Christmas Week & Friends

They're baaaaack.

Usually during the week between Christmas and New Year's, Dan heads off to California and I spend some time in New Jersey, which includes Christmas Eve dinner with the family, lazy days next to the tree, and trips to the movie theater. Not the case this year. I had to work every holiday, so I was stuck in the city...which could have been a recipe for absolute suckiness.

Luckily, it wasn't so terrible. Working the morning shift on Christmas Day made it easy for me to go to NJ for a few hours, where I got to hang out with my mom, stepfather and my sister, complete with a holiday meal. I was sent home with an abundance of tuperware filled with all the delectables I missed on Christmas Eve so it's like I got to have my holiday dinner spread throughout the following week.

I wasn't for lack of company either. My dear Danish friends from Belgium (aka some my favorite people ever) decided to come visit New York City during this week, so instead of being cooped up alone in my apartment, I got to go out and do as the Euros do: shop until you drop! When I wasn't working, we spent every free moment together viewing all the sites: Bloomingdale's, Banana Republic, J Crew, Nicole Miller, FAO Schwarz, Betsey Johnson, Urban Outfitters, Free People, Sabon. When I wasn't with them, these ambitious shoppers hit American designers Tori Burch, Cole Haan and Diane Von Furstenberg and braved the crowds at Century 21. They brought only old clothes to wear on this trip, which they planned to toss, filling up their suitcase with all their new American purchases! It was fun to be a spectator and I think they did their part in reviving our American economy.

Anna and Gerda shop for shoes at Bloomingdale's.


Katrine with her new toy.

In between these shopping sprees, we stopped for dinners and coffees and desserts....the rascals refusing to let me pay for anything. (This is MY hometown! They are MY guests!) Dan joined us for our last outing together, and the Danes indulged us by doing the touristy things that *we* have always wanted to do--ride the gondola to Roosevelt Island for a view of the city and dine on frozen hot chocolate and gigantic ice cream sundaes at Serendipity 3. There is a reason why we have never been to Serendipity before. There was a three-hour wait for a table! For ice cream! But Dan was on mission and we timed everything just right. We got our table and we ate our ice cream which ended up being our dinner. It was hilarious to see how appalled Gerda was over these American dessert monstrosities. But the rest of the family ate it up (well, as much as we could--with the insanely large portions, it was impossible to finish).

Mmmm frozen hot chocolate.

Ah, the Danish. As always, I found them endlessly entertaining, fun, wonderful, interesting, great. I was terribly sad to see them go. I would have packed myself in one of their suitcases but they bought way too much stuff so I didn't fit this time.

By the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

My New Year's Eve was spent in a television control room, working for the midnight show as the prompter. They popped open a bottle of champaigne at midnight but other than that, it was business as usual.

Since I was in the city and either working or shopping, I didn't do my yearly tradition of sitting by my mother's tree and mapping out my New Year's goals. So I have decided to keep it simple this year:

1. Exercise and eat more vegetables

2. Hang out with my friends and family more and/or stay in better touch

3. Get through the 100 list

4. Get married! (that's easy!)

5. As always, seek (and find!) direction for my life and career

Actually this blog says it much more nicer than me. I am looking forward to a fresh start!