Check out some of our favorite places to celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve, both near and far. These videos and book excerpts will get you into the spirit faster than you can say "Auld Lang Syne."

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Hey Let's Go fans! We're in the business of connecting travelers to all the information they could possibly need to enjoy themselves while abroad. To that end, we've partnered with with our fellow travel bloggers at Pause the Moment.

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I have a confession to make: I didn’t love Amsterdam right away. But I’ve actually never really loved something I didn’t hate first. After escaping the crowds of old British men who only come here to smoke stinky weed and hit up pubs, I fell completely in love with this city. I've met some kindred spirits (I see you, hipster chick in De Pijp shamelessly rocking out to her iPod while dance-biking down the street; keep the dream alive). I've even gotten used to—and loved—the techno parties ("Bla.Bla" at Studio 80 is especially endearing). It has been an especially beautiful week here in Amsterdam. For the first time since I arrived over a month ago, it actually climbed over 65 degrees—all the way to 80! This is a rare occurrence, and people take advantage of it. Every street, outdoor cafe, bike path, and park was buzzing.

This week’s research brought me to Museumplein. Along with the fantastic Van Gogh Museum, This neighborhood attracts the most diverse cross-section of tourists in Amsterdam. There are kids in strollers and teens in Bob Marley hoodies, and just as many rich old people as scruffy college students, all sharing the same green expanse in front of the Rijksmuseum. It was here (enjoying a chocolate muffin from Albert Heijn’s, of course) that I had an opportunity to reflect on what is perhaps the best thing about Amsterdam.

A family was eating lunch on the bench in front of me, and this guy—one of those scruffy, lone-traveler types—sitting one bench down started to light up some grass. Of course, students smoke weed in parks all around the world, but not next to an adult with kids, and not without being sneaky about it. My instincts made me worry for him. But he smoked his joint, and blew the smoke politely in the other direction, while the mom waited for her kid to finish his sandwich, then packed up and casually strolled off. No confrontation needed: everybody just doing what they do. This reminded me of a scene with a few Dutch kids I met. After dropping me off at my home late one night, they were horsing around outside my door, being loud, and I was being a Negative Nancy. “Stop!” I was laughing, “Someone is going to call the police!”  My friend turned to me, somewhat bored by my naivete, “Kat, for the last time. Nobody is calling the police.”

It took me a long time to learn that about the Dutch. I’m used to a typical college environment, in which bunches of young people are crammed into small spaces under high pressure, and everybody knows exactly who did what and with whom at all times. I’m used to drug culture based almost entirely on paranoia, and have always seen figures of authority of any kind as terrifying monsters. It’s been a nice break to come here. It’s not about the difference in drug laws; It’s more about a totally different attitude in dealing with other people.

I thought it was cheesy when Amsterdam was first described to me by its nickname “Mokum,” which in Yiddish means "safe haven." But slowly I’ve come to believe in this part of the city's mystique. I really do feel like (especially in some of the less central neighborhoods, in De Pijp, Amsterdam East, and Oud-West) I can just be myself. Of course young people want to go out and party, but sex and drugs and all the rest of it don’t have to be shameful, seedy things. As long as you don’t hurt anybody, I’ve found most Amsterdammers are respectful of everybody’s right to have a good time and act however they please.

Obviously, there are still problems in Amstedam. The city is trying to figure out where to draw the lines with its policy of tolerance, as debates over immigration and drug and prostitution laws keep resurfacing. But one thing I hope always stays true in Amsterdam is that innate sense of freedom you find here. I don’t have to feel like a suspect if I just want to sit on the grass and watch the people and the clouds go by. I’ve seen the police help more people than I’ve seen them molest. It's so nice to be able to stop worrying about who’s seeing me do what. Nobody cares in the slightest. What joy!

Just kidding, I'm not really becoming a local. Buuut, I'm getting there. I've had my first real bike accident (a drunk--maybe even crunk--middle-aged cyclist careening out of Leidseplein gave me some pretty impressive bruises last weekend). And four seperate times in the last week, tourists have stopped to take pictures of me and mijn fiets (that's "my bike"!) cruising by. First, of course, I checked for wardrobe malfunction, but then I realized, they must think I'm Dutch! Take that, gorgeous blonde chicks with long legs! I can play your game, too!

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Munchies in Amsterdam? Yikes. This could end poorly for you, my friend. During the day, the city is packed with cheap and tasty sandwich joints and cute cafes if you need a snack (not to mention awesome restaurants for nice meals, and the all-powerful, life-giving glory that is Albert Heijn).

