Howdy! How are you? I missed this humorous, good neighborhood, and I’m excited to catch up. Now we have some enjoyable posts deliberate this month, and within the meantime, listed here are a number of snapshots from the break, in case you’d wish to see…
We hosted Christmas in Brooklyn this yr — with the boys and me, in fact, plus my dad, my aunt Lulu, and our cousin Jimmy. We lit a variety of candles and ate a variety of yummy issues. (“I’m low-key hooked on mandarins,” Toby instructed me.)
Our first journey for the vacations is at all times driving to see the lights within the Dyker Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. Are you able to think about transferring there in the summertime and all of the sudden realizing what a Christmas scene it turns into? Folks promote sizzling chocolate out of their garages, and Bing Crosby blasts from automobile radios.
When our relations arrived from England, we had been so excited!
Jimmy and Anton had been already twinning with out planning it…
And Lulu instantly set about making carrot soup. The extra issues change, the extra they keep the identical. xoxo
We took walks to the Brooklyn Promenade…
..and stopped by Jane’s Carousel and the close by ice-skating rink…
…and admired the views from The Edge in Manhattan.
On Christmas Eve, we went to church and ate a number of pungent cheese.
By the way in which, how cool is this olive tray? It was my Christmas reward to myself 🙂 I can’t keep in mind the substack design publication the place I initially found it, however I’ll let you recognize if I discover it! Replace: Right here it’s!
On Christmas morning, the boys opened their stockings. Right here’s 12-year-old Anton’s haul. I beloved how his wishlist mirrored his in-between age — with gadgets like a scented-pen (child) and pimple patches (teenager).
Plus, in fact, a 12-pack of Dr. Pepper.
We had a gathering on Christmas Day, since, I discover, youngsters are normally jittery from all the thrill by the afternoon, and it’s good to have associates over to take in that power.
Additionally, though long-time readers could discover it exhausting to consider, I’ve truly been having fun with cooking. One crowd-pleasing dinner for the group was this straightforward tacky beans dish. I added extra onion for crunch and extra crushed purple pepper for warmth.
The Kalanithi dad and mom; lunch at Hook Fish.
Afterward, my dad and I headed to San Francisco to see my sister, her daughter, and her in-laws.
We crashed at my good friend Lena’s lovely house, since she and her household had been out of city. (They’re going to remain at our place in the summertime, like a non-simultaneous home swap.) And that cool phrase artwork? “When my son Eli was studying handwriting, he began making massive letters on single sheets of building paper,” she explains. “I took my favorites and tiled them in an enormous plexiglass body I purchased off Craigslist.”
As at all times, on New Yr’s Eve, we visited Paul’s grave. We poured out Champagne for him, and the youngsters toasted with Martinelli’s.
Hope you had a very good break and received some relaxation and leisure! And if not, that’s okay, too. As they are saying, everybody you meet is preventing a battle. Numerous love, as at all times, and looking out ahead to an exquisite 2026 collectively. xoxo
P.S. 11 readers share their completely satisfied moments, and what are you grateful for, massive or small?