I love Christmas. And I love baking. And I love decorating. Now all that said, I love it because we do it in a wonderful way. On Thanksgiving, while the daughter and SIL are staightening the kitchen of all the leftovers, my GD and I do the decorating. Since I can't do a lot she loves to just hold the decoration up and say "how about here nana?". I do still put up the thick gold ribbons on the tree because nobody seems to be able to do that. Then GD and I finish on Friday while everyone else is shopping or back at work. On Saturday I do the cards and on Sunday I rest. Now we get to enjoy the tree and decorations for the whole month of December. Baking DGD and I do as we wish and put it in the freezer for the family Christmas one week before the real Christmas. Gifts at the family Christmas are gag gifts for the adults and small gifts ($15 or less) for the children. Each child gets another to buy for. The dinner is pot luck and always fantasic and I always bring the cookies. They always disappear. Either they are eaten or put in little zip locks to take home and enjoy the following week. The only time I did not bring the cookies were the two time I had cancer treatment and couldn't. Everyone said how happy they were that I could come at all. So now I happily make the cookies once again. In the week between family Christmas and The 24th DGD and I make a wonderful Gingerbread piece that scents the whole house with the wonderful smell of spice. This year we shall make a gingerbread castle. We are looking forward to the event. I hope you have a wonderful holiday however you choose to celebrate it.