A man had to step away from a holiday party to make sure a Christmas gift from his friend — a lottery ticket — was really a winner. The friend gifted two lottery tickets to a married couple at an annual holiday party shortly before Christmas, according to a Dec. 26 news release from the Maryland Lottery.

A trip to the liquor store ended with someone winning an intoxicating amount of money in the Florida Lottery, and the big news came just in time for Christmas. The Fantasy 5 evening drawing was held Saturday, Dec. 21, and the winning numbers were 1-7-11-18-30, lottery officials said.

It’s been a busy month for lottery players. The Mega Millions jackpot now stands at a $1.22 billion ahead of a Dec. 27 drawing, after a Christmas Eve drawing failed to yield a winner. That makes it the largest such prize for either of the two big multistate lottery games — Mega Millions and Powerball — in the holiday-filled month of December,

The Mega Millions jackpot has reached $1.22 billion. Experts say winners should generally take the money in annuities, but that’s not what most people do.

As the Mega Millions jackpot continues to rise to higher and higher numbers, here is what you need to know ahead of the next drawing.