I know that many of us routinely have terrible holidays, and believe me, I've had my fair share of them! However, this year was one of the nicest holidays I've had in years and years. Low-key, fun, and best of all it was stress-free.

Not what I would have expected given the fact that earlier this year my mother passed away. My sister took flight and went away to her inlaws to cope with her sadness about us not having my mother for the holidays. But I stayed at home, hosted my father and a close family friend and had a great time.