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.

"The jackpot is worth an estimated $1.22 billion ($549.7 million cash); it’s the fifth-largest Mega Millions jackpot in history, and the seventh Mega Millions jackpot greater than $1 billion. The winning ticket was sold in Cottonwood, California."

If someone wins the Christmas Eve Mega Millions grand prize, it ill be the largest jackpot ever won in the month of December.

Hang onto those stocking-stuffer lottery tickets. The Mega Millions jackpot has surpassed $1 billion after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Christmas Eve.

A Mega Millions player may win a big jackpot on Christmas Eve. The lottery prize for the December drawing is now at $1 billion.

The Mega Millions jackpot rose to $1.22 billion after no one managed to hit all six numbers on Christmas Eve. The Friday night drawing comes with a cash option of $549.7 million. If it's won,

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,