The best pieces from the Thierry Mugler exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum.
Read MoreDecember Dalliances 2022
Christmas Eve view, December 2022
You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here. (I also made a list of my very favourite Christmas tweets.)
I recapped my autumn list of things to do and made a new seasonal list of things I’d like to do this winter.
I finally wrote about my trip to Las Vegas from back in September.
I went to the newly opened (and fantastic) Museum of Broadway.
I got a seasonal latte at Elevenses Cafe in Astoria and it was very cute, I’d go again.
I have fallen in love with The Body Shop’s new scent Wild Pine. I’m fearful that it may be a seasonal scent, so I’ve already stocked up.
I ate at Soothr and it was so, so good. Love a new thai place.
Paul at Soothr, NYC
Some things I watched this month:
The Santa Clauses (the new Tim Allen show): Ugh, it was terrible. Maybe I’m not the audience it’s supposed to be for, but still - just a stinkfest.
Jack Frost: I love Michael Keaton, but I just couldn’t get past the first half hour. It’s way too sad.
The Crown (seasons 3-5): Loved the season three Wales episode. The moon landing one was also perfect. It’s a great show, but extremely depressing if you’re binging it over a short period of time.
Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?: God, I hated it. Netflix has this annoying habit of making documentary series out of things that could easily be 40 minutes long and it is obnoxious as hell. You do not need to watch this. Read the Wikipedia page about it instead, you’ll save yourself so much wasted time.
I was looking up trivia for the movie Scrooged and learned that the childhood house in the movie is a real place in Queens! So obviously I walked over to see it in person. Insanity that it hasn’t changed after all of this time.
Frank Cross’ childhood home from Scrooged (1988) in Queens, New York
I won a lottery ticket to see A Christmas Carol on Broadway and… YIKES. I can’t describe how bad it was. First of all, IT WAS A ONE MAN SHOW. And I didn’t know that beforehand, so yes that’s my fault. But oh my god, it was agony.
A Christmas Carol on Broadway in New York, December 2022
Are we all aware of how garbage the brand Silani is? I tried it for the first time and lord was it bad. Never again. Spend the extra dollar and eat something edible.
I watched the final World Cup game with my parents and I’m glad France lost, give others a chance to win too, ya know?
World Cup final with my parents, December 2022
I will never be above latte art.
Latte art from San Remo’s in Etobicoke, Ontario
I went to Bell, Book & Candle for some Christmas themed drinks and it was great. Love a divey, but good bar.
With Irene at Bell, Book & Candle, NYC
Is it even Christmas if I don’t make Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies? I also made a few batches of Alison Roman’s amazing chocolate chunk shortbread cookies that were a big hit.
The Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies from Ambitious Kitchen
Obviously I went to my parent’s house for Christmas and it was exactly what I wanted & needed.
My nephews watching Jingle All The Way, December 2022
My mom’s Christmas window can’t be beat
Christmas Day, December 2022
Our Christmas tree
Snowfall before Christmas is everything to me
Went ice skating for the first time in twenty years and it was great. Think I’m gonna buy some skates and make this a yearly thing.
Ice skating at Celebration Square in Mississauga, Ontario
Jackbox and Nintendo Switch games remain the perfect family activity around the holidays.
The game Use Your Words on Nintendo Switch
The game Use Your Words on Nintendo Switch
My mom and I saw a wild fox in her backyard and it. was. incredible. It was just playing in the snow and I can’t believe we got to see him/her.
Winter skies might be the best skies.
December 2022
If only I could bottle this kind of blue and keep it in my pocket
I made the Christmas tree spinach and artichoke dip and it was a hit. It did not look pretty, but the flavours were great.
I also made a leftover turkey sandwich with STUFFING WAFFLES and it was so, so good. Again it photographed rough, but tasted incredible. I used this recipe to make the waffles. Definitely have to do this again.
The main reason to go to the Union Square Holiday Market? Duck confit poutine at Duck Season. It’s honestly a better poutine than some Canadian places.
Duck confit poutine at Duck Season in NYC
I fell absolutely in love with the newest Bob’s Burgers Christmas episode, The Plight Before Christmas.
Crate & Barrel continues to have the cutest fabric Christmas ornaments.
Harry Potter-looking cat ornament at Crate & Barrel
Fabric snowman ornament at Crate & Barrel
Trader Joe’s had Christmas wreaths this year, so I got one and it was perfect. It makes me feel so together to have a wreath on my door. I still have it up. I don’t want to say goodbye.
Christmas wreath from Trader Joe’s
I went to see Noah Baumbach talk about his new movie White Noise at a NYPL event and it was very all right. I wish he’d talked more about older movies of his that I’ve loved, but I guess it makes sense that he didn’t since he was promoting this one.
Noah Baumbach speaking at an NYPL event promoting White Noise, December 2022
The candy cane cold brew from Blank Street? Unparalleled.
