Hope your Christmas is magical!

Matt's first gingerbread house!

I have said before, this is the first time Matt and I have 'done' Christmas at our own home, and we are really going all out. The tree is up, the stockings hung... and last night, Matt and I had a sugary-good time making a gingerbread house.  

Merry merry!

Latke Party!

In honor of the Miracle of the Oil, I cast aside my shiksa-ness and tapped into my inner Balabisteh to make a few dozen tasty potato latkes for Matt, myself and some friends. We served them with homemade applesauce and sour cream with chives... 

 And a bowl or two of matzo ball soup...

But, we enjoyed this feast after we lit the menorah and said the prayer, of course...

We finished the evening with some high-stakes dreidel play... Jess was the clear winner and Matt rolled an unlikely number of Shins in a row!

חנוכה שמח

Happy Hanukkah!

A little gesture with big heart-

I got a package in the mail today, which, as you all probably know, is the best feeling in the world. Who is it from? What could it be? Ah! So exciting!

This particular package was extra special, because of it's random kindness. The contents of this package were amazing... but it was the person who sent it and the reason for sending it that really tugged at my heart.

Inside several layers of protective packaging was a beautiful, delicately hand-painted Christmas ornament painstakingly made by an old friend. I teared up when I saw it because I knew it was a gift from the heart- and those are the best gifts ever!

You know, these days, Facebook and other online forums (ahem, like blogs) get a lot of criticism for being a substitute for actual human contact, as well as for bringing us back together with people of seriously insignificant relationships from our pasts. But I have been fortunate enough to have the opposite happen for me. Through Facebook, I casually reconnected with Sarah, a friend of mine from high school (or earlier, really). We were not the tightest friends back then, but we ran in the same circles, lived close enough to each other (for the country ;) and always had a great time together when we'd hang out. Sarah would have been a person that I would have lost touch with had it not been for Facebook. But, since I'm able to read her posts, see her pictures and share with her my own goings on, I've realized that we have a lot in common. And I've learned that this once awesome girl has... unsurprisingly... grown into an awesome woman who I am lucky to call my friend!

And thanks to Facebook, I got to connect with her in person when I visited her adopted hometown across the country. And thanks to Facebook, Sarah gets the latest and greatest from this very blog, and she has been one of Dreams & Happy Things best supporters! So, in this case, the internet has turned what would have been a lost friendship into something much better.

So, Sarah-

Thank you so very much for the beautiful, thoughtful, heart-felt gift. I am blown away by your sweetness... and talent! It is proudly hanging on a most prominent branch, and will forever adorn my future Christmas trees. Whenever I see it, I will think of you, and how important it is to stay connected to people with whom I just seem to 'click'. And I'll pay your kindness forward by sending something unexpected to someone special in addition to paying it back ... so keep an eye out for your mail man ;)

And on a related note... this ornament is so beautiful, I'd love to share how you made it. If you'd like to create a 'DIY' tutorial to post on this blog, please let me know!

Love,
Rianne

Tivoli Gardens at Christmas

If there is one place that could be pinpointed as the source of all Christmas cheer in the world, I believe it would be Tivoli Gardens in the winter. It must be the birthplace of all things festive and twinkling, for I have never in my life seen a higher concentration of yuletide merriment. 

Its amazing enough that this attraction lives in the middle of Copenhagen, its not too often that an 'amusement park and pleasure garden' is within a city's center. On top of it being so incredibly easy to get to and from, the fact that it is located at one end of Copenhagen's main walking street (the ever bustling Strøget) makes the park part of the city.  As in, the city and it's history has influenced the development of the park (it was burned by Nazis in WWII) and the park has played an important role in the culture and history of Copenhagen (it has inspired many Danish artists, musicians and authors). And it certainly helps that Tivoli Gardens has been there a long time... it is the world's second oldest amusement park. It opened its doors in 1843 and is still one of the most popular attractions in Denmark.

