Well, deck the halls and everything else!

Let it be known… Christmas is my favorite holiday! I am in such a festive mood and want to decorate everything! Thanks to the help of a family friend, “Sir James” (I am not allowed to call him Mr. McCafferty, we evn have lights on the roof this year.

Perhaps my excitement has something to do with my trip to New York back in November. Our first stop was Carlo’s Bakery to see how Buddy’s cannolis stack up to the famous Termini Brothers’ cannolis that I love so much. I have to say they were pretty good, but I was disappointed that they were missing the chocolate chips - what’s up with that?! Heading into the city was a breeze, but once we were there it was a whole different story-let’s just say that not all GPS’s are created equal. I made it just in the nick of time to walk with my fellow National Teenagers in the 91st annual New York City Veterans Day Parade. Throughout the long weekend, we had lots of excitement. We took a ferry ride to see Lady Liberty, went to a see the Rockettes kick to the beat at Radio City Music Hall, saw the tree at Rockefeller Center (it had just arrived so it wasn’t decorated), visited the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem, toured St. David’s Cathedral - it was breath taking, and strolled through beautiful Central Park. Of course we did some shopping…I know I joke about shopping being my sport, but in New York City it really is a contact sport. Shopping there is not for the weak! My mom, grandmom and I walked into one of the department stores and came across a gorgeous fuchsia/ red dress. There it was, up swirling around on a display in the middle of the store with some other holiday decorations. We fell in love with it, so the hunt to find it was on…Our sales associate Chuck was looking everywhere and even had to get management involved because the dress was nowhere to be found. To our surprise, Chuck called 5 hours later to tell us it was a “one of a kind” from some European designer. He said he would be able to take it off the mannequin on Monday and make a special appointment for me to try it on. Needless to say, we could not stay until Monday, but my point was “who makes a one of a kind dress for a mannequin?!” My grandmom promptly replied “Saks Fifth Avenue, that’s who!”

I don’t know exactly what it is about Christmas that I love so much. I think a big part is about Mia Famiglia and the special memories we share. As my mom and I started decorating I found our Christmas book that she used to read to my brother and me when we were little. I took a couple of minutes to flip through the pages again, and it is still my favorite. Maybe it’s also the newly created memories like visiting Macy’s in Philadelphia to see the Dickens Village and Light Show. It could also be preparing to dance in a holiday favorite, The Nutcracker, or even the carols we are practicing for the holiday concert. Quite possibly it’s when the whole family, including our dog, hops in the car to look at Christmas lights. It’s a great tradition that starts with a quick trip to Wawa for hot chocolate and some cookies. We just drive around looking at all the decorations while wearing our jammies and listening to Christmas music! All of these fun rituals make me think, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

Whether you say it like Buddy the Cake Boss “Buon Natale”, or in my favorite language “Frohliche Weihnachten”, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! May the good times and treasures of the present become the golden memories of tomorrow.