The holiday season is a busy time. The mad dash around stores, last-minute family dinner reservations, a quick trip to Giant to get Grandma's favorite cranberry jelly in the can and acceptance of the impending cold.

Maybe the warm weather helped to incubate the bah humbug attitude this year, but when you find yourself a bachelorette and also an only aunt, Christmas usually means three things: cookies, coffee and cocktails.Fueled on sugar and almond milk-lightened caffeine, I finished shopping with an air of "who cares."I couldn't be happier, wearing a T-shirt on Christmas Eve during the shopping. Without encountering a single Santa-hat-sporting shopper, it made it even easier to slip on my Grinch suit as I combed the stores for meaningful baubles and trinkets.I rejoiced in the 70-degree weather with a spice apple pie martini between stops in the small shops.The perks of being a single aunt are only having to show up, play with the kids and eat.I partook in eggnog before the Slavic traditional mushroom soup sweetened with honey, breaded fish and pierogies.I ate handmade nut roll and of course cookies. So many cookies were consumed, sugar and chocolate chip varieties, while we played Settlers around the crimson-clothed table.The conversation flowed as smoothly as the spiced rum late into the evening before the heavily anticipated Christmas morning.When morning arrived, I had an early date with my sister, brother-in-law, nieces and nephews under the festively decorated tree in the living room.I worried my gift choices would be silly or out of date for today's young tech-savvy children.I worried my reporter's salary could not allow me to purchase what was really on the kids' lists.With my gift-bagged presents I sat on my sister's couch drinking my 100th cup of coffee for the week.I watched as the colorful paper and ribbons were pulled from boxes by my pajama-wearing family.I sipped more coffee, insecure with my choices and lack of expensive toys.After the carefully wrapped gifts were un-carefully ripped open, I joined my youngest nephew on the floor under the tree to play with his new "creepy guys."It was while playing the witch from the Halloween-themed set that 3-year-old Ivan received that I felt the real reason for the season.He declared to my sister that I - Aunt Kelley - was his best friend.I doubt a snowball in the Bahamas melts faster than my heart did.I had to remove my Grinch suit for it was now too small for me the rest of the day. I forgot to be sheepish about the amount spent on each family member and just played the rest of the morning, eating cookies and drinking more coffee.I was taught by a pre-preschooler to remember why this holiday is so loved - family. And cookies.