Holiday Brew

Hey Brew-Guru's, I'm looking for a recipe for something (Cider, Beer) that will make the holidays a bit warmer. Something I can enjoy with my ladyfriend, and our families. Like I said, I'm open to beer and/or cider ideas, but I'm still relatively new to brewing (3rd extract batch in bottles) so if it requires anything semi-complex I may need a step by step breakdown. Thanks!

How about a big Belgian Dubel? That beer says "holidays" to me, even without any christmas spices. And that's a style that you can do fairly well with extract, and there's even a dry yeast strain (Safale T-58) that you can use if you don't make starters.

Whats wrong with your Robust Porter? That is one of my favourite holiday styles .

GT

I second the notion on the Belgian Dubbel or Belgian strong dark. You can do a lot to make it more festive.
Go easy on the hops (Hallertaur or Styrian Goldings are nice), add some bitter orange, get a nice fruity yeast and ferment on the cooler side (finishing warmer). Both White Labs and Wyeast carry the "Chimay" strain, and I am trying a Belgian strong with the Achouffe strain (Wyeast 3522) blended with the Chimay strain (WLP 500). I did a partial mash / extract batch based on some ideas I got from "Brew Like a Monk", with some help from my LHBS.
I'm hoping this batch will be a nice winter warmer.
The banana and bubblegum flavors usually only show up when you ferment too warm for too long.