pumpkin soup?

So with my first Us turkey day about a month away … the gantlet has been thrown down. I am to make a pumpkin soup. “What the heck is that?” was my first reaction, so after my friend Google explained it to me. I made my first one today just to check it out what it is like.
here is the question;

What tasty tricks do you use to make this dish into something worthy of THE GREATEST HOLIDAY OF THE YEAR!
as an idea of the sort of pro tips that I am looking for;
I tried using a dry Riesling and cranberry goat cheese to thicken instead of sour cream or condensed milk. This took away some of the sweet that pumpkin normally has and added a subtle festive taste.

Thanks,
Cap