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We’re out of practice in entertaining, so we’re trying to relearn how to be gracious, feed people, converse (keep organ recitals to a minimum), make our homes look festive and spotless and have fun after years of hibernating and silence!  We say start small. Rather than throwing a big, fancy dinner party, which would be an ordeal and so expensive today, try a series of more modest gatherings with just a few folks where we offer enough food to friends. We are talking about a few small bite-sized appetizers or amuse-bouche, but not a full-course dinner that becomes labor intensive...

Nothing makes you feel as good as doing good. What could be a better time of year to experience this and share the idea with others. The impetus for this blog came to us in an email asking for donations to underserved children in New York City by purchasing holiday gifts for up to $30. A spreadsheet was attached with the gift requests, the child’s age, favorite color and so on. Pretty easy, right? It stirred up our philanthropic and creative juices. We like to give gifts, at least one of us does, so we came up with a hybrid gift...

A letter to help a friend’s child get into a certain college. Reaching out to someone for the suggestion of a good doctor. Going on a trip almost anywhere and contacting someone who lives there for ideas about good restaurants, the most important sights, where to stay.   A recommendation is basically advice from a source who’s in the know for information for a specific objective. But asking someone for a recommendation or giving one may cut into our busy schedules. It’s a favor, sometimes a huge one, since we all know that our time is precious.   We’ve both been asked...

During the holiday season, those who are alone and may not have an invite for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah candle lighting and dinner with latkes, Christmas or New Year’s Eve or Day festivities may feel more alone than ever.  Sitting at home with a one-person portion of turkey and fixings that you might have brought in from the grocery store, no chit-chat with others or going to work at a food pantry to help others can be an okay substitute—it’s only one day. However, it’s not the same as being invited!  Everyone has experienced not being included for some event—whether a birthday...

To understand the power of gratitude one must understand what it means. It’s a thank you to us and to others, an appreciation for what we do, what we have or have accomplished and what others do for us. It can be something as simple as a bakery clerk who gives you an extra cookie for free, a compliment that never costs anybody anything to share or something a little more significant like you aced a math test or learned a difficult passage in music. It can also be a grand accomplishment—the best of the best--such as having your first...