Wow, there are a lot of grumpy Perlmonks this Christmas! I am not so close to my family, but I think that, even so, one can get a lot out of visits home—after all, these are the people who made us what we are, and it's a good chance to either thank or blame them, as appropriate. :-)

Anyway, eventually I decided that an intimate, personal Christmas was better than a 1500-mile trip, so I spend my Christmases (and most holidays) with my wife and my little kitty.

I'm the one who pushed for the inclusion of Miracle on 34th Street, so I'm happy to be able to give the ‘movie’ option its first vote. (Actually that, and the baking of the traditional gingersnaps—a 6-generations-old recipe—comes Christmas Eve.)

Oh, here's another one for you: Presents on Christmas Eve, midnight Christmas day, or Christmas morning? My family took almost as much pleasure in delaying the gratification as in the eventual opening of presents, so it's Christmas morning for me, despite all my wife's entreaties.