The holidays may now begin.

The holidays are upon us, and as we all navigate the nuances of our own particular routines and traditions, it’s a time for setting aside difference and focusing on the simple truths which unite us all.

Of course it’s also borderline impossible for anyone to agree on anything anymore, so let’s keep those simple truths extra simple:

Trading Places is the best Christmas movie and sugar cookies are gaaaaaaaarbage.

“Sugar cookie” isn’t even a real name for a cookie. All cookies are sugar. Calling something a sugar cookie is like asking the bartender for an alcohol beer. That could mean pretty much anything, up to and just barely including Bud Lite.

Besides, sugar cookies know they’re terrible. That’s why you have to dress them up with cute icing to make them even remotely palatable. Now you’ve got a crappy cookie that at least looks kind of like a snowman, which makes it slightly less chalky and dry than something Santa would feed the reindeer for Christmas Eve carbo loading.

Ugh. We were going somewhere with this, right?

Right. Holiday treats that you actually want to eat. That’s where we’re going with this.

Stroopwafels are what you get when your holiday dessert is the result of countless generations of traditional Dutch treat-craft instead of something that seems like it was created on a bet about who could turn the fewest ingredients into something that’s technically still edible.

If you’re familiar with stroopwafels, you’re probably already sold on this preposterously good deal for less than thirty bucks. If you’re not…holy crap you need to get on the Daelmans train, like, right now.

They even come in these legitimately stylish gift boxes and if you show up to your holiday gathering with a couple under your arm, someone will absolutely throw Aunt Mary’s sugar cookie spread right in the damn fire to make room on the dessert table.

‘Tis the season for showing up your relatives.