All they are is something someone came up with one time, which carried forward to other people and subsequent years. Sometimes it turns out to be easier or even better to just come up with your own.

It used to be my family's tradition to travel to indiana, where most of the other relations lived, for the traditional home-cooked dinner and mass exchange of gifts. Over the last decade or so more and relatives passed away and/or moved to diverse and distant parts of the country, making travel to a common point impractical at best, Leaving a very small circle of family and friends in my local area. The upside to shopping for fewer people is it's easier to put real thought into your gifts, rather than getting the same tool set or perfume gift pack for people you see only once or twice a year.

My family's Christmas gathering traditions nowadays are simple. A brief exchange of presents, followed by Chinese dinner and baklava for dessert. Basic and very enjoyable. Hope all of yours were comparably good.