I love love love the Christmas season, especially in New York City! Every corner is covered in lights & bows. I snap pictures constantly trying to capture the magic. In years past, I would try & fail to recap the holidays in 5 parts, each post representing five days. Given my packed schedule, time would run out by the second half of the month. While I enjoy creating content during December, this activity would often leave me stressed & unfulfilled.
This year, I am doing only one post, which gives me more time to write, upload photos, edit, & share meaningful moments. These posts also replaced my EACxNYC recaps for the month of December.
The season properly kicked off with my cousin, Elizabeth, performing in her SHINING STARS holiday show. Her group highlights the talents & abilities of special needs kids, teenagers, & young adults. Elizabeth sang a beautiful rendition of “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!” & all of our family appreciated the “12 Days of Christmas” audience sing-along.
Before before popping by the new GLOSSIER SHOWROOM, I visited the 11 HOWARD. This sleek hotel was spotlighting CHEFANIE & her holiday treats. She was selling her signature tartan adorned cakes, donuts, & cookies to Soho shoppers. I grabbed two cookies – one for me & one for Marguerite. Stephanie was very kind in person & eager to chat with her customers. Check out her Instagram for the full set-up of her CHEERY HOLIDAY CART!
My brother, Sean, & his husband, Blake, hosted a Friendsgiving at their apartment on the Upper East Side later that night. They cooked a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings. I had to stop myself after going back for thirds. I decided to pause my wine intake around midnight & I appreciated that they had a pitcher of fruit-infused water for any guests who wanted a festive non-alcoholic drink.
Marguerite & I spontaneously met each other at the Washington Square Park Christmas Tree Lighting on my way home from work one evening. I appreciate this kind of event that draws together a large crowd simply for the sake of being together to witness joy. As we left the park, I had that cliche (but not) feeling of gratitude to live in our beautifully diverse city.
One of the sweetest parts of the holiday season was volunteering with NEW YORK CARES at a Brooklyn elementary school with my co-workers. Our theme of the day was snow. We read books about snow. We created snowmen out of paper plates & we strung beads together on glittery pipe cleaners. The kids were proud to show us how they decorated their snowmen to look like them.
SantaCon involved the usual shenanigans – lots of drinks & lots of holiday-themed accessories. Our group of friends gathered in the LES for beer pong before heading to the bars. LOVERBOY, an East Village gem, was the highlight of the route. While their cocktail list was unique, I will be going back for their delicious Old Bay seasoned waffle fries.
I returned to my alma mater, Villa Walsh Academy, for their annual Sunday afternoon Christmas concert with my sister, Kerry, my mom, & my grandmother. As always, the songs & carols resonated during the season. My Grandma Bunny immediately befriended the grandmother of my high school friend, Anique, after the show was over. Their laughter, even though they had only met five minutes previously, was ringing through the lobby.
My FLIX friends & I headed to the WINTER VILLAGE at Bryant Park in mid-December. It was lovely to connect with a few of my closest friends before we all went our separate ways for the holidays. I personally beelined for the BIG MOZZ stand when we all picked our meals from different vendors. There are open-seating options within the Lodge, so it is a convenient spot for a group to meet. In case you didn’t know, this location is open until March 3rd if you did not have a chance to visit pre-Christmas.
After dinner, we went down the block to DUPLEX for a Christmas cabaret show starring MATT ROGERS. My brother loves his podcast & he really is funny. We played his YouTube videos “Gay Scarf” & “Have You Heard of Christmas?” a dozen times over the holiday break. Steph & I particularly loved the opener, CAT COHEN, & we are excited to see more of her work in 2019!
During the holidays, we decided it would be fun to plan special date nights for each other as a present. Mine was in December & Steph is planning hers for tonight! I chose THE CHAMPAGNE BAR, located within the lobby of the PLAZA HOTEL, as our first stop. I’ve wanted to visit the iconic hotel for a drink & the building looked especially dazzling at Christmas. We ordered french fries & a bottle of prosecco – my favorite low/high combo. In addition to the food you order, the servers bring a serving tray of chocolate, nuts, & popcorn for your table to share. It was a simple touch that we thoroughly appreciated. We ended the night at SOCIETY CAFE to split a few dishes. I am adding this restaurant to my list of brunch spots I want to try, as there is plenty of bright decor & good service.
