What Are Your Favorite Holiday Traditions?

This year, the husband and I are staying home for the holidays. It's quite the change of pace, since every year we make a road trip to Chicago or St. Louis to see family. We don't have any children of our own or have any immediate family living nearby, so we go where the action is.

The problem is, the end of the year is the busiest time for our business, and it's really hard to slip away for a week. This year has been the busiest, which is great! But it also means no traveling until after the holidays. So we've been thinking about implementing a few new holiday traditions to make the season special, since we'll be spending Christmas alone.

So far we've done a few of the usual traditions. We decorated a real tree and Lit. It. Up.

We finished our holiday shopping and wrapped the gifts. Don't they look swell under our blindingly bright Christmas tree? It's on Fiyah.

We listened to Andy Williams and Emmy Lou Harris and The Vince Guaraldi Trio. 

We made dozens of cookies. And ate dozens of cookies. (The husband is becoming a master cookie-maker, while I've always been a master cookie-eater.)

We put up our annual Christmas Village display in our storefront window and added a trolley this year. The kids visiting our store have all really enjoyed it.

We adopted a cat from the Humane Society and gave him a forever home for the holidays. Say hi to Fritz!

We've even watched all three The Santa Clause movies and have Elf in the lineup for tonight. 

First we'll make snow angels for a two hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse Cookiedough as fast as we can, and then we'll snuggle. 

But I'm thinking we need a few more ideas to make this holiday really special this year. Maybe we'll go to the Greenfield Village Holiday Nights event. Sing along with carolers, ride a Model T, sip some hot cocoa while we stroll through the village...

Maybe we'll ice skate at Campus Maritus Park in Detroit. 

What are some of your cherished holiday traditions? I'd love some more suggestions. I'm up for anything! Favorite must-have recipes for your holiday meal? Favorite music? Films? Activities? Events? 

Let me know! I need all the help I can get. 

And I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a great start to the new year!