Before being swamped by holiday activities, this a good time to make a vow to spend more time at home -- on Whidbey Island -- during the holiday season.

We’re only one week away from the official beginning of the holidays, and already islanders are hard at work preparing for the festivities. Thanksgiving Day features community dinners in both Coupeville and Oak Harbor. If you haven’t attended before, make a vow to give it a try this year. Eating with friends and neighbors at the Elks Lodge or Rec Hall is considerably less stressful than inviting them all over to your house, and your interest rewards all the people who have poured so many hours of volunteer labor into the dinners.

As the days progress, the number of holiday activities is mind boggling on North, Central and South Whidbey. You can find them all in the pages of this newspaper, particularly in the Holiday Gift Guide which will be delivered with your Nov. 25 paper. But just a sampling includes tree lightings in Langley and Oak Harbor, versions of “The Nutcracker,” in Langley and Oak Harbor, the annual Greening of Coupeville and related events, various Christmas galas to benefit vital non-profit organizations on Whidbey Island, colorful home and bed & breakfast tours, musical and dramatic performances at churches and by local orchestras and other performing artists, and even a “Jingle Trail Run and Walk” at Fort Ebey State Park.

All these events attract appreciative crowds and involve many participants each year, but there are always plenty of islanders missing, as well. Many of them are off-island, battling the Christmas traffic and crowds in a futile effort to find the holiday spirit.

In fact, the holiday spirit is right here at home, on Whidbey lsland. This year, make a personal resolution to enjoy it with your friends and neighbors.