I finally finally finally headed home to New Jersey. In the five days before Christmas, I checked almost every item off MY HOLIDAY TO-DO LIST. One of the absolute best parts of the season was witnessing my adorable nephew, LUKE, make a joyful impression on every person he interacted with. My sister, Mary Kate, & her husband, Tom, also made a significant effort to dress him up in the sweetest Christmas outfits. This one of him as Buddy the Elf was probably my favorite.
The Saturday before Christmas we hosted the annual Cullen Family Christmas Party. It is one of my favorite nights of the year & I admire how much loving effort my parents & siblings put into making the night a special occasion for our guests. This year was extra special. In addition to sharing the night with my two best friends from home, Sara & Nicole, my three best friends from Boston College (now New York City), Marguerite, Jess, & Laura, also made the trek to my parent’s house in Long Valley.
My friends & I – ok mostly I – nursed a hangover at CHESTER BAGEL the next morning before Steph drove us around to finish our holiday shopping. We planned a family dinner with all of the siblings & our significant others at REDWOODS, our favorite hometown restaurant. When we arrived at our table, there was already a carafe of pinot grigio waiting for us, further proving why we love this restaurant. Their team seeks to make all customers feel welcome, but they truly go above & beyond for the folks that return year after year. We shared too many orders of nachos & wings, passed our silly baby around the table, & toasted to our growing family. 
Our sibling tradition of heading to the movie theatre on Christmas Eve continued this year. We opted for Mary Poppins Returns, a visual treat with heartfelt songs, even if the storyline was a bit predictable. My sister, Meghan, baked way more cookies than I did over the course of the holidays. As my dad often says, I served as quality control. I grabbed a cookie before we headed to mass at our local parish.
I posted on INSTAGRAM that I understand going to church is not easy for all LGBTQ+ people during the holiday season. While I continue to work through my personal understanding of faith, religion, & community, I am grateful that St. Luke’s Church has always been a place of comfort during the sad times & a place of love during the good times. I know many folks are not that lucky.
Christmas Eve was very low-key. My parents read “The Night Before Christmas” to Luke before he went to sleep. We ate appetizers & a big dinner that my dad cooked before retiring to the couch with our wine to exchange presents with our sibling Secret Santas. My mom always buys us Christmas pajamas. This year, she purchased the green J.Crew PLAID PAJAMA BOTTOMS, which are extra cozy & on sale!
On Christmas morning, it was a treat to watch my nephew open his gifts. No, my nephew did not receive his own GLOSSIER order, but I had to have him pose with the box for cute content purposes. Speaking of presents, I was blessed to receive almost every item on MY CHRISTMAS LIST this year. Santa & his helpers are too generous. The rest of our extended family arrived later that day for baby hugs & a big dinner of turkey, stuffing, & mashed potatoes.
Steph’s parents were in town for the holidays, so I headed into the city to spend the day with them. They were very kind to have several Christmas gifts for me to unwrap before we went to breakfast. Our group paid a visit to the GUGGENHEIM. The special exhibit on HILMA AF KLINT was fascinating. Steph & I loved looking at her art, as much as we loved reading the commentary about her life. After quickly changing our outfits for dinner, we met at the Blue Water Grill. The restaurant was decorated with lights & garland & our table was full of holiday cheer. I was sad to read THIS ARTICLE about this Union Square destination closing, especially since we liked our meal much as we did.
My aunt & uncle hosted our family for the Notre Dame game. Steph & I snuggled with all of the dogs as much as we could. While my cousin, Allie, was out with her friends, I decorated her room with a gift I found in Union Square. The women at the fairy lights booth helped me customize the perfect rainbow strand for her.
My last few days at home were filled with coffee, lots of breakfast sandwiches, & chats with my family & friends. My extended family rang in the New Year together with kisses, pots/pans clanging, & a special gift for my Grandma Bunny. I am sad to say farewell to Christmas & all the magic that accompanies the season, but I am very very very excited for what lies ahead this year. I hope your holiday season included an excess of sparkles, treats, & loved ones.
Xx,
Erin
A few extra photos because I just love sharing the little moments!
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