What do you love about the holidays?

August mom LSM asked this question on her site last week: What is your favorite holiday treat? and If you had to choose only one holiday tradition to observe this year, what would it be?

Now, my first thought was that this question was excepting the actual day itself which is, of course, a day of celebrating family and friends so beyond THAT, here’s what sprung to my mind:

Cookies!  I rarely have time to do any baking, but in the past few years I’ve been inspired by many of the August moms to try out different cookie recipes. I posted about my first batch from this weekend already with the ricotta cheese cookies. I also made some dark chocolate chip cookies using Crisco instead of butter (another recommendation from the all knowing August moms)  It’s just fun to get the flour flying, scare the cats with the sound of the mixer and then fill the house with the smells of cookies baking.

One holiday tradition? No matter what is going on, I would *always* decorate. Even if it is just me, even if I were to be traveling somewhere else to celebrate the holiday, the day after Thanksgiving, I will always make my house look like this:

When I come home every night, I rarely turn on any lights other than these. I love how the placement of the tree causes it to reflect in the french doors. I love how I can see the outside colored lights in the backyard through the picture window. It is so darn beautiful, warm and peaceful that I honestly have a hard time shutting them off and going to bed at night! Nothing gets me into the spirit of the season like decorating.

If you are reading this, TAG, you are it! What is your favorite holiday treat? and If you had to choose only one holiday tradition to observe this year, what would it be?