Dec.
31
2011
Resolutions

I happen to be one of those people who makes a New Year’s resolution each year. To be truthful, there’s usually a whole list of things that I’d like to accomplish during the year: lose 10 pounds, exercise more, master Spanish, visit my folks more often, and learn how to cook tasty low-fat meals. But I might as well just have this same list on my computer and print it out every year, since the same five resolutions always seem to make their way on there. I always have incredibly high hopes for myself. However, in my thirty-odd years of making resolutions, I have learned that if I really want to make a change, it’s best to tackle it one resolution at a time.

Dec.
28
2011
10 things to do with leftover wrapping paper

Christmas in the Maletsky household is a big deal. Every year we all promise ourselves not to go overboard, and every year the number of presents spilling out from under the tree rivals anything you’d see on any episode of The Real Housewives. This may be due in part to my family’s penchant for wrapping everything: toothbrushes, shoe polish, mittens, socks, a pack of Nip Chee crackers... On Christmas Day in the Maletsky household, everything becomes a present!

Dec.
23
2011
One hot elf

November 30th marks an annual ritual for me. It’s not a big thing like Black Friday, picking out a Christmas tree, ordering online presents, or even drinking my first eggnog of the season. No, it’s something a little more personal that I do every year in the quiet of my own home: the elf costume fitting.

You see, every December 1st I do a special Christmas tea in San Francisco that for me marks the beginning of the elfin season. From that date on, I will probably don the red-and-white striped tights at least a dozen more times, so November 30th is a day of trepidation and anticipation. As I unwrap the costume from its hermetically sealed dry cleaning bag, I think about what I’ve eaten over the past year, and become consumed by the tiniest fear: “Will it fit?”

Dec.
21
2011
Peanut crèche

Do you know what a crèche is? For those of you unfamiliar with a crèche, it’s a tiny representation of the birth of Christ in a stable. A crèche really only needs four elements: Mary, Joseph, a manger, and Jesus... but more often than not you will see a full set that consists of livestock (the donkey was always my favorite!), shepherds and sheep, an angel or two (usually one with a horn), and the three wise men (who may or may not come with assorted camels, servants, and piles of gifts). I remember when I was a child, one of the supermarkets was giving away a collectible set. Each week there would be another figure to buy (or to get free with a purchase over a certain amount). I loved that!

Dec.
16
2011
Gingerbread season

‘Tis the season... to make gingerbread houses.

I don’t know if it’s just a Bay Area thing, but almost every fundraiser, shelter celebration, and big corporate Christmas party seems to have one recurring activity: decorating gingerbread houses.

The other day I was talking to the owner of Creative International Pastries, a fabulous bakery in San Francisco where I get all my holiday cookies. He said that they will make over 2,700 gingerbread houses and 24,000 gingerbread men this season! 24,000! That’s a lot of dough... and I’m not just talking gingerbread... the houses take a lot of work to make, and they aren’t cheap! You should see those things when they’re being delivered. They drive up in a 16-foot truck, and when they throw open the roll top door, the smell can nearly knock you into a spice-induced coma!

Pages

Accounts are free,
and easy to set up.
Submit comments and photos!
Save your favorite projects to your clipboard!

Create an Account