Think about how you celebrated holidays as a child—who you celebrated with and where you celebrated. Did it vary by holiday? Were there traditions that your family followed, or was each holiday unique? Did you have a favorite? Perhaps there was a particularly memorable person that you looked forward to seeing—or wished you didn’t. Do any events involving that person stand out in your memory? If there were other children at your holiday celebrations, did you like to play with them? Try to paint a word picture of the event(s) you remember best, being sure to include your emotions.

What was the best gift you received as a child? What was so wonderful about it? How did it make you feel? Tell about the person who gave it to you: did they know how much you wanted it? Was it a lucky guess? Was your relationship with that person part of what made the gift great?