OTAS, you found it

Christmas, for someone whose family from California to Chicago to New York means a lot of travel and work. I seemed to bear the brunt of it. I quickly visited Chicago before making my way to California to visit the parents. The holidays, to a New Yorker, also mean holiday parties. Over the last few weeks I seemed to spend all evenings mingling with work people, friends, and family. This has led me to believe that there are two types of people in the world: Those that do some serious drinking and those that do not. If you don’t know where you fall, answer the following. During the holidays, do you find yourself:

A) Passed out under a Christmas tree.
B) Doing shots of tequila at a family cocktail party only to wake up not knowing where you were and how you got to bed.
C) Passed out in a subway car on your way back from a party, only to be awakened by the conductor.
D) Knowing the bar tender at the company Christmas party better than your colleagues.
If you answer “yes” to any of these, you are a serious drinker.

I answered “yes” to all.

Mom, having had a great time last year, came back to New York with her friend Paula. We had quite an experience. We were booked into three operas, one of which was one of the hottest tickets in New York: An internationally televised performance of Gounod’s opera “Romeo et Juliet” starring some of the most sought-after singers. Being gay also meant friends were performing in the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular,” which we got a backstage pass to meet the Rockettes, dancers, singers, stagehands, and animals in the performance. We also dined at the finest places New York has to offer and saw the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s stunning angel Christmas tree.

I then spent two days entirely with my grandparents helping them winterize their apartment, putting up their Christmas tree, and taking them out to dinner. (My apologies to friends who I didn’t have time to hang out with – fear not, I will be back in Feb to have fun.) After that I was off to California for the holiday itself.

Being my first retail holiday, things have also been busy at work, working into the night planning for the next two years, and figuring out last-minute Christmas campaigns and helping out the stores.

After a long day of traveling and looking out at the Statue of Liberty on the flight in, I have to say I was glad Christmas was over. What a whirlwind: Three weeks of non-stop travel, socializing and work was finally over. Now all that’s left was getting through New Year’s Eve.

That’s a synch: All I have to do is go to one party, here.

Finally, Christmas Day with my parents.