cocktails & carols

no, this is not a post about me drinking a bit too much and then breaking into song.  (though that would be quite entertaining...)  last night craig and i joined my parents and sis at a local bar lounge to partake in some (organized) carol singing to celebrate the holiday season.  how festive! 

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we ordered our drinks as they passed out song books and prepped the crowd for the sing along.  (for those of you who don't know, i love singing...as does my family.  we sing a lot.  in the car.  while cooking.  for no reason whatsoever.  we break into song quite often.)

the event was organized by a local carol society (yes...they do exist...).  needless to say we had a lot of fun.  and a lot of laughs.  my recommendation?  while the holiday season is upon us and public displays of unabashed singing is allowed (more or less), indulge yourself.  i mean really...who doesn't love to sing?!  even people who "can't" sing, love to sing.  (i learned that last night....lol.)

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so, sing in your car.  sing while baking christmas cookies.  and sing to your neighbors when you deliver them...if you dare...

oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful....

christmas traditions : )

light show at wanamaker's in philadelphia

1. eggnog or hot chocolate?
"put your hands together."  (just a little f.r.i.e.n.d.s. reference for all of you who miss them as much as i do...)  i make killer hot chocolate that's mixed with egg nog instead of milk.  yum!

2. does santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
presents of santa are unwrapped.  presents from family are wrapped : )

3. colored lights or white lights on the tree/house?
growing up we did our big, 12ft tree in the family room with white lights and our little, 6ft tree in the living room with colored lights.  at our place this year, craig and i decorated both tree & barn with colored lights.  it looks awfully cute, if i do say so myself...

4. do you have mistletoe?
not currently.

5. when do you start putting your decorations up?
about a week after thanksgiving.

6. what is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
does "holiday" include thanksgiving?  because i really love my mom's stuffing.  mmm mmm good.  oh, and also my homemade cranberry sauce.

7. favorite holiday memory as a child?
that's a tough one.  i have sooo many wonderful memories.  decorating the house.  baking christmas goodies.  carolling.  holiday gatherings with family & friends.  christmas eve dinner at hotel du village.  not being able to sleep at all on christmas eve.  one thing i have very fond memories of is our annual christmas ride, which we still do to this day. we all pile into the car in our pjs and drive around to see all the lights and decorations while munching on fun (i.e. unhealthy) food and listening to christmas music! 

hotel du village

8. do you open a gift on christmas eve?
craig & i are doing our gift exchange on christmas eve this year before spending the holiday with family.

9. when and how did you learn the truth about santa?
hmm...i don't remember exactly.  i think i was 8 or 9 when i first started questioning.  but, to this day, i still refuse to become a true non-believer.

10. how do you decorate your christmas tree?
growing up, we decorated the big tree with hand-crafted, homemade ornaments and then decked the little tree with all the truly special antique ornaments.  craig and i don't have many of our own ornaments yet, so we invested in a small starter kit of red, green and gold ornaments.

11. snow! love it or hate it?
are you joking?  who cannot love snow?!!  (especially at christmas)

12. can you ice skate?
i don't think so.  i haven't tried since i was about 7 years old.  craig's a fabulous skater, though.  (he's a hockey boy.)

craig in all his glory : )

13. do you remember your favorite gift?
one of my favorite and most memorable gifts was my cockatiel, tucket.  i desperately wanted a bird in a beautiful cage and come christmas morning, there he was beside the tree.  magical.

14. what is the most important thing about the holidays for you?
being with family & friends and savoring every minute!

15. what tops your tree?
usually an angel.  but, this year, my parents' tree is too tall for the angel to fit.  and craig and i have a small sock monkey ornament bedecked with scarf and hat atop ours : )

16. what's your favorite holiday tradition?
what isn't my favorite?!  i love them all.  i'm big on traditions...  but i would have to say that my ultimate fave is our philadelphia weekend.  for years, we've gone into philly around the holidays to see the light show at wanamaker's (now macy's) and walk through the dickens' village.  in the past, we've stayed at the rittenhouse hotel for the entire weekend to christmas shop and enjoy delicious meals at amazing restaurants.  this year, we're heading in on the 18th!  i cannot wait : ) 

lobby at the rittenhouse hotel

17. which do you prefer giving or receiving?
giving.  i love watching someone open a present that i'm excited to give.

