Posts from — December 2008

Deciding on a venue for our New Year party was a hard decision to make because we really wanted a party and we wanted the kids to be involved too. So we decided to make it at two places. Donna is going to have a small New Year’s Eve dinner, get together at her place so the kids, Rachael, Emily, and Ethan can enjoy and we can play with the dogs. Even Eleanor and Frank are coming with her grandson in tow! They’re giving Mike and Lisa a break for the night.

The after dinner party of course continues at my place. Rick as usual is going to be bringing the booze. Steve is going to be bringing the new lady friend of his so we can all meet her. Both Kate and Jeffrey are going to be there so it’ll be interesting what is going to happen… Irina, as usual, the social butterfly is going to be bringing a bunch of her friends in and out. Well, we’ve talked about the party and we’re going to be making it as if it’s an open house. That’s why we decided that my place was the ideal place. It’s close enough from Times Square and also the Village so anyone can drop in as a stop point in their journey wherever they’re headed. I think I’m going to be meeting a lot of funny characters though. It’s going to be a crazy night as usual! Adrian is looking forward to it too.

There are a lot of things and people that talk New Year resolutions but the basic underlying fact is the same: even the most determined go wayward when it comes to New Year Resolutions. So this New Year 2009, maybe you should have a resolution to stick to your New Year resolutions to begin with!

I believe the best way to achieve that is to think carefully over what your New Year resolution(s) will be. The first big mistake is to decide something at the eleventh hour, just for the heck of it. That is a sure way to see your resolution fall flat in just the first few days. Think carefully over your New Year resolution. Probably a good time to do so is now. It could be on the personal level or professional. Making realistic New Year resolutions always help. Write them down or talk to a close friend and tell them what you’ll be doing. Seek support, it’s ok to get friends to help you. We’re all human.

What do you have to say about New Year Resolutions? What is your New Year resolution? Leave me YOUR two cents.

Did you hear about what Christopher Plummer said about Sound of Music? This guy is really funny. Apparently he hated doing the movie. That was news to me, but hey, the songs can be annoying at times I guess. Especially if someone starts humming in the office at the cubicle next to you. Oh Steve does that often when he’s fixing computers and I have to go and stop him. Ah, but we still love him. That’s what friends are for right? Accepting the quirky characters that makes us up no matter what is the true value of friendship. In that spirit in mind, let’s usher in the New Year, 2009. And I’ve picked the best of Editor Bob’s Favorite ecards right here. Holla back and lemme know what you think.

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Hope all of you had a great Christmas? I had a blast. Rick planned for some great food and drinks. The bonfire that he prepared was great too. We sat in a circle around it, and sang some old Christmas songs. Rick was in a great mood and after a couple of songs, he was up on his feet! We cheered him on and soon all of us were dancing.

However, there was something that was keeping Megan preoccupied. She kept looking around and was restless through the evening. I don’t think the others noted this, but I could sense that tension in her, having known her for a long time now. She didn’t join us while we danced but kept looking over her shoulder. And then she fixed her gaze and slowly stood up. I followed her eyes: holding a brown bag with both hands was Kate!

I froze in shock. When the others saw me stop dancing with my hands in mid-air, they followed my gaze too. And then there was a deathly silence, followed by a deafening roar! Kate was back. Her face was a rainbow of emotions. She smiled but tears were rolling down her cheeks while we hugged her. It was the most memorable moment this Christmas and probably this year, for all of us. Later we came to know that Megan convinced her to come to the party and she planned this whole surprise for us. More power to you Megan! And also looking forward to having Kate around in the New Year.

How was your Christmas? I’d like to know.

With the New Year waiting with open arms, it’s time to hit the ‘Refresh’ button on the connections that we have. Wishing on New Year is not only about wishing, it’s about wishing in style! There has to be a positive synergy in the message and the audio-visual effects. That positivity has to rub off on your friends and family. Confused? Check out my favorite Top Ten New Year Ecards to find out what I mean…

If you are yet to select and send Christmas ecards, take your pick here and here!

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I know you’ve heard about “A Christmas Carol”, but have you heard about “a Christmas proposal”? It’s President-elect Obama’s stimulus plan. He plans to create or preserve about 3 million jobs over the next two years. Do you think it’ll work? I know one of my friends will be contributing to the economy very soon. That’s Irina. She’s been waiting for the big after Christmas sale 2008! She’s really excited because she’s been curbing her Christmas spending this year. Are you doing the same? How are you doing that? And let me just take the time here to thank all those bloggers out there who are reviewing our site so folks can save money this Christmas.

There are some Christmas preparations being done on other sides as well. Although they’ve put up the Christmas tree and all, my young friends, Ethan and Emily are still ‘debating’ over how to decorate the Christmas tree. It’s driving Donna nuts. Ethan and Emily each have their own ideas and plans on how to decorate the Christmas tree. And they can’t agree on anything. Ethan liked the Christmas tree lights that they had over last Christmas, but Emily thinks they look too flashy now. Donna made them arrive at a compromise: she got them a few new ones, and told them to use both sets. Donna really has patience to negotiate with them. If it were me, I’d have got them an entire set or nothing!

Did you decorate your Christmas tree with lights? If not, today’s the day. Only one day to go all you procrastinators, get cracking!

I want to thank you all for the response that I got for my ‘Meaning of Christmas’ question. If you haven’t sent Christmas cards to all the people in your list, I suggest you check out these new Christmas ecards. They’re my favorites, straight from the drawing boards of 123Greetings!

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Winter is here! I was surfing online when I got the idea of how sometimes people use winter as a metaphor for bad times. The climate of this economy isn’t really bringing good holiday cheer in the days leading to Christmas. To add to the woes, the relationships around me seem to be withering away like dead, dry leaves in Central Park. The only way to survive through this and come out unscathed, if you asked me, is to stick together with friends and family. I believe the warmth of interpersonal bonding will definitely nurture us and take us to the other end. To help you strengthen that bond this winter, I have chosen these wonderfully warm winter ecards. If you have to reach out to friends and folks you want to connect with, now is the time…

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Christmas is not really about partying and stuff so I don’t want to put emphasis on having a party at my place. On the other hand, I really want my friends to get together again. Like Berka said, Thanksgiving was a blast and we really bonded. I want to feel that synergy again. Most of my friends I’ve spoken to also really wanted that, so I’m really undecided as to whether I should throw a party or not. What do you think I should do? Can you give me a couple of ideas?

When I started thinking about this I realized that everyone has their own ideas and traditions about Christmas. There are a lot of families who go to church and do the Christmas mass and contemplate on the meaning of Christmas and how it affects their lives. There are also a lot of folks who’ve made their own Christmas traditions and continued throughout generations. What is your Christmas tradition like? When do you open your Christmas presents? Is there a special dish that your mom makes? Is there a special Christmas dinner in your family? Or do you go out and play in the snow? I’d really like to hear from you and see how diverse all my readers are.

Please feel free to post your answers to our Facebook discussion as well.

A family gives you a sense of security that you want to come back to after a rough time. It’s like snuggling under a warm blanket in a cold night. A family stands right behind you, right up there to support you, whenever you need it. I stay away from my family but my friends here make up for it in a nice, cozy way. They are my family in this city and I’m very grateful to them for what they have been to me over the years. In the same breath, I’d like to add that all you guys are also part of my extended family and I’m no less thankful to you people for your support. To thank you all in my little way and to help you connect better with your family, here are my favorite Top Ten Family ecards. I’m sure you and your family will love them.

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