Growing up, all of your family’s traditions were perfectly normal. Nobody would question them, and you might have assumed that every family followed the exact same rituals. But there comes a time in many adults’ lives when they realize that not only was their family unique, they might even be seen as crazy…

Netizens have been revealing the most bizarre, wholesome, and unexpected traditions that their families have. From how they celebrate certain holidays to rules that they must follow before leaving the house, this list proves that every family is special. Enjoy scrolling through these traditions that you might want to implement in your own family, and be sure to upvote your favorites!

#1

We have a great one called, “Let’s examine my life decisions.” I’ve lost for 20+ years running.

© Photo: anon

#2

We had an aunt who was pretty far into Alzheimer’s. One year at thanks giving, my entire extended family was holding hands while our uncle, her husband, said grace.

Uncle: In Jesus name…
Aunt: Son of a b…!
Everybody: Amen!

She’s gone now, but we keep it going.

© Photo: UltimateUltamate

#3

Pretending to be asleep. When ever a family member or guest arrives at our home, everyone, no matter what they’re doing, will be fast asleep snoring obnoxiously.

© Photo: pie_floater

#4

A few years ago my brother and I started a tradition of seeing how many times we could work an odd word into conversation with our uptight dad and stepmom at holiday visits.

Two years ago, the word chosen was “lesbian,” which, considering how closed-minded my stepmom is, was hilarious. The key is to turn the conversation, so the chosen word comes up organically, not just interject it whenever.

Well after three days of somehow fitting “lesbian” into every conversation, we’re all sitting around the dinner table when talk turns to Anthony Hopkins, about which my bro says, “Anthony Hopkins, what an incredible thesbian.” That was the year they almost caught on.

© Photo: franklyno

#5

Whenever my family orders pizza for dinner, we lay out a blanket in the family room and eat on the floor. My parents did that before they were married, and we still do it 20 years later.

© Photo: warriors15

#6

We sing happy birthday in Polish. We do not speak Polish.

© Photo: Stones25

#7

A little over a decade ago my mother found an old high school art project while packing up boxes in preparation to leave my childhood home. This piece of “art” was terrible. It was a hand sculpted toothbrush holder. Basically a large green cup, but with the top of it being a huge wide open mouth, with big nasty teeth and a tongue spilling out well over the side of it. It was coloured and kilned. It will now be solely referred to as “The Beast”.

My mother is very nostalgic and hates to throw things of this nature away. So she gave it to my sister who was already married and moved out. This is where the fun begins. My sister(Emily) denies it was her that made something that ugly and says it was my brother. My mom tells her to give it to him then. But, when Emily tries to give the wretched spawn that is The Beast to my brother(Merrick) he also denies fathering such an abomination.

This escalates quickly, very quickly into a full on war. Emily and Merrick spend the next ten years finding new and creative ways to sneak the object into each others homes and hide it. Because if the other person doesn’t even know it is in their house, it clearly will not be in yours. But if you have hidden it on the other, you are always wondering, “Have they found it yet?!”, “Is it in my house”.

Finally, the war ends when my Merrick comes to me asking for help. You see I was doing some construction work in my sisters house. He looks at me with intensity and camaraderie that only a brotherhood can produce, “Hide it somewhere she will NEVER find it!”. I just nod assuringly and take The Beast home with me.

The next month I am making and installing custom cabinetry in my sisters master closet. And I get the idea. There is a larger piece that I made to go floor to ceiling, to hold all her jewelry and a mirror with a chest of drawers below it. I cut a hole in the wall, wedge The Beast between two framing studs and seal its tomb as I glued, screwed and nailed that SOB into the wall. I took pictures of the entire act, as per Merrick’s request, and he slowly started leaving hints to my sister that she might want to take a look around her house for it. Finally at Christmas, Merrick made a hand drawn sketch of The Beast with the words “You are not alone” wrapped it up and gave it to her on Christmas morning. Emily spent a year looking for it, the next Christmas he gave her the pictures of it being sealed into the very framework of her house. It was beautiful. Game over…. or is it…..