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Only 24 hours in Amsterdam?! That's definitely not enough time to start appreciating and loving Dutch culture (or to figure out how to pronounce all those extra vowels). On the bright side, Amsterdam is small and easy to get around, making it relatively easy to catch a great hits in a single day. Here's your guide:

9 AM: Centraal Station overwhelms you. Be a tourist, take pictures. Note that there are hostels and then there are party hostels: drop your pack at one of the latter in the Nieuwe Zijd, just a short walk away.  Hopefully you landed a bed at Bob’s Youth Hostel or the Flying Pig.  Make friends now so you can milk them later.

10am: Not eating breakfast is not Dutch. Grab a traditional Dutch breakfast. (Note: this is the only occasion in Dutch dining when “traditional” also means “delicious.” Try oilbollen (fried dough balls with raisins) or toast with chocolate sprinkle things, called hagelslag. Seek out bakery window-fronts with the most drool-worthy pastries. Not enough euro? Not a problem. You can find an Albert Heijn (the local grocery chain) every few blocks with the same stroopwafels at lower prices.

10:30am: Rent a bike! Ask the guy at the store what the different gears are for. Learn now or learn the hard way.

11am: Museum time! Head to Museumplein to hit up perennial favorites like the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum. Take notes so you can convince your friends later that you didn’t just come here to do drugs. Check out The Potato Eaters and De Melkmeid, but you have a lot to do today, so it's best to take them at a run. Just kidding—running is probably frowned upon. Walk briskly.

1pm: Take a short walk (or bike!) through Vondelpark, the prettiest park in the city—best seen at daylight to avoid accidently stumbling into teenagers having sex (awww).

2pm: Munchies strike. Hit up the cheap, delicious restaurants of De Pijp. Bonus: if you get an outdoor seat, you can play spot-the-hipster while you eat!

3pm: No visit to Amsterdam even counts as a visit to Amsterdam if you don’t see Electric Ladyland. If you manage to beat the new laws, visit a coffeeshop first. Even if not, Electric Ladyland will expand your consciousness, and afterward, you’ll find yourself in the Jordaan area, with a heightened sense of everything psychedelic. Take the edge off by unwinding in one of the Jordaan’s ultra-classy bruin cafes, perfect for a nice coffee or afternoon beer. Then, take a tour of Westerkerk, nearby in Westermarkt, to get a bird’s-eye-view of your new favorite city.

4:20pm: Drug tourists, pay a visit to a smartshop. Shopaholics, try an outdoor market like the one in Waterlooplein or the half-mile long cheap-shit-parade that is Albert Cuypmarkt. History geeks, this is your time to check out some of the smaller museums, in which enthusiastic curators will often give you personalized tours.

6pm: Eat a huge dinner. When 1 AM rolls around, and Albert Heijn has closed for the night, FEBO will be there. You’ll be tempted by FEBO. You’ll think, It’s not like I’m going to Burger King…it’s Dutch… and convince yourself that you’ll feel less ashamed since you can just use those vending-machine style automatic dispensers without ever looking anyone in the eye. But you don’t want to go to FEBO. Fill up now at one of the great ethnic eateries in the Central Canal Ring or the Canal Ring West. 

7pm: Avoid the crowds at the Anne Frank House and pay a late-evening visit (in the summers they're open until 9 or 10pm).

8pm: Siesta! But really. A majority of restaurants in Amsterdam close early, and the party doesn’t start until late. Plus, after the Anne Frank museum you’ll want to reflect, not wander the seedy Red Light District. Nap to reset your mind and recharge your body so that you can see all the city has to offer by night.

9:45pm: This is when those hostel buddies you made earlier come in handy. Wake up, groggily ask them their plans. A bro from Wisconsin named “Andy” offers: “I don’t know, man, probably just gonna chill, check out a few bars.” This is fine for now. Take Andy & co. on a late-evening stroll through the Red Light District. Hit up bars that seem fun, and meet other backpackers.

11pm: Your new European friends have replaced Andy (whew). Take them to Rembrandtplein to see the biggest clubs in the city. Gawk accordingly.

11:30pm: Go to FEBO. Shame on you.

Midnight: Abandon these friends, too. Go make even better friends with cool Dutch kids at Studio 80, Paradiso, or OT 301. Dance.

3am: Come to Leidseplein, where tourists and locals mix in beer-fueled madness. Leave at sunrise. Not before.

6am: Say “Tot ziens!” to your heartbreakingly hip Dutch friends, and bike home through the morning fog. Catch the train to the next city, curse yourself for not moving here for good. Assuming you've managed to avoid too much short-term memory loss, think back on the day. Yeah, Europe is pretty awesome sometimes.