Did everyone have a good Christmas? I sure did! This year, it was a quiet one for us. We didn't go anywhere at all, besides to the movie theatre for a Christmas Eve showing of It's a Wonderful Life and the midnight mass service.
I did, however, find some nice presents waiting for me on Christmas.
From Santa, I received a white headband and a candy cane:
Unbeknownst to me, Maman and Papa had sent over a package a few weeks ago. It was surprising to see a package from them, as they haven't sent me anything in quite awhile.
Inside, I found a red vest, a white long-sleeved tee, and black stretch leggings. I'm particularly excited about the vest because I've been wanting one for a few years. I managed to miss out on the one in Nicki's Ski outfit, and this one is almost just as good. I love the fact that it's red, since red looks so good with my dark hair and eyes.
In another package, I found a cute pair of tan Uggs from Juliette, my twin sister. I LOVE these! Laura has an identical pair in her size, and they are all she wears. I'm sure these will be all I wear, too.
What did you receive for Christmas and/or Hanukkah?
This holiday season has been rather mild weather wise, so the students of Fair Hollow School for Girls decided to hold a winter festival on the school quad.
We decided to make this celebration more about school spirit, rather than religion, which is why we've called it a winter festival rather than a Christmas festival. We wanted to accommodate those students who celebrate Hanukkah as well as those of us who celebrate Christmas.
The Fair Hollow Glee Club performed many a Christmas carol that night, with several Hanukkah songs thrown in to appease Becky. Most students praised the Glee Club for their pretty voices, but the club had its critics, too. "How that girl thinks she can sing, I will never know," Lindsey was overheard while muttering to herself, likely in reference to Becky.
I spent the evening on the synthetic ice rink, trying to remember what Nathalie had taught me about skating. The skaters at Rockefeller Center last year made skating look so easy! Alas, I still have trouble gliding.
Eventually, I got the hang of it well enough to skate around the little rink a couple of times, but I think I'm going to write Nathalie a nice long letter about returning to Fair Hollow in the future. I need a figure skating instructor!
When I got tired of trying to ice skate, I joined everyone else at The Copper Horse Pub & Eatery, which has just been opened by our very own Lindsey and Anya! As they are Jewish, the pub is currently adorned in Judaica, and they only serve kosher foods. However, the pub is already a hit! It's a great place to get together with friends and classmates. A hang out is something we Fair Hollow students have badly needed as it gets boring hanging out in our dorm rooms all of the time!
Before the evening ended, we all took our holiday portraits. Here is mine! I am wearing the snowflake sweater that I received for Hanukkah the year I celebrated it with the Valdez quintuplets:
Finally, we had a group picture taken, which is a rarity at our school. From the top left, you can see Nellie, Samantha, Chiara, and Jessica. From the middle left, you can see Kit, Molly, and Emily. From the bottom left, you can see Anya, Lindsey, Becky, and finally me, Sophie!
We also made a video of the winter festival, which you can view here:
What is your favorite holiday tradition? Does your school - if you attend one - have a winter festival?
If I don't get online tomorrow, I'd like to wish all of my friends and fellow bloggers a very Merry Christmas, or as we say in French, Joyeux Noël! Happy Hanukkah, if you celebrate it!
School has kept me busy these past few weeks. Needless to say, I've really been enjoying holiday break this year. I've indulged in many a favorite Christmas movie, finished up my Christmas shopping, and helped decorate the house.
I started a new holiday tradition this year, in addition to all of that usual stuff. I actually set foot in the kitchen to help make tamales. Yes, I did say help! You don't suppose I could've operated all of that gigantically sized kitchenware on my own, do you?
While I don't normally enjoy cooking, I do like trying ethnic cuisine, hence my enthusiasm for aiding in the preparation of the tamales. If you don't already know, tamales are a Mexican dish comprised of masa [corn meal] dough wrapped around some kind of filling, which is usually some kind of meat. Basically, they are another variation of burritos, chimichangas, and enchiladas. What is interesting about tamales is that they are steamed in cornhusks!
I volunteered to stir the dough. I persevered, although it wasn't easy as the dough thickened. I wasn't allowed to help with the messy parts, so I just watched carefully as the meat sauce was ladled onto the masa dough.
Here are the tamales fresh out of the pot! In addition to the meat-filled tamales, we also made a few stuffed with chocolate chips. I had a hard time sitting for these photos because I was so anxious to eat them. The chocolate tamales were particularly good!
I made a slideshow of my cooking experience, which you can view here if you want:
Do you like cooking? If so, what is your favorite dish to cook and/or eat?
