New Year's Eve 2015

After a very low key vacation, too low key for my liking, we finally got our city mojo back with a night out in Boston on New Year's Eve!

We started by taking in the fireworks on the Common before strolling down Charles Street to dinner at The Grotto!  The Grotto is one of my favorite restaurants in the city and I couldn't believe we got a reservation the night before New Year's Eve!  Everything was so yummy!  I tried a new appetizer this time- the crab ravioli and they were perfection.  JO also tried a new appetizer, the pasta with sausage and peas, and that was heavenly!

After dinner we walked through the Common and past Copley to check out the ice sculptures and band.  It was so fun to be out in the city on NYE with good friends!  It's been a while since we went out on NYE and I'm so glad we did!

My resolution for 2016 is to not let city time slip past me!  There's always something fun to do in the city and I need to take advantage!!!

A Warm Christmas Day

Temps were still soaring close to 70 on Christmas Day.  When you can start Christmas Day with coffee and mimosas on the deck you know life is good!

Along with all of the traditional Christmas stuff (opening presents, Christmas lunch, etc) the Oatley family headed out to do some hiking!  Who would've thought I'd be hiking on Christmas Day!  It was so neat!  

Christmas Eve- a Scorcher!

With temps predicted to be pushing 70 degrees on Christmas Eve I was determined to find a place with a patio for lunch with my dad!  I just had to be outside on a "California" Christmas Eve in the city.  Thankfully, after calling around to a lot of places, I found out that Charlie's Kitchen would be open and that meant their Beer Garden would also be open!

JO, my dad, and I headed into the Square and we just couldn't get over how nice it was!  I was wearing a fleece on Christmas Eve, and I probably didn't need it.  We saw plenty of people in shorts and t-shirts.

Charlie's Kitchen did not disappoint.  Two lobster rolls for $13 and $5 beers.  We had a great time and it was just the perfect start to Christmas!

The bunnies are still out and about

Also, it made me want to move to California!  Why do I deal with winter again?

Calling All Crows Benefit Weekend

Every December, for the past eight years, we've looked forward to the weekend before Christmas because of Chad Stokes' Calling All Crows Benefit Weekend concert.  Chad is my favorite singer.  One of the things I love the most is that Chad gets people involved in social issues and politics through his music.  Calling all Crows is a charity he started eight years ago to get young people in service projects.  The concert benefits the charity.

The show was at The Paradise which is a great venue to see a show.  Chad played a lot of great songs and we had a blast singing along.

She's playing a saw

I even snuck a picture with "The Van" on the way out!

The Winter Classic 5K and Ricky's Flower Market

December started with unseasonably warm temperatures which was perfect since we were running the Winter Classic 5K.  It was a gorgeous day and I thought I ran pretty fast but there was a glitch with the pace car and we ended up running 3.5 miles instead.  Oh well!  It was a gorgeous day to be out and about!

After the race we hit up the Dumpling Room for lunch.  This place is great- the food is yummy (they've fixed that pepper problem in the miso soup) and reasonably priced.

After lunch we walked past our house down to Union Square for our annual "pick out a tree and walk home" outing.  I love that we can just walk home from the tree stand at Ricky's Flower Market.  First, who doesn't love Ricky's.  They always have the best decorations set up and great holiday music playing, which made it feel more Christmasy despite the warm temps.

We walked home with the tree and enjoyed the rest of the day relaxing and making Denali wear the Santa hat.

The Christmas Tree Challenge

Last year I was over scheduled, worn out, and down right in a bad mood for most of December.  We didn't even have time to get our tree until just a few days before Christmas.  I was determined to not let that happen again this year so right after Thanksgiving I came up with the idea for the Christmas Tree Challenge.  Basically, it was a hunt around Boston and Cambridge to see all of the Christmas displays we could see.  I made a list, JO suggested we leave some blanks for write-ins, and we were off.

We started at the Nine Zero Hotel

and Omni Parker

 Of course, we had to stop for dinner and drinks along the way.  One night we hit up Marliave, which never disappoints.  And no trip to Marliave is complete without the chocolate truffles!

Then we saw some more trees!

The Ritz

Macy's Tree

The Four Seasons- loved it

We also stopped at Avery's at the Ritz along the way.  This is a really nice, quite bar with a gas fireplace and great bubbles.  JO felt the need to order another dessert.

Then, more trees

The Taj

Crazy Boston Tea Party Gingerbread House

Fairmont

Lennox

The Mandarin

Inman Square

Another night we stopped at the Kendall Hotel for dinner.  It had been quite a long time since we had eaten at their restaurant, the Black Sheep, and we had definitely forgotten how delicious the food is.  We ordered a ton of apps and enjoyed the lovely atmosphere.

We also had drinks at the Liberty Hotel because we just had to see their upside down trees!

Another night found us in Harvard Square, and after checking out the tree at the Charles Hotel and watching Home Alone on the big screen at the Brattle, we made our way to Nubar for a cocktail and to snap a picture with the tree!

We enjoyed the live band in the Square playing Christmas music

This was a great way to celebrate in the city and I think it's going to become a new holiday tradition.  In terms of winners- my vote goes to the Omni Parker for old world charm (although the Four Seasons was a close second) and the Liberty for modern decor!