Spending the holidays with J and his family in the Netherlands has been a lovely and fascinating experience. We all have our particular ways of celebrating Christmas but it's nice to experience other customs, too. There was no decadent Noche Buena and silly White Elephant gift exchange for me this year, but I got to enjoy freshly baked Weihnacht Stolle on Christmas morning, an extended second day of Christmas, a lovely walk in De Hei to work off all the holiday treats, and a visit to the charming Christmas market in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam has also created a new holiday tradition with the Amsterdam Light Festival, which lights up the canals with different installations. The best way to see everything is to hop on a canal boat tour, but you're likely to see many of them simply by walking and biking through this beautiful city.

Wherever and however you are celebrating this wonderful season, I wish you the merriest and brightest of days!