.
As it turns out, you can upload holiday pack items to the exchange but if you don't have the pack installed on your comp, the holiday specific objects won't show in your game.  Basically the same as expansion packs.

So it isn't the holiday pack items causing your time out

I agree; I would like to see the themed shopping packs released.  I would not however pay $20 for them!

The idea is fantastic, something the community has been asking for, but the price is outrageous.  Especially for 60 items (which was the number that was in my survey).  I would pay around $10 for 75 or more items but not much more at all.  And I'm saying that as someone who would love to have more furniture, landscaping, clothing, architectural elements etc. included in the game (I like to upload lots without custom content in them).

I don't believe the cornucopia is exclusive; it has been offered on the main site as a free download from Maxis since last fall.

It appears, according to one simmer's experience, that if you don't have the  holiday pack installed the objects won't appear in your game if you download them from the exchange. 

Settle down there chief!

Maxis is claiming nothing!!  The post says that "she doesn't think exclusive objects will actually carry up to the exchange" (bold is my addition)!   

Um...hence why he said that the alien skin file is corrupt and that he is working on fixing it.

No, no, that is why I started downloading.  I want to know, now that I already have more than enough, why I can't stop!

Your skins are fantastic!  Can't wait to get them in my game!

Geeze Louise guys!  I thought my favourite fansite list was big before.  Now of course due to my cc compulsion I have forced to check out all the sites that others provided and I'm sure my list will grow again.  And that means that I will be forced to spend hours editing my current abundance of items already in my game. 

Why oh why am I unable to resist custom content?! 

That makes sense then Zephyr; one of my first priorities is trading up to the more expensive beds so that my sims don't have to spend as much time asleep.

Also, due to my slow comp my sims do tend to spend more time at home than out and about.

I also don't have my sims stomp roaches (not that I have them that often either).  Even in my single sim households who have their garbage cans kicked over while at work, I have found that roaches don't gather in the time it takes them to return from work and clean up the mess.  Anyone know how long it does take roaches to gather, just out of curiosity?

You know, I've never had a sick sim!  I have mixed feelings about it after this thread however; I'm sad that there is an aspect of the game I have yet to experience yet it seems like just a plain annoyance to deal with.

All well, I'll just have to wait and see...

If you like 11dots you will likely enjoy this site as well: http://simfantasy.free.fr/Sims2/sims2.htm 
The simfantasy owner is the parent of the 11dots owner.

Some of my favourite sites for downloads:

http://www.parsimonious.org
http://www.strategyplanet.com/thesims/simestates2/
http://www.sterlingsims2.com/
http://www.all-about-style.com/index.html
http://www.sussissogoodsims.com/index.htm
http://www.simsquirts.com/
http://www.pronupsims.net/
http://www.modthesims2.com (helpful to have something specific in mind that you are searching for ex/ renaissance clothing)
http://www.simplyskintastic.com/ (now http://www.sagesims.com/)
http://www.marinasims.net (great build items)
http://www.hairfish.com/mermaidcove/
http://www.sapphiresims2.com
http://simfantasy.free.fr/Sims2/sims2.htm
http://nectardellaluna.angeltowns.com/main.html
http://kimberspace.mattwork.potsdam.edu/sunnisims/index.htm
http://www.thesimsresource.com (paysite with freebies)-have to have a fair amount of time to sift through though
http://www.welldressedsim.com (paysite with a limited number of freebies)
http://www.strategyplanet.com/thesims/simsshowcase/ (this has links to further sites)-every few days will give you links to sites that have updated their content; it really aids in discovering new sites with fab content

I second all of the above!!

For me to purchase a booster pack it would have to be at least 125 objects for around $10.  If they released an objects only pack within that frame, I would be happy to purchase it.  I love the items that the community makes and I do have a slight downloading addiction because of that, but I find that my downloads folder fills up too quickly and it slows down my game.  I also love building and uploading lots which means that I avoid putting community made objects in it, which again limits me on what I can include.  That means the more Maxis made objects I have available the better.

I would be super excited to see various themed furniture.  I'm not a fan of contemporary furniture for the most part; I love mission and craftsmen style.  I love the idea of more medieval furniture as well as Victorian.  They could even do a series of themed object boosters and folks could pick and choose the themes they find appealing.

