This brief arctic clipper we are experiencing reminds us of Mark Twain’s famous quote, “If you don’t like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes.” This weekend will be back in the 40’s. The brief cold front has brought something else with it too, something much warmer and fun to be around. Independent school and college kids are arriving home starting this weekend. It is also the time when high school seniors are hearing from colleges where they applied early decision. Some will get in and some will not. They may be a little stressed and anxious. The entire college application process has become overly, and unnecessarily, stressful. The right college will find the right senior.
Can you tell we love teenagers? We love having them around. Watching their minds develop and grow with each daily challenge. We stock the office with them in the summer. That’s right. Have a teenager who you want out of the house this summer? Give us a call. If they are responsible, polite and fun, chances are we can use them as an intern. We had eight last summer and they had a blast creating and managing the Lego Competition.
George Burns said, “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” That is not us. This time of year, for us, is all about family. We look for excuses to spend time together, curled up in front of the fire reading a book or playing a game. It is also about traditions. There is something about the holidays that harkens back to our youth. We remember the walks in the snowy woods with our dogs. We may not have snow yet (but we hear it is coming), although we still go for family walks around the neighborhood. We bake the same holiday cookies that we did with our mother and we still use the same stocking that we used as a child. These are touch points to our past that we share with our children. One day they may share them with their children. We hope so.
This week the Sentinel radio shows were broadcast from CREW Restaurant on Thursday. Have you been to CREW? It is a cozy, inviting restaurant just west of Greenwich Avenue on Railroad. Executive chef and owner Chris Geideman has created a wonderful contemporary American bistro that blends familiar with foreign tastes, creating a very satisfying dining experience. If you have not been, you should definitely give it a try. You won’t be disappointed. The holiday decorations give it a fun romantic feel as well.
Have you made your end of the year charitable donations yet? In your paper this week is an envelope for you to use to send in a donation to the Greenwich Sentinel’s Community Foundation. We hope you will use it and give generously. The foundation is a registered 501(c)(3), so all contributions are tax deductible. The money raised is used to support the foundation’s objective of bringing our community closer together by highlighting and celebrating the good work our non-profits accomplish. It also supports the Greater Good section, the “5 Things to Do” e-mail, and our new Community Calendar. Everyone who gives will be listed in our New Year’s Eve edition of the paper.
As you go about town purchasing your holiday gifts (and remembering to buy local), keep in mind that the perfect gift is not always the most expensive, but can be the most useful. Perhaps because we have a young wizard in our home, we recently came across this quote from J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”: “One can never have enough socks,” said Dumbledore. “Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books.”
Enjoy these last days before Christmas and Hanukah. Enjoy family, friends, fireplace games, good restaurants—but most of all, enjoy one another.
