ClaireBear, that sounds like my experience. Thanksgiving varies at different locations with everyone together. Christmas is at home. Thanksgiving is lots of food and cooking. Christmas is low key, brunch or breakfast foods.

Here in a small town we have friends stopping by constantly. I usually gain SEVEN POUNDS between Thanksgiving and Christmas, mainly just snacking and eating goodies. Also, here in Bardstown, many friends work at the distilleries so Bourbon is exchanged a lot. (We often re-gift too!) I usually have so many fruit baskets and cookies I have to take some to my mother's the day after Christmas.

Traveling to my parents' house the day after Christmas was a tradition I started when my kids were small. Hubby couldn't leave, and I needed a REST, so I packed up and went to my Mama's!

My kids always had allergies, so we had an artificial tree when they were small. Then when they were teens, we moved to a large house and started buying a real, huge tree. After they left they gave me a beautiful artificial tree which I usually put up shortly after Thanksgiving, takes two days to decorate! Also, here in Bardstown everyone is encouraged to put candles in the windows from the day after Thanksgiving until January 6. Since I live on a busy highway I try to have mine lit every night.

One tradition I started -- I have a large red candle in a hurricane glass. I call it the Christmas Eve candle and only light it on Christmas Eve. It's now burned down low.