My son Ed with his daughter Edie

I often hear less than enthusiastic comments about this time of year: “I can’t wait for the holidays to be over!” “This is so stressful.” “There’s always so much to do and not enough time.”

Well, yeah. The to-do list I made this morning has a mere 24 items on it. But I love the holidays anyway. They’re a mecca for the schmaltzy among us, and I plead guilty. Here are just a few things I treasure about the season:

In December, no one makes fun of me for pulling out all my old Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole CD’s, and playing them over. And over. And over.

We get actual snail mail. No, I don’t mean the usual bills and requests for money. I mean actual cards and notes from folks we care about. I even love those much maligned holiday newsletters. Sure, they’re sanitized, but I still love catching up with what’s gone on in far flung friends’ lives over the past year. And I never get tired of looking at pictures of growing children and grandchildren, or sharing my own.

I absolutely love holiday lights and decorations which adorn our city streets, shops, and homes. My dear husband threads lights throughout our bushes and trees, and I feel as though I’m living in a spectacular sculpture garden.

Christmas gives me a guilt-free pass to shop. What fun to pick out things for the family members and dear friends I’m crazy about!

Our house smells so darned good. We treat ourselves each year to a fresh Christmas tree and scented candles—not to mention all the yummy aromas coming from our kitchen, thanks to the amazing cook I live with.

I’m a sucker for “Happily Ever After” movies, and I can gorge myself on them by tuning into the Hallmark channel. I know, I know. The plots are predictable, the acting and dialogue are occasionally hysterical, and the obligatory fake snow at the end of every film needs work. But I love these romantic fantasies anyway.

And finally, the holidays fill me with gratitude for the amazingly loveable people in my life and give me an opportunity to tell them just how much they mean to me.

So, that’s why I love the holidays. How about you? Do you love them? Hate them? I’d love to know what you think.