I would love to see more gardening features as well.  Both indoor and outdoor.  As far as more interactions etc., I would be content if they left those to be included only in full expansion packs but I wouldn't be against their inclusion in a booster.

As for clothing, I probably wouldn't purchase a booster pack just for that.  But I do look forward to seeing new meshes in the eps.  And I agree, they really need to step up to the plate in terms of men's items and hair.

I will not buy anything that is available exclusively online at EA. 

As for the Holiday pack specifically, I have no interest in holidays in my game.  I don't keep a calendar in game, I don't have my game reflect what is happening in "real life", I didn't bother with the free holiday Maxis.  I'm just not interested.  In fact, I'm disappointed that Maxis would come this close to religion in the game (and yes, I know the items are not specifically religious in nature).  I would prefer they leave that to the modding community and stay on the non-exclusionary, all inclusive line they have been walking up to this point.

Hook, though the word may have some unseemly connotations that I am unaware of, in Spanish/Italian, punto means "point".

I moved my downloads folder to my desktop, downloaded and installed the patch, moved my downloads folder back in place, and my game works just fine.  Why shouldn't folks move their downloads folders?

Edit*For clarity, I am not saying that because I didn't have a problem no one else should; I am just genuinely curious as to why folks shouldn't move things out of the folder before installing the patch.

I started with a clean install with Nightlife, began a custom hood for a brand new legacy, and was burgled within the first sim week.  And had three fires within the first two sim week.  Both events are more frequent for me; before Nightlife the only burglary I had was the preset Caliente one (which I played just to see it happen) and my sims generally only have one fire per sim.

If all of this weird LTW jazz is happening with Nightlife installed, it may not be a glitch; it could be programmed that way to encourage players to use the ReNuYu (?) aspiration changer reward...thing.

http://bbs.thesims2.ea.com/community/bbs/messages.php?&openItemID=item.62,item.43,item.41,item.23&threadID=77bd17f5d52d8afb3a0c81bd96f92eb2&directoryID=62&startRow=1#4dea2dfb8603f79ed19ef23eb4965848

I should specify that you need to scroll down two posts to read the answer from MaxoidHunter, but you need to read how Twain asked the question for the response to make sense.

...barring any unforeseen circumstances.  Hot off the presses:

Author:  MaxoidKane - Rank: Supreme Social Sim - View MySimPage Profile 
Date:  Oct-11-05 03:44 PM PDT
Subject:  Patch Release Information 
 
Hi Simmers,
I just got word that the patch is set to go out tomorrow afternoon. There will be a patch for EP1 and EP2. The complete list of fixes will be available tomorrow on the update pages. I'll update the site if anything changes.
Thanks,
MaxoidKane
 
Edited to add that you can read the original post at the top of the Uni section on the TS2 board.

Whoa, settle down lol!  It was just a typo!  The lot was only 1.79 Mb.  I'm not a complete idiot!

I'll update the post above.

Nope, I have to shut everything down in order to even open the game (yes, it is that craptastic!).  Thanks for the thought though.

To update, I ended up rebuilding the lot; a 99% accurate replica.  I can only say 99% as I added one extra light and four extra shrubs.  And...it uploaded perfectly. So I'm stumped.  It did go a lot faster the second time of course lol!

Just for reference, it is about 1.79 Mb so it wasn't the size of the lot.  I used the same terrain I used before as well.

I will just have to chalk it up to a hit and run on the part of my game I guess.

Thanks for your time though folks!

Nope, packaging to file results in the same message.

Terrain is a possibility in the first two or three but I am still doubtful that it was.  And in this last case, I know for a fact that I didn't delete the one terrain I used.  The other terrain I used was a Maxis file.  Of course, it may be a problem with the terrain beyond just deleting a file that one has used.

This particular lot is entirely flat so it isn't your second suggestion.

Thanks though!  I'll chalk it up to some sort of terrain issue (though not deleting the terrain) and just rebuild it. 

I tried duplicating it but the duplicate crashes as well.  Ah well; I'm off to rebuild it.  At least I have screenshots lol!