Hello WordPressland!
Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas Season and a great start to 2019!
Christmastime Fun!
We had a great season exploring all that Boston has to offer before school vacation, AND after! My eldest sister is home from Italy with her family, and is for another 10 days or so, so we got right to the fun. My niece is 10yo, and she has never seen Christmas outside of her region of Italy. And, Christmas here in the States is like nowhere else.
We glam it up in every direction with decorations, lots of trees and an amont of lights compared to none; it is quite the spectacular sight if you have never seen it before. (and as I spent one Christmas in her hometown in 2007, I know she had NEVER seen anything like a holiday here.)
We tried to do so much.. we started the first day they got here by seeing the Christmas St Bernard Dogs at Smolak Farms. Those dogs look animated, that is how cute they are in real life. Then we celebrated our Mom’s 70th birthday, which I hosted the cake afterward. We then took the kids to see the Nutcracker at the Boston Ballet. My family and I had a few holiday parties between, then we took a trip with all the family to see the Enchanted Village at Jordan’s. I brought my sister with her family with me to work one day so she could walk around to shop. Then we celebrated my 42nd birthday. After that was my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. Then we celebrate my niece’s birthday. After that we took everyone to the Museum of Science to check out the new sights there. My family and I had a party that we brought my niece to at the Hampshire House. Which was quite the kick ass party. Then it was Christmas week, where Christmas Eve was hosted by my sister-in-law. Christmas Day was hosted by my parents, we had a sleep over and a few friend parties between as the girls slept at my sister’s one night for a kids birthday for my niece, then I hosted New Year’s Eve night, and that follows these Christmas pictures below.
All in all it was busy, but fun. I may need a vacation soon after all this!
New Year’s Eve!
‘You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.’ -C.S. Lewis
☆☆☆Happy 2019!!☆☆☆
It had been four years since we hosted a NYE party, and with my sister home we figured why not this year? We had decided last minute to make this party a potluck. With thirty people coming we had to figure out how to make everyone happy, and potlucks are a great way to make sure folks eat what they like… and I actually like hosting them. And man oh man, did my guys out do themselves! We offered a lot to begin with..unlimited cava and prosecco to start, a chili bar, crab cakes, taquitos, roasted mini peppers (which I can’t get enough of), a cheese plate, a literal vat of guacamole and dip with an insane amount of chips. Everyone ended up bringing so much…a monster Italian pandoro sandwich, pizza, chicken enchiladas, mini hotdogs, pulled chicken, sausages, mac n cheese, cakes, cookies, and the list goes on!! (I am swearing off food after this week btw. I had lost 7lbs in December, and I think I have gained back five from NYE alone!! haha) But it was all well worth it. I loved hosting this party this year even if my house still looks like it was hit with a tornado. 🙂
The next day we were sluggish, but we made it for January 1’s dinner with my family at my parents’. Very low-key, just like I like it. Now I am off to work. YES I typed this all out before the kids got off to school. Maybe 2019 will be a productive year? haha No I know, I doubt that, too. 🙂
That’s it. I hope you all had a great start to this fresh new year! Best wishes for a healthy, prosperous 2019.
xoxoxox
Valeria Out Loud 