What's Your Favorite, Most-Cherished Holiday Memory? Survey

New memories are made in the telling of old ones as families gather to celebrate, whether their tradition is Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or reflection at the end of one year and dawn of another.

Some holiday memories are sensory, like the smell of cookies baking, the sight of festive decorations and cheerful lights on neighborhood lawns, or the warmth of spending time with beloved family and friends.

They may be about cutting and decorating the tree, treasured ornaments with long histories, or unexpected gifts on Christmas morning. They may celebrate traditions such as going caroling, visiting Santa and leaving out cookies and milk before going to bed, or going to the city to shop and take in elaborate window displays.

Others are about important moments and milestones, such as preparing the meal for Kwanzaa, or the bittersweet discovery that Santa symbolized the spirit of giving and was not an actual person, or lighting the menorah for the first time during Hanukkah.

Or perhaps dads and moms deployed overseas with the military surprised their kids in a school assembly, giving them the only thing they really wanted that Christmas.

Tender, nostalgic, hilarious or thought-provoking, we want to hear your favorite holiday memories. Just fill out the informal survey below, and we may use your memories in a Patch story. And don’t worry, we don’t collect email addresses.