Deck the Halls!

Thanks everyone for your kind comments on my blah Monday! I ended up taking a little nighttime Thera Flu for my sore throat and got a GREAT night’s sleep, best night in weeks. Its amazing what a difference being well rested makes!

Today at work we had our annual Yankee swap, and I won a bottle of Carinena Garnacha, one of the best gifts in the lot, in my opinion, especially because it was brought from Spain by my Barcelona native friend.

Because it was a warm, somewhat humid day, and because my office is 1 million degrees and drier than a desert, I took a nice walk outside to check out the holiday sites. I thought I would share some fun Boston-y things to do around the holidays with you.

My office building decorates beautifully. It is truly a lovely building to begin with, and the staff really does it up for the holidays.

Boston can be a frustrating place to live at times, like any city, but its true magic is brought out around the holidays. The old brownstones are dressed in fresh greens and white lights, and trees glitter from end to end.

Within a few short blocks of my office, which is located in the Park Square area, there are lots of historic buildings like the Arlington Street Church.

With its grand entrance and Tiffany windows, the Arlington Street Church is a must visit for residents and tourists alike.

Nearby, just across the Public Garden and in the middle of the Boston Common lies the Frog Pond skating rink. Lace up a pair of skates, and glide along to the music, day or night. With the twinkling lights of the surround common, you forget you are in a city at all.

Defrost after skating during the day at The Langham Hotel’s Cafe Fleuri Chocolate Bar. Yes, you read that correctly. The Langham Hotel offers a chocolate buffet, an entire room filled with chocolate treats that celebrate the neighborhoods of Boston. It is truly a decadent way to spend an afternoon. I will likely be going to the Chocolate Bar at some point this winter, and a full photo shoot will ensue!

Another great place to thaw out is with a drink at The Oak Room in the Fairmont Copley Plaza. Their grand dining room and lounge are decorated with dark wood and heavy fabrics bringing you to a completely different, more elegant time. A hot chocolate or maybe a hot chocolate with Bailey’s is the perfect way to warm up after a day skating or wandering around the city!

And of course there are holiday teas at many hotels throughout the city. The tea at the Boston Harbor Hotel is my favorite. With ocean views and the option to start your tea with a glass of Veuve Cliquot and strawberries, tea at the Boston Harbor Hotel is relaxed and elegant, complete with scones and clotted cream, tea sandwiches, petit fours and a variety of other sweet treats.  Its a nice place to bring out of town guests for an experience that will truly impress!

Of course, there are many other cities around the world that become pure magic around the holidays.

Magical Vienna

For me, Vienna is the ultimate in holiday charm. A cup of gluwein, the thundering bells of Stefansdom, the lights, evergreen everywhere, and a cozy cafe culture make Vienna my favorite winter city.

Amazing Amsterdam

I have spent New Year’s in Amsterdam, and the holiday season there is incredibly festive, marked by carts everywhere selling olieballen (oil balls), delicious donuts. The often warm-ish temperatures make it a fine time of year to wander around, bundled up providing a beautiful way to burn off the calories from the deep fried treats!

I could probably spend the entire night writing about the holiday season around the world, and I may have a guest poster writing about this very topic in the weeks to come so stay tuned!

I have two questions of the day:

Do you have a favorite city/place to spend the holidays in, and why is it your favorite?

Do you have a dream experience that you would just love to blog about?

I was daydreaming about this today, and mine would be to live and work at a winery for several days to see everything that goes on from the winemaking to the special events.

Don’t forget to check out my latest guest post on the Plummelo blog: