Our little office has been buzzing this month! So many new weddings have been signed, holiday cards have been sent out, and now we get ready to close up the office next week for 12 days to take a break and enjoy this time with our families. I will be working still, as we have a big festive wedding on New Years Eve for one of my favorite couples, it is going to be a blast!
During this time of year though, we sometimes get caught up in the commercial side of the holidays, and forget the things that matter, like our families, friends and traditions. I am a huge believer in keeping traditions, and I know it can be hard sometimes to make time or spend the money on them, but in the end, it is so worth it. I thought I would share some of my traditions, since I am a self proclaimed holiday nerd, and this time of year just brings me so much happiness!
One thing that I have done since I was a little girl, and bought the same type of thing for my son when he was little, was a felt handmade advent calender to hang every year. When my sister and I were little we would literally have full on fights about who got to put santa (the last ornament) on the advent tree. It was ridiculous, but we loved it anyway. My son is 16 now, and he still gets excited when I put it up, and makes sure every morning to put the next ornament on the tree. It makes me smile to know there is still a little boy in there!
Another thing that we started doing in 2001 was having a Sunday Open House party at our home. We have a small place, but we invite everyone over to watch football, and I love it. I cook all day, put out more food then anyone would be able to eat, and always make a festive cocktail. I usually make my Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cookies, and package them up in takeaway packages. They are delicious, and usually is why I think most people come by, since I give them out a sack to take home when they leave. This year there was some dissapointment, since my baking day was instead spent in the ER having an iv in my arm to re-hydrate after an all night bout of food poisoning. The party still went on, but the cookies didn't make it!
My favorite tradition is one my boyfriend and I started in nine years ago during our first year of dating. We book a hotel room in Union Square about a week before Christmas, go out shopping, look at all the holiday windows, and then kick back for a late night dinner at one of the amazing restaurants we have here in San Francisco. We then head up to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel's Starlight Room for the breathtaking views and all around funniness that is the Starlight Room, sip champagne, and enjoy our night. We usually get up the next morning for some more shopping, as most of the stores open rather early, and then head home later in the afternoon with our loot. Union Square is just beautiful during the holidays, with the ice skating rink in the center of the square, and the light displays everywhere. It really just puts me in the holiday spirit and also let's us spend some time together before the craziness that the holiday brings with two large families.
I always feel it is fun to start a new tradition, especially for all my couples and their new lives together. This year I am "borrowing" our usual Christmas Eve tradition from my boyfriends' mom, since she is hosting Christmas dinner at her place the next day for about 40 people, Christmas Eve was going to be too much. So, I decided to take it over this year, and I'm excited to serve crab, homemade ravioli's and spanakopita.
Whatever and however you spend your holidays, we hope that you have lots of love, laughter and joy! Since our offices will be closed until Jan 4th, we won't be posting until then, but can't wait to share all that is going on at Dream A Little Dream Events in 2010!
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Brittani and I are busy here at our last day at the office before our holiday vacations finishing up all the last minute details for the New Year's Eve wedding, and some of our late winter/early spring weddings. It is so nice remembering all the wonderful weddings we worked on this year, and the excitement of the weddings to come in 2010. We have so many great couples we are working with, we are truly thankful for all of them!
The vendors that made this day happen were: