Christmas at the Hampson home

I know when it’s Christmas. 

I know I’m still like 12-year-old waking up at some ridiculous time in the morning to start the day. My grandparents are already awake after spending the night at our house. Not even 10 minutes later, my favorite smell travels throughout the house.

Pillsbury cinnamon rolls - it’s a Hampson tradition.

Honestly, Christmas could end there and it would be one amazing holiday. But Christmas is always special at the Hampson home. Throughout the year, my mom’s two sisters and brother pick holidays to be hosted at their respective house. Good thing we chose Christmas. 

Unlike the horror stories I hear of my friends’ experience with relatives, mine seem extremely normal and amazing. All of my relatives are within 10 years of each other and we all have the same sense of humor and personality. I’m all for getting the relatives together every chance we can. 

After my immediate family does the present opening and Christmas, it’s time to get ready for the relatives - which usually means that my brother and I play video games and music and get ready 20 minutes before everybody comes over. 

Recently, we all decided to do the gift exchange game. The good kind. Not the stupid game where the gifts are all jokes. You don’t even need to label our game “White Elephant” for us to know that we’re going to make some of the most ridiculous presents. What makes it better is that these gifts (most of the time slightly offensive and hilarious) are mixed in with some really good gifts.

Let’s be honest...about 90 percent of the fun that is involved in this game is the competition. Like most gift exchanges, every gift can get “stolen” twice. And let’s be honest about this too...our families are competitive while remaining light-hearted. 

The title of our game should just be called, “Gift Exchange: Family Battle Royale.”

Good thing there aren’t any newcomers coming to this game because they would soon realize the plots being made are perfectly skilled traps between families as each new present opens. You’d think our families would be plotting out the next war. As a matter of fact, in a couple more years Congress might want our four families to start plotting the next war.

Each family strategically uses the person that is going last in their family to rake in the present that the family really wants (and when I say family, I mean parents).

Steal by steal, person by person, this game gets louder and more intense. The kids are mostly all in college and have a keen eye on gift cards. What college student doesn’t need a gift card to Starbucks or Target? They are just too good to pass up and too easy to steal.

Then comes the curveball...a spork?

“Okay, who put a spork in the gift exchange?” 

Everyone laughs because this game is supposed to be fun and light-hearted. Side note: a spork was actually put in last year’s gift exchange. 

Deep down inside, we really don’t care what we get as a gift. We’re here to enjoy each other’s company and to make sure everybody is having a blast. The families are just here to prove that they can out-smart the others. A little competition never hurt anybody.

A little family time never hurt anybody either. Welcome to the Hampson home and Merry Christmas.