Cooking with Mary Shelley by Valerie Stivers

• IKEA sent out an AI survey and what in the name of eftersökt are they planning?!
• Facebook Messenger's Instant Games just got a serious upgrade
• ESPN's big bloodbath appears not quite over yet
• Liam Payne and Cheryl finally chose a pretty interesting name for their son
• Video game releases that we're psyched about in May 2017
• This firm is creating 10,000 jobs in the U.S. because of Trump
• Harry Styles' song 'Sweet Creature' will have you crying millennial pink tears
• The world's fastest camera can capture 5 trillion frames per second
• Surgeon transplants a second head onto a rat, wants to work on humans next
• Amazon is giving an entire town free Prime membership because marketing is out of control

• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 23, 2025
• Harvest Moon by Nina MacLaughlin
• Skinning a Cat: On Writer’s Block by The Paris Review
• This Year’s Prizewinners
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for April 17: Tips to solve Connections #206
• A Woman and a Philosopher: An Interview with Amia Srinivasan by Lidija Haas
• Nocturne Vibes by The Paris Review
• The Review’s Review: Magma, Memphis, and the Middle Ages by The Paris Review
• Draper vs. Arnaldi 2025 livestream: Watch Madrid Open for free
• Fast by Nichole Perkins

• Gods of War
• Tree Time by Sumana Roy
• No Balls, No Nets by Kyle Beachy
• En Garde by The Paris Review
• Is it 'Thunderbolts*' or *The New Avengers'?
• Eavesdropping in the Archives: Six Artist Portraits by Aisha Sabatini Sloan and Lester Sloan
• The Fourth Rhyme: On Stephen Sondheim by Adrienne Raphel
• This Year’s Prizewinners
• Nintendo Switch 2 preorder just days away, per leak
• The Shuffle and the Breath: On Charlie Watts by Christian Lorentzen