THE HOLIDAYS

Is it wrong that I still believe in Santa Claus?

I just love the thought of some secret jolly, fat man sneaking in your house and not setting off the alarm or sending the police rushing to your rescue. Instead of running off with your valuables, this man dressed in red velour (not particularly in style) leaves you treats and presents that you have been just dreaming about (ok… and telling everyone who will listen).

Of course, I help mom put out the presents (though I try to get out of it every year) and eat the cookies and drink the milk my little cousins have left out for Santa, BUT I love going to bed Christmas eve thinking of Rudolph and Dancer and Prancer and the gang landing on my roof and Santa sliding down the chimney. I love running down to the tree early in the morning (well, actually my little cousins have to drag my ass out of bed in my pajamas) to check out the spectacle of wrapped boxes.

Of course, I love to get presents (and I always do pretty well because I am VERY good girl), but I also love to give. I try and start my Christmas shopping early so I can get something truly special for every one on my list. Rhonda is easy. She likes African things and black angels. Ross likes gadgets and electronics. Mom likes anything personal with pictures (this year, I gave her a mug with a family photo on it from the Kennedy Center Honors. You can get one too at ofoto.com) Tracee and Evan are harder because they have eclectic (and expensive) taste, but I think I did pretty well with a cool silver bracelet for Evan and a gaudy gold necklace with black stones for Tracee.

Every year, we get together for an early Christmas dinner (same as Thanksgiving with turkey and stuffing and Mac and cheese…. Oh my!) Our beloved housekeeper Geneva used to cook up the feast with love, but now after her passing ☹ we do our best to cook with the tools we learned from her. Tracee and mom work on the turkey (Evan gave the bird a little massage, but he is not the biggest help in the cooking department). Mom and Rhonda made the greens and the stuffing. Ross and Rhonda made the Mac & Cheese and I made the sweet potato pies and the crescent rolls (I burnt my arm in the process. I am NOT much of a chef, but I try!)

We sit around the table and laugh and love and chow down enjoying being together and being a family. In my many (many) years on this earth, I have never not been with my family on Christmas (I mean how the heck would Santa find me if I wasn’t snuggled in bed at my mom’s house?)

After dinner, we sometimes go to the movies or play board games (The Ross family LOVES Scattergories). This year, I went to my friend Casey’s family’s house to catch up with old friends. (Congrats to Casey and Greg on thier recent engagement! Am I going to be the last single woman on earth or what? HA! Still looking for mine…)

After a fun filled, family Christmas I always bid farewell to the family to hit the slopes in Aspen and of course party it up in the fabulously, hip town. Evan comes too.

Aspen is FABULOUS because not only does it have the amazing outdoors (I love to ski and sled and play in the snow), but it also has a hip, Hollywood type nightlife (bars, clubs, parties).

This New Year, my friends Linc, Ina, Matt, Ian, Paulie and I cooked a pasta feast at the condo and drank copious amounts of champagne. Floating on our buzz, we cruised to the Artisan, a restaurant in Snowmass where many of our Ski school friends were rocking out to a rowdy mountain band. After a few more cocktails, I decided to put my fancy dress to use and I headed into Aspen.

I swung by the Aspen Peak party (which is usually at the tip top of Aspen Mountain, but for some reason had moved to the bottom of the mountain this year). Bad move I think because it was less than exciting (less than crowded and I barely knew anyone there).

I meandered the streets under the blaze of fireworks (I was alone with no one to kiss at midnight BUT don’t worry I made up for it on January 2nd and plan on having many more kisses by years end). I found my friend Natasha and we headed to the Caribou Club (the hot spot for the rich and famous), had a couple more cocktails and hob-knobbed and danced with Aspen’s elite. Having not found the man of my dreams among the drunken partygoers, Natasha and I decided to call it a night and head home.

Happy New Years!

The Holidays are FABULOUS!