What's good about the holidays this year?

[Tybee]

I've been reading the holiday rant thread with great interest, and decided to add a holiday rave thread; what's good about the holidays this year, inspired by Iris Lily's description about what is good about a low expectation Thanksgiving.

So here are a couple of things I am loving about the upcoming holidays--

I get to use my ribbon collection--I buy ribbon all year at garage sales and put it in cookie tins and then get to go crazy with wrapping presents with antique ribbon.
I love looking at the hokey Christmas villages for train sets and buy a few things each year--usually a train car and little O gauge people, even though I don't have a train set yet. Someday I'll spring for the train, but I have my eye this year on a sleazy looking piano bar that looks full of Edward Hopper people, and a little girl on a Halflinger hauling a Christmas tree home. I have big plans for my urban/rural village someday, when the dog gets older and doesn't chase everything and eat stuff on the floor.
I got to buy my granddaughter a dollhouse. This was really fun, as I never had one, my mother wouldn't buy me dolls because she hated dolls and wanted a tricycle. I only had sons, so it was very cool to get the dollhouse, which is very IKEA looking with good German design and townhouse level living.
I got to buy my grandson a cd player and all the cds that his dad loved when he was little, like the Letter People and James Taylor on Sesame Street.
Both sons approved these purchases and are really, really happy that the children are getting them, so there will be no "God I wish my mother would stop buying crap for my kid" threads out there in Internet land.

What's good about your holidays this year?

[JaneV2.0]

Thanksgiving is so not my holiday--from bland food to endless football games--Really, I'd rather go shopping.

But I love Christmas, the decorations and presents and general spirit of this pagan/Christian celebration. I have only a few gifts to buy, and I've mostly finished with that, so I can just relax and have a brandy and maybe make a fruitcake or some other seasonal treat. I guess the good thing about this year is that though friends and family have lost relatives and beloved pets, we're mostly still here with our wits about us, which is always good news. And however bleak the coming years appear, I maintain a stubborn optimism that it will all turn out OK.

[frugal-one]

I enjoy Thanksgiving because it is low key. DH usually watches football and I go watch Christmas movies. We both are happy! I made the turkey and everything today so tomorrow will be very easy and laid back. There is no family in the area so there is no need for hoopla! Yay!

[ApatheticNoMore]

Taking time off work. That's what is really good. Oh I'll try not to step foot in a store except for food and household items (or pharmacy if need be) until after xmas maybe a week or so after even, till the holidays have well passed ... If I did some stocking up for that and I did (just stuff for me, I don't do gifts pretty much) well at least I avoid the crazy.

I used to really like thanksgiving at least, it used to be peaceful and good, but since that turned into endless battles about which food to eat (I'm neutral) plus always some cooking (though not most of it) I don't even really. It became exactly like xmas had been for years and years growing up, which is endless arguments. Frankly I don't even care who wins the argument, I just want peace on earth :)

[pinkytoe]

This is DH's and my first ever TGiving without any family obligations whatsoever. We moved 750 miles away from everything we have ever known and so are making our own feast tomorrow to celebrate. The weather here is much more conducive to holiday spirit with cold temps and snow rather than 75 and humid. It feels a bit odd with just us two but also very freeing not to be told what we have to bring etc, what time to show up, etc as we did for so many years. By next year, we hope to have made some new connections here and maybe we can host a "friendsgiving".

[iris lilies]

This is DH's and my first ever TGiving without any family obligations whatsoever. We moved 750 miles away from everything we have ever known and so are making our own feast tomorrow to celebrate. The weather here is much more conducive to holiday spirit with cold temps and snow rather than 75 and humid. It feels a bit odd with just us two but also very freeing not to be told what we have to bring etc, what time to show up, etc as we did for so many years. By next year, we hope to have made some new connections here and maybe we can host a "friendsgiving".
This is just swell. I remember your podts of msny years about the drudgery of the samebold thing with inlaws.