This post has been sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was a pretty typical kid. I loved to ride my bike with my friends and at the end of the day, eat dinner with my family. My mom served the evening meal at 6:00 every night. With six kids, money was tight, but mom made it work. And the holidays were always special. To say our house was crazy and fun on Thanksgiving and Christmas would be an understatement!

I always wanted to a mom. Even as a kid, I knew I wanted to have kids of my own. I am blessed to have three amazing kids. When it comes to the holidays, our house is almost as crazy and fun as my house was as a kid! I have kept some of my mom’s traditions and I have added a few of my own. I wanted my kids to create memories of their own. Here is how to start fun family traditions with your family!

• Holiday Lights: My kids are teens and they enjoy seeing the holidays lights as much as when they were kids. We bring to go cups of hot chocolate and wear our pajamas. We drive through several neighborhoods to see the beautiful lights. Check your community for outdoor light events too. We live near Dollywood, the amusement park, and they have a trail of holiday lights and sculptures.
• White Elephant Gifts: One of the funniest traditions we have is to exchange white elephant gifts. This is where you sit in a circle and one person opens a gift. The next person in the circle opens their gift. They can keep their gift or trade with the person that went before them. The idea is to have fun, so the goal is to buy a crazy gag gift that also has a coolness factor. People won’t be able to decide if it is too cool to trade or too much of a gag to keep!
• Pajama Day: Most years, we have close family celebrate the holidays with us. We all dress casual, many in their pajamas, and have a chill day. We eat when we want, play games, watch movies or whatever the spirit moves us to do! We enjoy being together and focus on that. No stress. Just fun!

• Food And Drink: My son and husband don’t like turkey. My daughter and I do. So, to make everyone happy, I make a small turkey and a meatloaf every year. In your home, don’t feel you need to make a turkey if everyone likes ham. Or pull A Christmas Story and eat Chinese food! One thing we all agree on is our meal isn’t complete without a tall cold glass of Diet Coke®. Ahhhhh…
• Crazy Family Photo: My husband and I are not crazy about having out picture taken. But, I do appreciate that the kids want photos of the family. We decided to take an annual holiday family picture. We just don’t go the formal portrait route. We will wear our pajamas, do a photo booth or whatever strikes our fancy that year. It is fun to see the different ideas we have come up with over the years!
• Bake A Cake: I know many families bake cookies at Christmas. We do as well. But we started baking a cake on Christmas eve when Caitlin was 5. She wanted to make Jesus a Happy Birthday Cake. We have done it ever since!

When we are hosting any get together, we always head to our local Sam’s Club. I know I can get everything I need and my pocketbook thanks me! I love that I can stock up on the 4-pack of 2-L Diet Coke® at Sam’s Club. One a normal week, we will grab a few 4-packs. During the holidays, I make sure to add more to my cart! I mean, who doesn’t love a cold glass of that delicious fizziness?!

Serving Diet Coke® at our family meals has been a tradition in my home for many years. My Gram drank it. One Sunday, she shared a glass with me. It was love at first sip! I have been drinking it ever since! Now my kids love it as much as I do! I may be enjoying a glass of it as I type this post for you!  Do you enjoy drinking out of fun cups or glasses? We sure do! Whenever I see something cute I think the kids will like, I will grab it. This year, we are drinking our Diet Coke® at Sam’s Club out of owl glasses! Could you just?! Be sure to follow Sam’s Club on Facebook and Twitter.

This holiday season, include Coca-Cola® as part of your tradition. Pick up Sprite® 4 pack 2 Liter, Diet Coke® 4 Pack 2 Liter, Coca-Cola® 35 pack cans, or Coca-Cola® 30 pack Mini Cans beverages from Sam’s Club, then upload your receipt for a chance to WIN a trip for two to Los Angeles featuring:

• An exclusive red-carpet screening of The Greatest Showman, plus pre-show performance
• Round trip air transportation for two (2)
• Two (2) 20th Century Fox goodie bags
• Three (3) nights’ luxury accommodations in a Hollywood hotel
• VIP backstage tour of Fox Studios with lunch at the on-site restaurant
• Full on-site assistance from a personal winner manager throughout the trip

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity!

What fun family traditions do you have in your home? Is Diet Coke® a part of them? I would love to hear about them!