18. what is your favorite holiday dessert?
hmm...another tough one.  i love all the homemade cookies that we bake each year.  especially the shortbread cookies that i just wrote about in my previous post.  so delicious!  and the oatmeal scotchies are great too!

19. what is your favorite christmas song?
i love "the christmas song" sung by karen carpenter.  "white christmas" performed by bing crosby.  and "have yourself a merry little christmas" sung by judy garland.

20. candy canes! yuck or yum?
candy canes, though not my favorite holiday treat, definitely have their place.  i like stirring my hot cocoa with them : )

21. what is your favorite christmas special/movie?
i adore the oldies.  "christmas in connecticut" with barbara stanwyck, "white christmas" with danny kaye and bing crosby and "miracle on 34th street" (both the old and new versions).

christmas in connecticut

feel free to answer any/all of these questions on your blog.  just be sure to send me the link so i can read yours, too!.

i can't stop this feeling...

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i've been getting that "holiday feeling" lately. you know the one. it's that feeling you used to get when you were little and the holidays were soooo magical. now, i guess, it's more of a nostalgic feeling - remembering all those wonderful childhood christmas traditions. the feeling arrives sometimes unexpectedly, brought on by a christmas commercial, a holiday song or evergreen garlands around a door. other times you know it's coming. like this thursday when i'm helping my mom and sis in the kitchen getting the thanksgiving meal ready while the macy's thanksgiving day parade is on. just typing that, i got a glimmer of that holiday glow. like the kid in the polar express, i know that somewhere deep down, i'll always "believe". even when the jingle bell stops ringing for others' ears, i'll hear it. i know i will.

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in order to "keep the jingle bell ringing", i think you have to work at it. and each year, i (nicely) enforce our holiday traditions. to keep them alive and to preserve them (so one day we can share them with our own children).

a few of my fave traditions (feel free to steal any that interest you!) :

-christmas ride. each year, we all pile into the car in our pjs with blankets, pillows and food and peruse nearby neighborhoods looking for the best decorated houses while listening to christmas songs.

-carolling. most years we host a carolling party. we enjoy cookies and hot cocoa before wrapping ourselves in red scarves and donning santa hats as we serenade the town. my recommendation: appoint a leader who can organize the singers and start songs so that they're on key.

-holiday specials. i make it my goal to watch as many holiday specials and christmas movies as humanly possible between thanksgiving and christmas. whether it's a sappy lifestime movie or a classic like "white christmas", i'm tuned in. hey...the holidays come but once a year!

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those are just a few of the many, and i'm sure i'll be writing many more similar posts throughout the next month or so. i just couldn't resist sharing a few now!

so, what are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

happy thanksgiving : ).

the (holiday) countdown begins...

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can you believe that thanksgiving is just 3 weeks away?!  yes, that's right...i said 3 weeks!  where does the time go?  the holiday season is my favorite time of year.  i (strive to) relish in every moment and savor every passing minute, but it's not always easy.  with an endless to-do list and tons of obligations, it's sometimes hard to sit back, relax and just enjoy.

tonight i'm presenting about how to "make the most of the holiday season" at the hunterdon county library in flemington, nj.  (for those of you who don't know, i'm a lifestyle designer and author and write about how to live a happy, healthy life.)  i was honored when asked to share my tips and techniques about how to truly enjoy my favorite time of year.

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i'll be offering decorating ideas, tips about how to get through the holiday season stress-free and also discussing the importance of traditions.  (i'm all about traditions and love anything nostalgic, so i'm really looking forward to that part!!!)

so, if you're in the area, i'd love to have you stop by.  the program is at 7pm at the hunterdon county library on route 12 and is free and open to everyone.  for more info click {here}.

happy (almost) holidays!  hope to see you there : )

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