Although it's just a day or two off, the holidays provide World Cup racers a welcome break from their training and competition routine, and most athletes on the women's circuit enjoy precious time at home.

"It's a lot of good food and trying to get relaxed with your family," said Tanja Poutiainen, who said the main present she received for Christmas was of the functional variety ... a hair dryer. "It was cold in Finland - minus 25. But it's beautiful when it's cold, clear skies and beautiful. It's just good food and relaxing with your family and everybody goes to the sauna."

Of course Christmas traditions vary, depending on the country, particularly the food.

"Finnish people, at Christmas, we eat a lot of pork," Poutiainen said. "But in northern Finland we eat reindeer. So we ate reindeer. It tastes pretty much like steak."

And in Sweden ...

"We have homemade Swedish meatballs,some sausages, different kinds of fish, ribs, and ham. The ham we slice very thin and put on sandwiches with some mustard," Anja Paerson said, throwing in as an aside that this season might be her last for racing. "I'm trying to lose weight before the Olympics, so I was eating small bites. It may be my last year so I'm trying to give everyting."

Before and after dinner for Christmas in the Paerson family, there are also some standard activities.

"We have a long breakfast, then go outside to have a workout, take a long walk with the family, then you come back at 3 o'clock and it's Donald Duck on TV," she said. "It's like this Christmas Donald Duck thing and everyone watches that. Then we have a nice long evening with a lot of games."

Ingrid Jacquemod was back in Val d'Isère with her family and received some backcountry ski gear that she hopes to find time between training and racing to try out.

"I got some stuff to go freeriding so I was very happy because I like to ski free ride," she said. "I like to go in the powder with my sister and some friends."

And with New Year's on the way, not everybody has a resolution.

"It's traditional in Germany to make these resolutions but no, I don't have one," said Maria Riesch.

But some people do ...

"In sports, a New Year's goal is that I'm looking forward to the Olympics," said Tina Maze. "It's this goal to get a medal. The rest is to stay happy and healthy and enjoy the life."

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