Enjoy the holidays?

How many of you honestly enjoy the holidays and what about Thanksgiving and what about Christmas do you enjoy the most?

For me,it's the family being together and all the food,the smell of it cooking the excitement of eating it and then eating ALL DAY!!! I love the "spirit" of it all.

I love the lights,candles and decorations of Christmas also the songs,(I've already started playing them in my car) and the friendly spirit of MOST people.Of course,family,food,church and sharing.The remembrance of the birth of Christ is #1.

I love the atmosphere of Christmas you know something special is coming up! Of Course it is all about Jesus being born!

I don't believe Thanksgiving is quite as celebrated here in Canada as it seems to be in the U.S. While we certainly observe the day with a big dinner that usually includes family and friends, it doesn't seem as significant a holiday as it is to Americans. At least this has been my observation.

Christmas however, is another story lol. What I like best about it is the coming together of family and friends. I used to prepare the meal for my parents, my brothers and their families who joined us for Christmas dinner. Having good food to share and spending a wonderful day and evening together, particularly when our children were young was what I enjoyed the most. Gifts were fun when the kids were small but now I don't care if there are no gifts at all. In fact I'm rather anti-gift. That's not what Christmas is about for me as an adult. It's not the things, it's the people that I share Christmas with that matters to me.

I love the holidays. I love having my house filled with people I love. I love going to the houses of friends and relatives. I love decorating the house and the tree, and playing the music. I don't play it until after Thanksgiving, tho, because I like Thanksgiving to be it's own holiday. I love giving gifts, especially when I know I've gotten just the right thing. I love sitting in the room with no lights on except the Christmas tree. I love the smells - of cooking, of the tree, of candles. And now that my kids are grown and leaving the nest, I love it when they can all be home for Christmas.

We still have 2 younger DGC and that keeps the excitement on the high side too.
I also love sitting in the dark with just candles burning and the Christmas lights. Love the warm atmosphere it gives.

When do you think they really should start the advertising, music and store displays?

"I love decorating the house and the tree, and playing the music. I don't play it until after Thanksgiving, tho, because I like Thanksgiving to be it's own holiday."

Same here, I love the music but I won't play it or put up the decorations until after Thanksgiving Day is over.
Getting together with family, the music and the overall spirit of the season is the best; and now I also look forward to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's annual Christmas concert.

And I love to cook and play hostess so the whole meal planning procedure is fun for me.

I love the holidays although dealing with extended family members can be difficult.

I love seeing them thru a child's eyes! It gives me so much pleasure to make it a wonderous occasion for my grandchildren.

I love getting together with family and friends, the smells of all the great food cooking, a quiet room at night with just candles glowing and Christmas music playing, little childrens excitement, and all the friendly people during the holiday seasons. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas both, they kind of flow together anymore though.

For us Thanksgiving and Christmas are both special because of the holiday and also because my youngest sons birthday is around Thanksgiving (one year it was on Thanksgiving) and my FIL's b-day is Christmas Eve.

I shop early so I can enjoy the holidays more by baking my cookies and candies. I don't like going out in the cold and don't like the crowds at the malls. I get worried too, because I wonder if I go so and so enough or something that they like or need. That part is stressful.

I must admit that while I do some shopping ahead of time, it's mostly when I see something that is just perfect for someone on my list. But I love to Christmas shop when it's snowing - I like the almost-Christmas hustlebustle. I like to be in the stores when Christmas music is playing - tho when I heard it in WalMart today, I thought it was way too early!

I wish we could just be calmer for Christmas. Hubby & I have been "feuding" over the last 2 Christmas Eves because of their family "tradition". For 21 years I've gone to Hubby's family's for Gumbo on Christmas Eve. Now this was fine when it was at his Mom & Dad's. We're talking over 50 people. His Mom & Dad are now deceased but we live across the back yard from their house. Well, of course it is just assumed that we will have it now because we are here & hubby thinks this is fine. I didn't argue last year because it was the first Christmas without his Dad & I wanted to keep the peace. (continued)

but having had most here for a BBQ last Sunday for our nephew back from Iraq I did everything but say I don't want anybody here for Christmas Eve & they still didn't get the hint. But the main part of the problem is that hubby WANTS it here-"TRADITION". I can see this going on forever now. I've talked, pleaded, begged & he won't change his mind. I told him our boys are growing up & we need OUR OWN traditions but "NO" he's not having any of it. I even thought I'd change in my PJ's & stay in my room with the dogs & see how that flies but I probably won't do that. I love his family in small doses and NOT for EVERY Christmas Eve. Oh, well, I'll have to suck it up and do my best I guess.