As the holidays are just about upon us, there is so much to be thankful for and appreciative of. This is a list of my top favorite 26 things about the holidays, in alphabetical order.

Apple Cider

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This past Friday night, I experienced my first steaming cup of apple cider, and let me tell you: it changed my life. It was the best thing I have ever tasted, and the warmed cup kept my fingers warm.

Blankets

I am always freezing, so naturally, blankets are my best friend. Every winter, Walmart sells these blankets that are less than $5 and are SO. SOFT. AND. WARM. I have probably around 10 of these blankets, and they are the best.

Christmas Everything

Christmas shopping, Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, Christmas dinner--it all is so indescribably wonderful. This is my favorite holiday, and I’m sure a lot of people will agree.

Driving Around and Looking at the Christmas Lights

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I could drive around for hours, in and out of neighborhoods, looking at the lights. It’s so interesting to see just how many different displays you can do with holiday decorations.

Elf on the Shelf

Elf on the shelf is a tradition that I personally find creepy, yet amusing. My family has never partaken in it, so that could be why I think it’s strange. It intrigues me in a way, which is why I included it in this list.

Fashion

Winter fashion is my favorite kind of fashion; I adore scarves and boots and jeans and sweaters. I love being warm, so being able to wear big sweaters and warm jeans is naturally the fashion I prefer.

Going to New York City

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My family has a tradition where we always go into the city while my brother and I are on winter break. We spend the whole day there doing different things. One year we went to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, and another year we took a bus tour through the city. We always take the train in, and sleeping in the warm train car on the way back home after a long day of walking in the cold is the perfect ending.

Hanukkah

During the holidays, my family celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah. My brother and I typically get our bigger presents on Christmas and little things like socks for Hanukkah, but I think I prefer getting a present every night for eight days rather than all of my presents at once.

Ice Skating

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My absolute favorite thing to do during the winter is to go ice skating! I recently went ice skating with some friends at WinterFest in Penn’s Landing. It was this beautiful outdoor skating rink right next to the Delaware River. When we were there, NBC News was actually there as well, broadcasting about the weather. My friends and I jumped in the back of the shot and made it on TV.

January

I think January is such a lovely month. It’s the first month of the New Year, and it’s full of promises and new beginnings. You get to start fresh; any bad vibes that plagued you in the previous year can be gone. My mom’s birthday is also in January, and we got both of my dogs for her past two birthdays. (Maybe I’ll be able to talk her into getting another dog for her upcoming birthday).

Knee High Socks

Don’t underestimate the power of abnormally high socks. They are the best things ever.

Long Drives

Long car rides have always been something I love, but in the wintertime they’re just so much better. You can blast the heat and listen to music and just go.

Movies with Family.

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Watching movies with my family is always something I love to do, but everyone is so busy all the time. During winter break, my brother and I are home from school, so it’s not uncommon for us to watch movies all day long.New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve

This New Year’s Eve is going to be particularly special, since it is my last New Year’s Eve before going away to college. I have very high expectations for 2017, and I’m hoping the last night of 2016 will be a good one.

Ornaments for Christmas Trees

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In the mall nearest to me, there is a store dedicated just to Christmas ornaments. Whenever I go to that mall, I end up wandering into the ornament store, just browsing through all the different ornaments. There are so many and they are all so different, and I love looking at them all.

Pine Trees/Pine Cones/Pine-Scented Anything

The smell of pine is so fresh and crisp, and it always makes its presence during the holidays and wintertime.

Quilts

Like I said earlier about blankets, I love being warm. Every year I get a new quilt for my bed, and every winter I am always wrapped up in one.

Rudolph

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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is my all-time favorite Christmas movie; I could watch it over and over and over again. The message from this movie is so important to me, and I think Rudolph is just adorable.

Snow

I have such a fondness in my heart for snow. Now that I am older, everyone just thinks it’s a hassle, but I still love it to no end. I think it’s so beautiful and fresh and smells so good, and I catch myself waking up every morning in the winter hoping it snows that day. Plus a few snow days from school every now and then never hurt.

Traditions

Every family has a different tradition for the holidays, and I find it so intriguing to learn about everyone’s special tradition. As I mentioned previously, my family goes to New York. My cousin’s family makes a different kind of dessert every night from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve. It’s so cool to me to hear what people’s traditions are and how they came about.

Unwrapping Presents

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When I get a wrapped present for any holiday, I get so much joy out of tearing off the paper. There’s something that makes receiving gifts so much better when it’s wrapped, as opposed to just in a bag. (But I am thankful for any present, whether it’s wrapped or in a bag).

Visiting Family

My family is very important to me, but unfortunately, they live all over the place, so I don’t get to see them a lot. During the holidays, though, we all come together and spend days at a time with each other. My cousins are so special to me, and I am so thankful for them.

Winter Break

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By the time the end of the first semester comes around, students everywhere NEED a break, or else they will go crazy. Thankfully, we have winter break, which every student is incredibly thankful for.

X-mas

I bet you’ve never sat back and wondered what the X in the abbreviation for Christmas is. Turns out, X is the Greek letter “chi,” the initial letter in the word Χριστός. Χριστός means “Christ.” Now you know.

Yummy Holiday Drinks and Desserts

Eggnog, hot chocolate, fruitcake and cookies are some very delicious things to eat and drink during the holidays. Apple Cider is my favorite, as I’ve previously mentioned, but everything else is amazing, too. And the best part is, they only come around in the wintertime, so they’re just that much better because they’re limited time only!

Zillions of Hugs and Kisses

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I hope that with these holidays all of my friends and family get tons of love from their favorite people, and I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

Happy Holidays to all, and a happy New Year as well!