Christmas Eve gift exchange

My favorite favorite favorite Christmas tradition is our family gift exchange.  We draw names just for our little family and we open those gifts on Christmas Eve.  It is just a 20$ limit and it is not a secret who you have.  We usually draw the name around Halloween or Thanksgiving so you can be thinking and pondering and treasuring what to get your special someone.  The kids LOVE this tradition.  They love GIVING to each other.  They can't wait to see who they get to GIVE to every year.  I LOVE to take the pictures not of the receiving person but of the giving person.  The excitement of that person waiting for them to open the gift is almost to much for me to handle. Don't' get me wrong....the receiver is REALLY excited....they have been taunted all season with "I got you something gooooooood!!!"  Max had Juliet this year.  

He got her a My Little Pony set with Princess Celestia.  It was a BIG deal!

Juliet had Dash.  She had the HARDEST time keeping this a secret!  It was a set of 8 guys that you color and she REALLY wanted him to color them with her.

Dash had Daddy this year.  Star Wars Origami book....Does it get any better? 

Only if you get a t shirt with it!

Daddy had mommy and he got me a watch that I saw in a gas station and I wanted it BAD!  I had no idea!  Sneaky Pete!

Mommy had Darby!  She got the first season of Duck Dynasty and her mom's old embroidery kit with new things to embroider.

Darby had Max.  She gave him a bathrobe....it was all he had been talking about for MONTHS and the newest Diary of a Wimpy Kid book!

Traditions bring us closer together and help build memories.  This is by far one of my FAVORITE traditions!  What is yours and why?