31 Days of December

As the last day of the month and of the year ticks away, I wanted to recap for all of you my events which helped to create the new tradition of "31 days of December" that I have decided to celebrate instead of Christmas. Overall, I think it was an enjoyable success.

Parties: Having not accepted (or receiving for that matter) any invitations, I felt it was necessary to crash a cocktail party in the Gold Coast where I only knew two people. The food was put away about 20 minutes after arriving and so basically it boiled down to a couple glasses of wine and a spectacular view of Lakeshore Drive and Lake Michigan at night. The other plus to choosing this particular party was the host had subscribed to HBO's De La Hoya - Pacquiao fight at the MGM. Good start.

Home cooking: In continuing with the tradition of Top Cheeeef Wednesday, my cohorts and I were able to squeeze in two viewings this month. In celebration of 31/Dec I prepared two homemade dinners for the girls. Always a good time.

Game night: A little competition gets the blood pumping during the frigid weather.

Christmas music: I want to see a performance at the Opera House but did not want to shell out upwards of $75 for a ticket during this month so I was fortunate to come across the Lyric's Chamber Choir Christmas program. I got to sit in the balcony and enjoy the beautiful singers that perform during many of the operas for half the cost of an opera. Also a co-worker of mine belongs to the Chicago Chamber Choir and they had a Christmas sing-along concert in a Chicago neighborhood church. Not only did I get to sing-along and laugh-along with Anne (a professional singer herself) I was also able to cross off "church" which I had on my list of things to do.

Volunteering: While I wasn't able to arrange wrapping or reading or cooking volunteering in the city somewhere, I was able to volunteer to babysit for Lil E and read her Christmas (bedtime) stories while her mom and dad went to the Bears vs Packers game at Soldier Field...great game, but I got the better deal.

Cookies: What's December without a sugar-high? I wasn't able to get to this until after the holiday--just when my co-workers thought it was safe to go back into the kitchen!

It's A Wonderful Life: If you've been following along you'll already know this was probably the "big" event for 31/Dec.

The rest of the activities were less noteworthy but included: Peeking in on houses with decorated trees, photographing lit-up holiday yard decor, staying up late and sleeping in, classic movies on TV (White Christmas, Home Alone, The Family Stone, Fred Clause.....), Christmas cards and holiday music.

I know that my 31/Dec will be continued (and improved) next year. I hope you enjoyed your holiday traditions and events and are looking forward to making the most of the new year ahead. My love to all of you and I hope for many great and surprising events for all of us in 09.