Shannon Cusello, salon manager at Immortal Beloved

"My most self-indulgent tradition is a pre-Amtrak ride blowout with my hair stylist and BFF Jordan Pringle. It lasts me through last-minute Christmas Eve shopping with my dad, Midnight Mass, and post-Christmas-dinner boozy charades ... and keeps me significantly less stressed!

This year, my fiancé and I are exchanging only what fits in a Christmas stocking. We've got a little competition going over who outdoes the other with fantastically miniature gifts. I'm hoping for vintage opera glasses and a new harmonica!"