Happy Holidays?

I am a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to all things holidays.
It's not that I don't enjoy the idea behind holidays, because as a rule, I do. I used to think Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, and Halloween were magical when I was a kid. I remember staring, fascinated, at our Christmas tree. I remember hunting leprechauns with my Kindergarten classmates. I anxiously awaited a box of Valentines every year, and of course all the candy. I remember a sense of awe and wonderment whenever a holiday came around. I miss that.
I find that I want my children to find the holidays just as breathtaking as they grow up. But, the problems I struggle with during the holidays tend to stress me out and want to sometimes crawl into a hole. I hate, hate, hate the commercialism that seems to accompany each special day. I loathe the commercials that tell us how much we are lacking and failing our families if we don't do x, y, and z this year. I struggle trying to balance extended family with our own little brood, and all of the stress that can bring to the (literal) table on holidays. I never quite know what to do for other people, the right things to make, say, buy, and so forth. So, what should be magical ends up turning into a bit of a fight, and I wait for the holidays to simply be over.
But, not anymore.
I have resolved this year to make more of each special day as it comes. The hubby and I made a romantic dinner and dessert on New Year's Eve. I threw an actual birthday party for my son, and gasp! It turned out OK, and he loved it. I have plans to do projects and special little things for my family from February 1st up until Valentine's Day. Nothing major, and nothing expensive, but definitely things that will show my family that I care about them, and that will hopefully teach The Goob to show love to others as well, seeing as we also have little things planned some of his loved ones, too.
My goal in this is to learn how to love holidays again, and how to find that magical spark, for myself, and for my family. I have a goal of learning how to reject the commercial and focus instead on showing love, making more handmade and heartfelt gifts, and learning to appreciate the little things that make the holidays so great. I want the holidays to be about love and happiness again, and not simply what needs done and how much money needs spent.