Sometimes it really is just the thought that counts. No matter the time of year we are called upon to give gifts for any number of occasions. With the holiday season that has just passed, before we know it, it will be Valentine’s Day, Easter, and if you are like me you will have more birthdays, weddings, and special occasions then you know what to do with. I actually have to schedule time for myself, even if it is to relax. I know it’s insane. That is not to say I am not a giver. When it comes to giving someone a good gift, I have to say I am the best. I am not beating my own drum here. It is true. And the good news is I can teach it to you too. When I have to plan an event for a special day or even a holiday I thrive on thinking of ways to make it better, different than the last time, and more meaningful towards the recipient. No I am not sitting down wracking my brain for ideas. I have sort of a knack for it. Something will pop into ...

This is my favorite Christmas song. I listen to it year round and can listen to it over and over again. It is way better than that one by those random chipmunks. This song always reminds me about two things I love best: being Italian and celebrating Christmas as one. Christmas in New York is about the most wonderful time I can think of. It makes all things about living in New York that are challenging during the year worth it. I can put up with the crappy transportation, pollution, crazy people, and the general rat race of it because at the end of the year I get the bonus. No not at work, something even better, the holiday season. Although snow is beautiful, as a New Yorker I hate it because it just becomes a mess and a hazard to function in. But Christmas and the holiday season don’t necessarily mean snow here. But luckily it does mean all of the amazing treats that will befall your all your senses, as you see, hear, and taste all the goodies that com...

What a difference a year makes. Actually what a difference a day makes. It is funny how different your perspective can be in just twenty-four hours. Every year we count down the last hour and then moment of the current year, breathing in new hope and breathe of the New Year we are welcoming in. I always wonder why such significance is placed on this night. Why for so many of us we want to be at the perfect party, with the right people, even having the momentous kiss at the stroke at midnight for good luck in the coming year. I don’t even know where I heard it first, but as I grew up I believed that who you were with on this holiday was significant of who would be in your life the following year. This kind of karma plays a lot of tricks on people and I am learning undue pressure. As I am growing into my own I no longer instill such heavy burdens on myself. I don’t even believe in making resolutions at the beginning of each year. When I want to do something or t...