Fast forward to last year, my mother walks up to me at Christmas time, the entire family in the living room. She says, “Close your eyes and hold out your hands”, I comply. She places something in my hand, the texture is very familiar but the shape is foreign. “Open your eyes.”, she says. I look down. In my hands is another piece of hand crafted “art” coloured and kilned, and it is actually, somehow, uglier than The Beast. “WHAT IS THIS!” I yelled. She smiles and just says, “Flip it over.”. I do, and on the back engraved into the very clay that formed it, is my name, age, and the date it was made. There was a moment of silence in the house, and everyone knew. The years of peace and comfort had come to an end. The nights of being able to lay your head on your pillow and know you were alone, and your family was safe from It, oh but a distant memory.

A new war had begun….

EDIT:As requested many times below, PICTURES!

© Photo: 3rdramdeep

#8

For as long as I can remember my mom has buttered my nose on my birthday. I have no idea where this tradition originated. She’s also been so kind as to carry this over to my significant others. Ive gotten wise to her and the sneaky way she tries to carry butter in her hand without me noticing, but then she gets me tipsy and I let my guard down and BAM! Butter nose.

Basically my mom is a huge dork.

© Photo: anon

#9

My Dad is Narcoleptic. Every year when he inevitably passes out at the table during Thanksgiving dinner my sisters & I play our favorite game called “What can we balance on Dad’s head?”

So far our most impressive item is a coffee mug. I’m fairly proud of that one.

© Photo: anon

#10

As long as I can remember, almost all of the guys in my family take off their pants when they get home. None of us like wearing pants, we just peruse the house in boxers all day.

Also, my Dad loves to text me multiple times a day and tell me about how awesome his dumps are, and how they drive my mother either upstairs, downstairs, or straight out of the house.

© Photo: pdmcmahon

#11

My mom and dad split when I was 4. When they finalized the divorce it was a week before Christmas when I was 8. My dad got custody and after Christmas dinner and stuff he put me and my sister to bed. An hour or so later I could hear my dad crying. I went out to hug him. He was watching Die Hard on TV. I sat and watched with him. So now every year, we watch Die Hard together.
**TL;DR:** Yippee-ki-yay, Mr. Falcon.

© Photo: leroywhat

#12

My kids are grown and we live in different parts of the country.

Whenever one of us gets on a plane, we call each other and say, “I regret nothing.”

Creepy, but fun.

© Photo: YesRocketScience

#13

Everyone gives the dogs silly voices. Every time they do something wierd or silly, one person in the family will dub it over in some wierd voice.

© Photo: Gratrunka

#14

I happen to be part of a very tight knit, loving, Christian family. My brother and I are close to the same age, and when we would have friends who just needed a day/week/month away from their less fortunate home life, my parents were more than happy to provide. We had one month where we took in so many kids that I was sleeping on the couch all month. Aside from the neck trouble, it was nice. It’s humbling when you know that your home life is so darn simple when you have a friend whose stepfather actually tried to sleep with them. If they didn’t have a place to go they could have really been in trouble. Instead, we got them a job, an apartment and sent them on their way away from the mess of a home they were in.

© Photo: flipilikeck47

#15

Whenever my Italian side of the family gets together for Christmas, at some point during the meal someone will get up and blast “Dominic the Donkey”. It becomes a big sing-along, complete with goofy dancing.

© Photo: eats_pills

#16

Several years ago at a family party I left a soda can in my brother’s room. He went to clean up his room and put the soda can in mine. Being the stubborn jerk I was, I ended up putting it BACK in his room because hey he should’ve just taken care of it.

Anywho, fast forward several years and we now play hide the soda can. It was a while before we even confronted each other about it so it developed silently. You’d just be going about your daily way and BAM, soda can at you. It has gotten more difficult since we’ve both moved out, but both of our significant others have agreed not to interfere (and yes we still use the same nasty old mug soda can).

