Around the holiday season is when my family starts to do many of our very special family traditions. My family has always made homemade pasta around the holidays. It takes a full day's work, but we always do it. The result is (almost!) always perfectly delicious, and worth the time put into preparing it. Making homemade pasta is a skill my Italian great-grandmother passed onto my mother when she was young, and my mom has passed it down to my brother and I. This tradition was especially memorable in the past years, because my great-grandmother, Noni, passed away in August of 2013. I will always carry out this tradition with my own family. I will forever remember going to Noni's house and eating pizzelles, a homemade Italian cookie, as well! We annually make pizzelles before Christmas, and give them to friends and family. The most important tradition, though, takes place on Christmas Eve. Ever since my older brother and I were little, we assemble Monkey Bread, a gooey, warm cinnamon pull-apart bread, on Christmas Eve to have for breakfast on Christmas morning. As it bakes in the oven, house smells delicious as we open gifts and have fun! It really is the best breakfast in the world, but we restrict it to only on Christmas to make the tradition more special. I consistently look forward to these heart-warming, spirit-lifting, festive family traditions, and will forever!