Melissa A:
Favorite winter holiday tradition: Lighting the menorah with my kids and eating latkes at some point. (The picture is of our menorahs on the 8th night.)
Favorite winter holiday food: Latkes!
Favorite winter holiday song: Adam Sandler's Hanukkah song and also the Barenaked Ladies Hanukkah song.
Favorite winter holiday movie: "Home Alone." Such a classic hilarious movie!
Favorite winter holiday memory: This one time my friends and I saw a late showing of "Aladdin" during my junior year of high school and when we got home, my dad stayed up until midnight making us latkes.
Favorite winter holiday gift you've ever received: I think it had to be a Little Mermaid watch from my cousins in 1993. It played "Under the Sea" when you pressed a button. My friends always wanted to hear me play it and would grab my wrist and put it to their ear. I guess I just enjoyed the attention. :) I also love the "Rent" soundtrack, which was a holiday gift from my cousins in 1996.
Favorite winter holiday gift you've ever given: I don't know. Anything that has made anyone happy, I guess. I love shopping for kids in need during the holidays. One year in college, my friends and I got together to buy some gifts for a child in need. It was so nice to share in that experience and be able to make someone's holiday brighter.
Thing you're most looking forward to during the winter holidays this year: Well, Hanukkah is over for this year, but I always like New Year's Eve. It's on Shabbat this year, but I'm hoping to have a group of friends over for a potluck.
Thing you wish there would be more of during winter holidays: Snow. :) Makes it feel more authentic, even though it's a pain to deal with.
Thing you wish there would be less of during winter holidays: Christmas music played on every radio station and in every store (and on every TV show...hint, hint, "Glee"). There are more winter holidays besides Christmas going on. December just seems so Christmas-centric.
Happy holidays and have a wonderful new year!
Melissa A
Melissa P:
Favorite Holiday Tradition: Every year my sister, mother, niece Baylee and I go to the Ritz Carlton for the Teddy Bear Tea. We get dressed up and enjoy an afternoon drinking tea, champagne (adults only :)) and nibbling on amazing tea sandwhiches. I love watching the childrens eyes light up when the Teddy Bear comes out with Santa and Mrs. Claus! The hotel is always decorated beautifully and we look forward to it every year. (The picture of my family and me is from a past tea.)
Favorite holiday food: My husband and I host Christmas Eve at our house every year. Since he and I are both Italian (Him more than I) we always throw some Italian foods in with the usual party fare. So along with the lil' smokies and artichoke dip, we also serve baked ziti with Italian sausage, an antipasti platter, and meatballs. It's a nice tradition that we have started and the whole family loves my ziti :)
Favorite holiday song: This is a tough one because I have so many favorites...but I would have to say that my number one favorite is The Nutcracker Suite. I have seen The Nutcracker dozens of times and as a dancer I have always loved the soundtrack. It has a special place in my heart. Also, I love "Baby, it's Cold Outside". It makes me feel as if I am sitting in a cozy living room with a glowing fireplace, sipping a martini in the 1940's.
Favorite holiday movie: This is easy. ELF! I crack up every single time I watch it and I have seen it probably close to 50 times!
When I was younger it was "White Christmas" though. I loved all of the singing and dancing.
Favorite holiday memory: Growing up in Chicago we spent every Christmas eve and Christmas day visiting with numerous family friends. We would hop from house to house and always had a wonderful time. We all got dressed up in our holiday best and drank hot chocolate at one house and then eggnog at the next. It was always freezing outside, but it made it feel more like Christmas to me. That is the hardest part about living in Arizona. It rarely looks or feels like Christmas, at least how it looked and felt to me growing up.
Favorite holiday gift received: This is really tough because I have gotten so many great gifts over the years. A few years ago my dad surprised my mom, sister, and I with diamond earrings! They are so beautiful and it was so wonderful to be surprised like that.
Favorite gift given: Four or five years go my husband and I surprised his daughter with a car. I got a keychain with her initial on it from Tiffany and had it professionally wrapped with the car keys inside. We saved it for her very last gift and when she opened it up, she thought it would be a necklace or bracelet from Tiffany. It was pretty cool.
Most looking forward to: Just spending time with my family. With my grandfather ill, my mom has been back east for a while taking care of him. I'm hoping that I get to see her soon and that we can all spend Christmas together this year. My husband and I were supposed to go back to NYC to spend Christmas with his family, but with my grandfather's health being so fragile, we had to reschedule NY for next year. I just pray that my family makes it through this season together and that we don't lose my grandfather before Christmas.
Thing I wish there would be more of: SNOW! I know everyone thinks I am crazy for saying that, but it's going to be 80 degrees in AZ this weekend. I feel like the holidays just pass us by every year because there is no way to mark the passing of time. Every season runs into the next because the weather just goes from hot to hotter. It's kind of sad in a way.
Thing I wish there would be less of: Stress. Everything seems to become magnified during the holidays. I am trying to just take it day by day and enjoy what I can and not dwell on what I cannot change. Stress makes people do crazy things though.
Happy Holidays everyone and thank you so much for being a part of our Chick Lit Central Family!
xo
Melissa P
Happy holidays to both of you as well :)! Have a wonderful time celebrating with your families!
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