My mom and I, who are both easily impressed by holiday pretties, thought the decorations around the front of the park were delightful-- the snow-covered trees, wooden toy soldiers and twirling bears. But once we passed underneath the impressive arched entrance... we were blown away! We were actually walking in a winter wonderland!

One of the greatest things I noticed about Tivoli, is how it is a perfect mix of grand buildings covered in lights, and cozy colorful shops and stands that welcome customers with warm glowing interiors and wafts of cinnamon-y goodness. My photos don't do the place justice, but you can get the idea...

And it is difficult to walk through Tivoli Gardens and not make a few comparisons to American's most beloved amusement park, Disneyland. Yes, yes, the differences are numerous,  and I am not claiming that they are equivalent... but there are unmistakable similarities when it comes to the overall happy vibe of both places, a similarity that is not coincidental.


Read the following is taken from the Tivoli Wikipedia page:


Tivoli is always evolving without abandoning its original charm or traditions. As Georg Carstensen said in 1844, "Tivoli will never, so to speak, be finished," a sentiment echoed just over a century later when Walt Disney said of his own Tivoli-inspired theme park, "Disneyland will never be finished as long as there is imagination left in the world." Walt Disney during a trip overseas with his wife Lilly visited Tivoli Gardens. Walt was so impressed with the Danish amusement park, he immediately decided Disneyland should try to emulate its "happy and unbuttoned air of relaxed fun."

After our walk down candy lane, we were ready to stop for a bit of food and drink. There were so many choices, and everything seemed homemade and wholesome (although, admittedly not healthful). We inhaled the sugary smells of candy apples, chocolate covered waffles and fresh spun peppermint ribbon before deciding on a glass of  mulled wine, or gløgg.

The place we chose was both a sit-down restaurant and walk up counter. We ordered from the outside and watched as the young woman mixed together the cloves, raisins, cardamom, currants, brandy and other such goodies into our steaming cup of gløgg. It was sweet and warmed us up, inside and out. We stood at a table, sipped out drink and enjoyed a few minutes of people watching. 

By this time, the sun was setting and the park began to twinkle with even more lights. We wandered past a few rides and found one we couldn't resist. A Journey Through the Stories of Hans Christian Andersen. And since Mr. Andersen, or HCA as he is sometimes referred to, is one of Copenhagen's most famous residents and Denmark's most beloved writer... and because my mom and I had brought abroad with us a book of his tales, this ride was a must. (and, it shall receive its own post soon- as it was truly a very Happy ride!)

When we emerged from the HCA ride, the sun had gone completely. It was wonderful to see the park during the day, but the night... Oh, the night!

My mom and I did a bit of shopping. The stands and stores did not sell the typical amusement park souvenirs. Instead, we found artisans working away next to their completed products for sale. There were hand-knitted hats and slippers, hand-blown glass ornaments, hand-dipped candles and other such crafty goods. I was drawn to the shops filled with Christmas decor. They sold pretty woven red-and-white hearts, angels and Christmas pigs... although I never did get the significance of the Christmas pig! I also saw one shop where one could buy small home electronics and another that sold sporting equipment. I imagine these appeal to the locals more than the tourists- regardless, it made for great Christmas shopping.

In a quiet part of the park, away from the rides and the shops, there is a barn and pen of hay where about a half dozen reindeer lazed about. They were beautiful with their shiny coats and iconic antlers. I am not the biggest fan of this sort of display of animals, but these guys seemed pretty content and didn't pay much attention to the 6 or 7 people who stopped by to say hello.

And that's that!

Our visit to Tivoli was magical, there''s no other word for it. It is totally a place for Dreams and Happy Things!

I feel totally blessed to have been able to visit this special place, and even more fortunate that I was there during the holiday season! For me, the visit was like an injection of Christmas cheer that motivated me to decorate and celebrate this year...

I wish a Merry Christmas and God Jul to all!!!

And just for an extra bit of fun, here is the Park's advert played on Danish television...

