The holidays bring about numerous opportunities to gather with family to celebrate the season of sharing and giving. Throughout the years my family has collected quite a list of some favorite Christmas recipes.

These favorites have been enjoyed over and over again, and we have yet to grow tired of them.
We've shared some precious memories in pitching in and preparing the holiday meals.

Here are just a few of our family favorites:

Christmas Punch (One of Tammy's recipes)

Ingredients

1 1/2 liter of chilled 7-Up
About 20 scoops of green lime sorbet
2 Tbsp of lemon juice

Directions

Gather up your favorite punch bowl set. Make sure it is washed and cleaned for use. Pour the chilled 7-Up in the punch bowl. Scoop up 20 scoops of sorbet into the 7-Up. Add the lemon juice and then give the punch mixture a quick stir. Serve immediately.

Cheesy Potato Casserole (My Sister's Recipe)

Ingredients

32 oz frozen hash browns
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup melted butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz tub of sour cream
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1 cup crushed corn flakes or potato chips

Directions

Mix onion, soup, sour cream, and cheese in bowl.

Place potatoes in 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour melted button on top. Then stir in mixture of remaining items.

Sprinkle corn flakes or potato chips on top. Bake uncovered @ 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Ambrosia Salad (My Sister-In-Law's Recipe)

Ingredients

2 cups shredded coconut
1 8oz container whipped cream, thawed
1 11oz can madarin oranges, drained
3 apples, peeled and chopped
3 bananas, sliced
1 8oz can pineapple chunks, drained
1 10oz jar maraschino cherries, drained
3 cups miniature marshmallows
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the whipped cream, coconut, chopped nuts (if desired), apples, pineapple, mandarin oranges, marshmallows, and cherries. Mix together well and refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes.

Important Tip: Wait until right before serving to peel and add the bananas to help preserve them from turning brown.

There was a time when we did a recipe exchange. This was a lot of fun...plus it was a perfect way to get lots of great recipes to be enjoyed by the whole family.

Here's a neat holiday gift idea for your family members

Make a scrapbook up of memories including family favorite recipes, events, pictures, and even special memories shared by the family. Get creative with this and include lots of illustrations. This will be a gift that will be special to your family and will last for a lifetime.

It's important to keep your family traditions going...and keep sharing them even when the Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren come along.

There's nothing more important than gathering with your family and just being together and sharing old memories, laughing, and loving one another.