One of my favourite things to do in December in New York is to walk around the city looking at the holiday lights and listen to that Darlene Love song on repeat.
The Rockefeller Christmas Tree, December 2022
Saks holiday lights, December 2022
Macy’s holiday decorations, December 2022
Holiday taxi display on Fifth Avenue, December 2022
I went to Essex Market to see their Gingerbread Village display, which was cute but I wish it was bigger. And since I was there, I took a look at the sandwich menu at Shopsin’s and holy christ I need to go back.
Gingerbread Village at Essex Market in NYC, December 2022
Nothing better than a Boxing Day puzzle.
Boxing Day, December 2022
Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: I’m going to get real dressed up and go see Moulin Rouge on Broadway with my friend Diana, I’m excited about seeing the Restaurant Week menus for this season, I’m going to start using this first-of-the-month checklist again, Classpass is doing a free monthly promotion right now so I’ll keep doing that until it starts charging again, and I really can’t wait to make this lasagna soup.
The Heathers 2022
If you have any interest in the other monthly roundups of 2022, they can be found here: November 2022, October 2022, September 2022, August 2022, July 2022, June 2022, May 2022, April 2022, March 2022, February 2022 & January 2022.
Baby Dog, December 2022
Favourite Photos of 2022
(You can see my favourite photos from 2021 over here.)
The Best Tweets of December 2022
Winter List 2022
“I realize there’s something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they’re experts at letting things go.”
God, I love winter. I will be counting down the days until the first really big snowstorm, so in the meantime here’s what else I’d love to do this season.
Take at least five bubble baths.
Finally get my own ice skates and skate around this beautiful rink.
Go skiing.
Make lasagna soup.
See at least two Broadway plays.
Other than that, I’ll definitely watch some of these movies. As always, I encourage you to make a list of your own. And if you’re stuck on ideas, you can see my past winter lists below:
The Best Christmas Tweets
Autumn List 2022 Revisited
Autumn is over and the sweet stillness of winter is upon us. While I wait for the snow, here’s how my autumn list of things to do went!
Make the very best leftover Thanksgiving sandwich humanly possible.
Okay, I didn’t do this at Thanksgiving BUT I may be able to redeem myself on the day after Christmas.
Watch at least ten horror movies I haven’t seen before.
Oh no, I only did four (Smile, Barbarian, Halloween Ends, Terrifier). To be fair, I rewatched tons of movies I’ve already seen but that does not count.
Finally learn the Phantasm theme on piano.
Not even kinda!
Completely clean out off of my closets and donate anything that hasn’t been worn in the past two years.
This is getting embarrassing. DOING THIS THE FIRST WEEK OF JANUARY!
Watch and harshly critique Hocus Pocus 2.
I watched it and… clearly it isn’t supposed to be for me, which is sad. I wanted it to be for me so badly, but here we are. Thankfully I wasn’t expecting the world, so it wasn’t devastating.
1/5 Yikes. That’s a rough one. Can’t even spin it this time. I will do better next season!
The Best Tweets of December 2022 So Far
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music By Dave Grohl - A Review
It’s a well known fact that I intensely love Dave Grohl. Always have, always will. Whatever he does, I will support. I’m a little shocked that it took me so long to finally read his memoir, but here we are! Favourite parts ahead.
“DNA is a miraculous thing. We all carry traits of people we have never met somewhere deep within our chemistry. I’m no scientist, but I believe that my musical abilities are proof of this. There is no divine intervention here. This is flesh and blood. This is something that comes from the inside out.”
“From my first tour at the age of eighteen, I always loved traveling to Canada. The hash was good, the girls were cute, and the shows were consistently wild. Canadians are fucking awesome. Laid-back, genuine, and funny as hell. I defy anyone to walk one city block without making a fast friend in Canada.”
And speaking of Canada, I absolutely love the fact that he met and played with Iggy Pop at the goddam Rivoli of all places.
The story where he breaks his leg during a show is incredible.
He spoke so high of the Ring of Kerry in Ireland that I looked it up and wow. Putting it on the travel list.
He mentioned how his mom wrote a book (with contributions from others) called From Cradle To Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars that sounds great and I really want to read next. They also appears to be a series??
One of the post-show meals he kept mentioned? KFC chicken and champagne. And I mean, it honestly sounds just gross enough to be fantastic.
Obviously this was published after Taylor Hawkins passed away, so I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for his to go through since he talks about him so lovingly throughout the whole book. Honestly, just such a great read.
The Plight Before Christmas - Bob's Burgers
Stop everything you’re doing and watch the newest Christmas Bob’s Burgers. I CRIED ON THE SUBWAY, it’s so good. Christ. I’m trying to decide if it was the general Christmasy vibe that I loved, all the siblings-caring-about-siblings thing or if the music at the end is so Philip Glass-y that I never stood a chance at NOT sobbing. Love, love, love. Take twenty minutes and watch.
And if you’re in the mood for more after this episodes…