© Photo: krazykakess

#17

We have a family roast every Sunday, but it is much more than just the food we eat. Generally it ends up much like a celebrity roast where one member of the family gets ridiculed and had hilarious (embellished) stories told about them for then hour while everyone else laughs. It’s always in good humor and my mum is usually on the receiving end every second week, but the week feels like it’s missed something without the joyous 6pm Sunday banter.

© Photo: macoure

#18

At Christmas time, instead of getting the Christmas tree out,my father used to get out an aluminium pole….

© Photo: anon

#19

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, my grandmother made Spanish Custard (like a flan) which was always chilled in a fancy cut glass dish.
For presentation, the custard would be flipped out onto a plate and we’d all examine it to see if 3 layers appeared (the dish is made with heavy cream which would separate slightly as it chilled and you’d get a dense creamy layer, an opaque shiny layer and an almost clear milky layer.)
These days, with the way cream is processed, the milky layer no longer shows up so we don’t flip it out anymore.
My grandmother died a few years ago and my mother inherited the Custard Dish. That’s when she found out that the recipe made about a 1/2 cup more custard than the dish held. All those years, everyone thought Gran was being generous by letting everyone else have the custard when she had her own stash all along.

© Photo: jaimystery

#20

Listening to ‘Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster’ by Geto Boys on Thanksgiving…. Instead of saying grace. My dad likes it, I have no idea when it started.

© Photo: EyeOfBrian

#21

Arranged marriage.

© Photo: anon

#22

Easter egg hunt for our dogs. We make Easter eggs, like three dozen, and hidden them for the kids, but later we put the dogs in the front, then hide a few eggs for them, rubbing them around on the ground to leave scent tracks. They LOVE it, and most have picked it up quickly. Some are too good and we end up realizing we just fed the dog 6 eggs and its going to be fartsville soon…

© Photo: Iznomore

#23

Every Groundhog day we go and get small gifts for each other for a dollar or less, then we eat flap jacks and watch Groundhog day.

No joke.

© Photo: Rea1ity_Czech

#24

If we leave the house, forget something and go back in, we sit down and cross our legs before we leave again. My grandmother started it. Now I use it as an opportunity to think of my grandmother every now and then. Puts a smile on my face.

© Photo: quattro33

#25

Everyone in my family talks about their bowel movements to one another. I don’t understand it. I think I’m adopted.

© Photo: anon

#26

On Christmas Eve, during dinner, we always set the table for one extra person, wether it be someone who calls last minute or someone on the street that needs that dinner. Sometimes it stays empty, sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s nice to be prepared and invite someone that can’t have that on their own.

© Photo: jestemmyszka

#27

For Easter dinner, my aunt and uncle would always buy a stick of butter molded into the shape of a lamb. Before we ate, it was my job to chop its head off.

© Photo: StutMoleFeet

#28

Springbreaksgiving. Because one Thanksgiving a year is not enough.

© Photo: SuperFooders

#29

We have an awesome tradition when there’s a death in the family. The night befor the funeral the family gets together and buys a huge bottle of the deceased’s favorite alcoholic drink. Usually tequila or whiskey. We all sit around and drink till its gone. There’s usually some tears, and a ton of fun talking about old memories. Then when the alcohol is gone everyone writes a note to the dead, or gives a speech depending on how much we’ve drank. Them the notes put into the bottle and buried the next day in the casket. It’s a good way to get out feels and come together as a family.

#30

Watching Christmas Vacation every Christmas eve.

#31

Don’t know what caused it, but on your birthday, this is how gifts are given.

Somebody else in the family is chosen as “gift master”. We don’t really have a term for it, but that’s probably close enough. The gift master then takes the presents one at a time and places them on the birthday person’s head. They then say “Heavy, heavy, over your head. What are you going to do with it”. The birthday person has to guess what they are going to do with the gift before the gift can be removed from their head.

