Family holidays are not only an opportunity to celebrate a particular date, but also a possibility to unite all the family members. The more they meet and communicate the closer and more important they become to each other. Do not look for a special day to visit your relatives, as you have a chance to turn each day into a family holiday.Easter is a Christian holiday, when people celebrate Christ's resurrection. It is always a day off, so taking place in spring all the family members try to spend it in nature. Forty days before the holiday people have to follow lent. So it is not surprising that they waitfor Easter so much. This holiday also has some preparations to be made. All the hostesses bake Easter bread and paint eggs in different colors. In the evening or in the morning of the next day they go to the church. Then the family tries to spend together all the day celebrating and treating others with their pastry. In Germany there is one more tradition for children. They have an Easter rabbit, which hides eggs from children and they look for them everywhere. Easter is a perfect holiday for a family as it has some unique atmosphere and special family traditions.What can be more pleasant than sitting in your family circle and eating delicious dishes recollecting some past events from your lives or telling exciting stories? It is so wonderful when all the family members come from different parts of the city or even world to spend time with their relatives. Usually it happens on holidays, as they can be days off and it is a tradition for some holidays to gather together. Such holidays are called family ones and usually they are similar in different countries, though there can be some exceptions. As for me, I think that family holidays are Christmas, New Year, Easter and Birthdays. In spite of a different origin they are celebrated in the family circle, but of course, some close friends can be also invited.Christmas is the first and the most widely known family holiday all over the world. Although there are different dates for its celebration because of some religious views, it does not change the way it is celebrated in many countries. The whole family gathers in one place around the table and welcomes Christ's birth. They sing songs, discuss some topics, eat and drink. It is also a great tradition to give presents for this holiday, as children adore finding them in red stockings over the fireplace or under the fir-tree. Different countries serve different food for this holiday. The Americans cook turkey with vegetables, the Germans bake sweet Christmas biscuits, while the Eastern European countries have their own customs and traditions. We are used to cooking twelve dishes, the main one is kutya, sit at the table with the appearance of the first star in the sky and congratulate others singing carols. It is one of the most important days of the year, so everyone is always looking forward to it. Another popular family holiday is New Year. It is celebrated on December, 31, when people welcome the coming of the next year. Usually many preparations take place before the holiday. People stand in long queues in order to buy products for their New Year tables and spend long hours in front of the cooker or oven supposing to preparesome exotic dishes. Our New Year holiday is associated with champagne, fireworks and one famous salad called Olivier, sometimes accompanied by TV programs. When the clock strikes twelve, people cheer and make wishes. They are happy to forget past offences and misunderstandings of the previous year in the previous year and start the new one with everything good.One more holiday to invite your near and dear relatives is your birthday. Though with time fewer adult people celebrate it with the members of the family, I must state that birthdays of kids and elderly people are always visited by them. Who can make a kid happier than beloved grannies, uncles, aunts, and cousins? They bring huge presents, hug, kiss and play with him or her. The same situation is with elderly people. They do not need posh restaurants, cafes or expensive presents: their only desire is the presence of children, grandchildren and other close people. So birthday is a holiday that deserves a title of a family one. No matter how old you are, you will be disappointed if someone from your family forgets about your holiday, and you would be very thankful to those your relatives, who found a minute and a penny to congratulate you.