The Whistle asked Tech faculty and staff members to share their favorite holiday traditions. Read on to find out what your colleagues said.  

Singing Christmas music with our church choir is a part of our celebration. Singing has been an important part of my life since grade school, and I have the privilege of singing with good friends in the choir at First Methodist Church in Marietta.   
— Ron Bohlander, Georgia Tech Research Institute

We always attend the Christmas Carol Concert at Morehouse College. It’s a powerful performance in which the Morehouse and Spelman College Glee Clubs, more than 100 voices, perform holiday songs from around the world and through the ages.   
— Maria Linderoth, Facilities

For more than 15 years, the Alumni Association has adopted families for the holiday season. We locate families in need  through local county or charitable agencies, and then our staff members contribute to their wish lists through monetary donations or gifts. One morning, with holiday music playing and sugary treats available, we get together and wrap all the presents.
— Alumni Association

My favorite holiday tradition is to spend Christmas day with my siblings in my sister’s fantastic, enormous kitchen in Denver cooking, chatting and showing off our culinary skills. After hours of preparation, the entire extended family shows up to eat dinner.  
— Kirk Bowman, International Affairs

We are always away from home visiting family during the holidays. So every year, we pick an open Saturday in December and declare it “Fake Christmas.” We wake up that morning,  open gifts, eat all of our favorite Christmas foods and spend quality family time together. It allows us to have our own holiday traditions without getting lost in the travel shuffle.
— Kim Sterritt, Parents Program

My favorite December tradition is picking out a Christmas tree with my children and decorating it. We play holiday music and attempt to sing, which involves a lot of laughter. Over the past few years, my daughter has recorded us, and then we laugh about that for days.
— Darlene Wright, Human Resources

The annual Family Housing Holiday Party has been a tradition since 1995. We invite all Family Housing residents. Most of them are new parents, so this is their baby’s first Christmas party. We also invite all international students, and many attend and have their pictures taken with Santa. We also display posters representing holiday celebrations around the world including Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and New Year celebrations.
— Maz Kosma, Housing