Holidays 2017: New Years

Night Before New Years Eve Party
For the last five years my mother and I have hosted a “Night Before” New Years Eve party at our ranch partly inspired by Jeffrey Katzenberg’s “Night Before” the Oscars party. Though his party is all about raising money for The Motion Picture and Television Fund, ours is more about the avoidance of hosting a big New Year’s Eve bash and all that that entails. The night before the big ball drop doesn’t hold quite the same pressure for off the charts merry making and allows for a quieter, more relaxed friends and family vibe. We’re still celebrating the season and ushering in a New Year with joy and laughter just without all the popping champagne bottles, riotous countdowns and forced smooching. I look forward to it every year and start planning menus and decor early November.Continue Reading

New Years Resolutions

I haven’t done New Year’s resolutions in years. In my mid twenties I decided they were chock full of added pressure to be perfect and I was already plagued with plenty of perfectionist anxiety. This year however, I changed my mind. There was something calling me to put down in writing just a handful of things I’d like to resolve to do. This isn’t a “go big or go home” kind of resolution list. It is a quieter, subtler one that I truly believe I can achieve. It is a list of five things I resolve to do, not want to do or hope to do or intend to do. I resolve to do…I will do, because I actually can.Continue Reading