BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

So Christmas has passed without the joy of a Mega Millions jackpot winner, but that means there are some extreme possibilities for change on the horizon in 2015.

That means a life changing experience for a lucky Mega Millions player in Friday's drawing. A whole lot of change adds up to a $156 million grand prize.

There was no jackpot winner in the Mega Millions drawing on Tuesday, so the Mega Millions website reports that the estimated annuity grand prize for the game of Friday, Dec. 26 will now be $156 million. The cash option total has jumped all the way to a healthy $99 million.

The winning numbers in the Mega Millions drawing of Tuesday, Dec. 23 were 4, 10, 31, 56, and 66. The Mega Ball was 7. According to USA Mega, one ticket matched the first five numbers correctly without getting the Mega Ball to win $1 million, and that ticket happened to come from New Jersey.

That big prize is getting closer. Not that $1 million isn't big. Powerball also had a $1 million winner from New Jersey in its drawing on Dec. 20. The New Jersey Lottery website reports that the winner was sold at Foley’s Shop N Bag in Hamilton of Mercer County.

Powerball’s jackpot has now reached an annuity value of $110 million. The Mega Millions jackpot started at $15 million on November 7, after the game recorded a $326 million winner in the previous drawing. According to the Mega Millions website, the Nov. 4 grand prize was the largest amount ever won on a single ticket in Mega Millions history.

Again, recheck your tickets at all times, because secondary prizes may not be $156 million, but they’re still pretty good. Lottery Post reported that someone bought a Powerball ticket worth $1 million in Albuquerque, New Mexico two months ago, but let the ticket expire on Wednesday.

It happens more than you might think.