What Ana Does

As a kid, Christmas was full of magic -- gifts and family dinners and games and all those traditions we held to. As an adult in a Jewish family, I still wanted to offer this magic of the season to our girls. And to me, even as an adult, I was still awed by the magic that the Christmas season brings. Mostly, the gift of pulling all my sisters and brother -- with their growing families -- together under one roof to spend time together. There's magic to be found sitting around the dining room table, looking at those beloved faces and sharing stories and a glass of wine. And cookies. The house we bought and the 8-foot dining room table I found was influenced by the promise of these holidays spent together.  My Siblings, the Last Time We Were All Together ... 2013 So this year, we made sure to buy our flight home from Paris so we didn't miss out on that special family time. Unfortunately, the sisters and brother will not be coming together this year. They will be with th...

While we were in New York City on Monday, we hit two of the fabulous holiday markets; Bryant Park and Union Square. Of course the girls found EVERYTHING they've EVER WANTED EVER and asked for everything. And, of course, we said no about 200 times. And we asked for cards from some of the shops we liked, in case we changed our minds after we got home. For those not able to get to New York City this holiday season, here's our favorites: No Chewing Allowed  - insanely-good truffles. We got a few boxes for teacher holiday gifts. One box *might not make it* to the holidays. ;) Hazel's Village - adorable handmade dollies with matching outfits. Leah loved the little green frog. Pop Chart Lab - an art shop that sells creative and hip charts, such as the Charted Sandwich or a cool diagram of Broadway costumes. Whoops! - a colorful and lovely macaron shop. We tasted the dark chocolate, strawberry milkshake, pumpkin and raspberry. Yum! Three Blue Birds - I had seen thes...

Here's the cool thing about Winter Break ... it's long -- just over 2 weeks. And this year I took more days off than usual. And the break is front-loaded with Christmas and all my family visiting, so the second week is mostly unstructured. This is how it goes: The start of winter break is crazy, chaos. I've already spent every weekend the last two months preparing for my visitors and their comfort. We move beds, wash sheets and check-off a slew of house projects. They arrive and it's five days of movement and merriment. Then, they leave. Usually, I'd view a week off as a great opportunity to get things done. Shopping, home improvements, trips with the girls. But, that's the magic of the second week of Winter Break. I'm done. I have little motivation and nothing specific calls my name. It's too cold to paint a room or refinish furniture. I have a lot of post-company cleaning and laundry to do but once that's complete -- what? Nothing. So I spent...

For the last few years I've been hosting my three sisters, one brother, mother and various brothers-in-laws and nieces (as they came) at my house for Christmas. This year, 10 visitors (and two dogs) arrived at my doorstep for five days of Christmas merriment. I've been preparing and anticipating for the last month, so I was ready. What I wasn't prepared for was getting some virus on the first day and being out of commission for two days. The worst part of this was not being able to kiss my baby nieces, or put a bunch of plans I had in motion. However, we persevered and everyone had a jolly good time -- despite the frigid weather. My Favorite Part? Everyone Around My Dining Room Table Eating Lasagna. (Why can't they be there every week?!)

It's July, so of course I'm starting to think about the holidays. Yes. The holidays. I've found that starting early really makes a difference when December madness hits. How, you ask? Well... Here's my TOP 10 Reasons to start buying holiday gifts in August: 1. My Thinking is Clearer. By the time November rolls around my mind is cluttered with planning, travel, last minute ideas and holiday cards. This is on top of the normally insane family-stuff. So, do I really need another stresser? 2. The malls are Way-Less Crowded. And you're likely looking for an indoor activity to do on really HOT day, anyway. Take your time and peruse the racks -- no one else is holiday gift shopping. 3. Sales. There are great sales on bright, colorful, summery things. And the back-to-school stuff is always an easy win for kids (box of crayons!). Think about it, it's the end of Q3 and stores want to move stuff to bring in new Fall/Winter/Holiday stuff. Take advantage. ...