One year when I was little there was a HUGE box wrapped up on my birthday. I was so excited because I had always wanted a doll house and what else would be in a 3’x 4′ box? My dad and my uncle both had to lift thing over my head because it was so heavy.

Everyone in the family chanted “Heavy, heavy, over your head. What are you going to do with it?”.

I practically screeched, “PLAY WITH IT!!!”.

They placed it back down on the ground and I ripped open the present. Out popped my older brother wearing that mask from the scream movies. Everyone started laughing as I began to cry, both in terror and in sadness because I didn’t get a dollhouse again.

Looking back though, that was still an excellent birthday prank. Since then, I’ve always tried to disguise my presents in ways that my brother is unable to guess what type of gift he is getting when I place it over his head.

#32

My family watches Mean Girls on Thankgiving.

#33

For 20 years we’ve been vainly trying to duplicate nana’s home made raviolis every christmas. We poorly make and roll the pasta (nobody can remember if she used 1 egg or 6?) about 240 inconsistently sized raviolis with inadequate sauce and mediocre bags of shredded cheese. We also make a giant mess but everyone seems to love them.

#34

Whenever we got Chinese we had to sing our fortune before we were allowed to leave the table. I still remember the horror of standing up and singing ” CONSTANT GRINDING WILL TURN AN IRON ROD INTO A NEEDLE!” while having a friend over for dinner.

#35

When I was a kid, Christmas became a competition with my mother (procurer of Christmas gifts) on one side, and my sister and I on the other. If we figured out what we were getting, we won. If we didn’t, my mother won.

The game escalated to such a level that my mother started leaving decoy evidence out, in the form of lists suggesting our “big gifts” were to be, for example, a set of encyclopedias and sailor suits.

Still, we won every year.

Until she came up with a better idea: label the gifts with code names, and keep a master list of who each code name mapped to. That way, we’d have no way of knowing which gifts were ours.

At first, the code names were appropriately seasonal: “Frosty”, “Dasher”, “Dancer”, etc. Then, she started to run out of ideas, and being a nurse, fell back on what was familiar: disease names. We have had gifts addressed to “Gonorrhea”, “Rubella”, and my favourite “Necrotizing fasciitis”. This tradition has continued well into our adulthood, until the present day (I am 35 now).

Also, for holiday dinners, we name our dinner animal (turkey/ham) before we eat it. Examples: “Gordon Lightwing”, “Piggy Stardust”, “Notorious P.I.G.”, and others that I can’t remember now.

**TL;DR: mom addresses our Christmas gifts to disease names; we name dead animals before we consume them**.

#36

My dad grew up during the depression, so every year for his birthday dinner we have, at his request, baloney sandwiches, tomato soup, and chocolate milk.

#37

We have a boppit contest at Christmas with 1st and 2nd place prizes that are usually pretty cool. Everyone competes even my 88 y/o grandmother.

#38

When my family and I color eggs for Easter we create an “ugly egg”. Hold one hard boiled egg off to the side until all other eggs are colored. Mix all colors into a bowl and deposit the last egg into mixture. Place in fridge overnight (or at least a couple of hours). It’s called an “ugly egg” but I’ve yet to make one that was actually ugly. Try it, it’s pretty cool.

#39

Every Christmas Eve my family and I turn off all the lights in the house, except for those on the tree, and listen to the 70s rock epic In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly. My Dad played it for my sister and me on Christmas Eve when I was 8, because “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” appears during one of the more extended breakdowns. We have done this every year since – and I’m now 30. I do it with my wife and son if we are not home for the holidays.

#40

We have this great tradition where we all hate each other and haven’t talked to one another for years.

#41

Whenever anyone turns 40, weather permitting, everybody at the party gets naked and streaks around the place. We’ve been doing this since the 70s, naturally. No idea how it started.

#42

Alcoholism… For at least 4 generations!

#43

When my great grandmother passed away in the mid 90’s my dads side of the family cleared out her house. We found an ugly small statue of a kid hold grapes. In addition we also found this light that is a small boat covered with shells. So every Christmas Eve we pick 2 names out of a hat. If you’re picked you must display the item in your home till next year.

#44

We bake a giant loaf of bread, cut it up into tons of pieces, dip it in olive oil and throw it at each other outside. Never heard of anyone else do this but my family does. Once you get past the extreme strangeness of the idea, its a lot of fun!

#45

We have a miniature brass cannon that my grandfather made back in the 50’s. We fire it off at every major family event. Weddings, funerals, major anniversaries or birthdays.

No projectiles go in it anymore. It’s mostly just for the bang.

#46

Family traditions concerning my entire family aren’t really a thing in my life, but I’ve got something that should work:

After their divorce, my parents have lived away from each other for about half of my lifetime. My mom has custody of me and my dad has always lived in other states due to his work, so I only get to see him twice a year if I’m lucky. Whenever my father flies out to see me, I pick him up from the airport. After picking him up, we go directly to this cheap Chinese place and we still get the same thing to eat every time we go there. My mom never comes with us because she finds the food there boring, but we don’t mind. Some of my favorite memories with my father have taken place in that little restaurant.

#47

Before I was born, my parents went to a zoo in San Antonio and they were walking past the llamas and my mom was so close to them, one llama spit his cud in her eye!

It was super painful, but my family thought it was hysterical. That year for Christmas my uncle made her a LLAMA SHIELD out of a welding mask. They decided to start a tradition of sending her a stuffed llama (or something llama-related) every year for Christmas. I’m 25 and my mom now has over 28 llama items!

#48

One year for Christmas, my father gave me a can of Spam in my stocking. The ungodly horror of a can of SPAM as a stocking gift stuck with me through the remaining year, prompting me to find a meat product of equal or greater detriment to the digestive tract. That first year I believe it was potted meat.

In successive years it has become even more interesting. This year’s find was lobster spread in cognac sauce. It came from the dollar store. I can only imagine the nuclear explosion of gastric proportions that will cause. His offering this year as actually useful, in the form of black beans, although he has chosen to include my husband by sending him jalalpeno spam.

#49

My grandma and aunt have an awesome Christmas tradition. After everyone’s done unwrapping their gifts and moves into the dining room for dinner, they stay behind and say they’re gonna clean up. This is when they decide to swap out their gifts with others they liked better (sometimes ones they bought themselves!) and bring them out to their car. Then they join us for dinner as if none of us will notice…

This has been going on for the past four years. Everyone else just thinks it’s ridiculous and let’s em get their rocks off from swapping out a few $20 sharper image gifts.

#50

My family usually has small Thanksgiving meals at our mom’s house. For a few years now, my brother and I have decided to always wear our finest argyle sweaters and no pants.

#51

I really can’t say what caused it, and to me it wasn’t weird until I recently discovered only my family does this. But, we sing two verses to Happy Birthday. The second verse is to the same tune only the words are, “many of them to you, many of them to you, many of them dear so-and-so. Many of them to you!” We also sing the count down (1-2-3!) before blowing out the candles.

Nothing like extending an already awkward, uncomfortable situation.

#52

Every night at dinner, we would go around the table and say our “hi-lo’s”. Basically, the best and worst part of our day.

#53

We celebrate half birthdays, with half a cake and one present.

#54

I wouldn’t call this “tradition” weird but it’s pretty special to me. My mom is a daycare teacher (2-3 year olds) so whenever it’s someone’s birthday in our immediate family she calls from work and has her kids sing “Happy Birthday.” Also, if I need to be up early for something important my mom will give me a wake-up call and have her kids tell me “Get out of bed!” She is also the nursery director at our church and pert-near every Wednesday I get a phone call from one of her little ones telling me different animals sounds or telling me what they’re doing that day in the nursery. It’s always a good day when you get to talk to happy little kids.

#55

Every “family holiday” (Christmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July, etc.) my two brothers and I have a contest to see who can make the adults curse the most. I am still reigning champion with grandparents total being 35 in one night and parents being 47 in one night.

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