Have a 'Celebrational' Hanukkah!

Hope you all have fun lighting the menorah!

Cookie Overload

Yesterday was a baking frenzy... I made about 150 cookies to share for the holidays, and surprisingly, they all turned out great. I didn't burn them, or undercook them, or anything! The three kinds I made were double chocolate chunk, chewy ginger, and peanut butter with chocolate, toffee and pretzel bits. I got the recipes for the first two from this month's issue of Real Simple. But the peanut butter one I had to play around with and mix recipes from three different sources until I got one I liked.

The usual suspects didn't show up-- no chocolate chip or sugar cookies! But, there are still a few days left until Christmas, so maybe I'll whip up another batch or two. Although... I may have reached my own personal sugar maximum from my incessant nibbling yesterday. I mean, I couldn't gift the broken ones!

May your home be filled with the scent of fresh baked cookies!

Christmas Boat Parade

Decorations are really the heart and soul of my Christmas spirit, especially lights, or as I usually call them, pretties. And pretties on boats that reflect in the water is doubly pretty- So Matt and I went to the Newport Beach Holiday Boat Parade last Friday for an evening of oooohs and aaaahs. There were Santas, and reindeer, and even a Star of David or two. And a festively behatted alligator. Magic.

Only photo not mine (hence the clarity:)... from LA Times

May your days be merry and bright... and filled with festive light!

Music-themed gifts

Hmmmm. You know he loves music. Or maybe she even plays an instrument. But what on earth kind of gift should you get them? I mean, short of that $3,000 hollow body guitar he's been wanting, or those season tickets to the symphony she's hinted for... 

These presents are sweet and silly and should tickle the fancy of any music lover.  

Maisy and Alice on Etsy

Musical Frogs at Pier 1

Flower Power Guitar Print

Composers' Busts from Music House Shop

Yellow Submarine shower curtain

Mechanical Music Box Set

Instrumental Lighting on Etsy

Welcome Bach Doormat 

Next, I might try my hand at perfect gifts for writers... hmmm. the wheels are already turning!

Doggie Kisses (part 8 of a 365 part series)

Halloween at Disneyland

Uh oh. This post got lost in the shuffle and it sits, completely... completed in draft form, just waiting for it's day in the limelight. Asking me, "why didn't you hit 'publish' way back in October?" Is it too late to share a very happy day from a couple of months ago? Are we to firmly set in Christmas season to have a Halloween-themed post? Could I try to pass it off as a holiday mash-up, a la A Nightmare Before Christmas?

Well, I am going to post it regardless of the answers to these important questions. And maybe, you can step into your time machine and get back into the Halloween spirit...

___________________________________________

I don't agree that Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth, but its pretty darn Happy. And, I think it might be the place that has the best decorations. And Halloween is no exception! I got to experience the park for their annual Halloween party-- the whole day was filled with jack-o-lanterns, costumes, villainous fireworks, and all kinds of ghoulish! And, The Haunted Mansion was the star of the show!

While all of the decorations were jaw-dropping impressive in a way that only Disney can do, my favorite festive touch was the Bradbury Halloween Tree. It was spooky and silly and shimmering with orange lights. So amazing! (Read a little more about it and it's association with Ray Bradbury, here)

And if all that wasn't enough... we got to go trick-or-treating! I mean, c'mon! Even if you do celebrate Halloween as an adult, and don your best costume, where on earth can you go trick-or-treating?! That is universally a young person's game. But not at Disneyland. Disneyland doesn't discriminate based on age.  Disneyland is a place that encourages us to embrace the excitement and wonder we felt as kids, especially during the holidays! AND we got so much candy- in fact, it's all still in my house. And like the wicked witch in Snow White, it beckons me to take a bite...

___________________________________________

To any readers: Thanks for making the dreams of this little Halloween post come true. You made it forget its former abuse and neglect and truly enjoy it's 15 minutes of fame ;)