What to do with midwinter

It is almost that special time of the year where I take a step back to enjoy the warmth of family and friends (okay, good food and wine too). I especially like the twelve days around midwinter. I can't celebrate it exactly the way I want because I live in a christian world and that would mean that I would have to celebrate it alone but I prefer the warmth of the seasoning so I always go back to my family. I always try to incorporate some of my believes into their christmas celebration (my family is non believing). I use those twelve days to reflect on my believes, which do I still stand for and what has changed this year in my life? Do I still feel the same connections with the Gods? What can I change so make myself a better person (no, I will never became Mother Theresa but I still can try sometimes to bring some good ;)). My spiritual path is a strange one that especially needs evaluation this year. Asatru is calling really badly but I don't want to fall for it without thinking and praying it over and that is really hard. I have fought for years to keep standing in the modern witchcraft/paganism and by changing directions so drastically I feel like that fight is going to start all over again.

A part that I especially like during this season is the tree. I like to decorate it and putting the lights in. This year I still haven't set up a tree because I don't know how to get one to my home ;). I hoped my parents would put one up for christmas but they don't want to do it because they think it is to much of a work :(. So probably I won't see a christmastree this year :(.

How do you celebrate christmas/midwinter/yule? And what is your favourite part?