Holiday Hams-how do you make them special?

I love ham for the holidays, both sugar cured (what my dad called "city ham"), and salt cured Country ham. The many ways to use the leftovers make me happy too- the best beans always follow a good ham meal. I am always looking for ways to make them special to fit the mood.

Last year I did a variation of an idea I got from Nigella Lawson's Food network show, Sugar cured ham, boiled in Merlot. I put the ham in a stock pot and added a bottle of merlot, 2 cups of brown sugar, a couple of oranges halved, some cinnamon sticks and whole cloves, a couple of onions quartered and enough water to cover the ham. I'm pretty sure I added some fruit juice too- probably apple, but just enough liquid to cover the ham, and let it slowly boil for about 2 hours.

After it cooled enough to handle, I allowed it to drain and dry on the surface. For a glaze I used chopped figs, dates, brown sugar, dijon mustard, and a little cider vinegar, then baked.

I was really happy with the results, really took a plain ham up a notch!

Country ham was a Thanksgiving and Christmas treat growing up. Dad raised a hog each year, and the hams were saved just for those occasions. I've tasted many country hams that were still way too salty after preparation for me, but Dad's method always resulted in the most delicious ham. He boiled the ham in a huge stock pot, for at least 2 hours. He then sat the covered stock pot on moving quilts, and covered it securely to insulate. It would stand 5-6 hours like this. When uncovered, steam was still rolling out, and typically the bone would pull easily free of the ham. As it sat and cooled, the ham would tighten back up, closing the hole left by the bone. Mom used a simple brown sugar-pineapple juice glaze before baking. Those were amazing hams!

Please share your favorite holiday ham recipe, and any great ideas for the leftovers too!
Neal