Christmas Bucket List

Are there things you simply must do for the holidays? Like visit a certain place or eat a certain food? Well here are my holiday must haves or my Christmas bucket list.

I like to see a live performance at the holidays. The Boston Pops, the Nutcracker Ballet, The Christmas Revels, it's always great to take in a Christmas show. This year I am hoping to see the Nutcracker at the local theatre.  It's a musical. Should be interesting.

Next weekend, I will attend the Nutcracker Tea.  This will be my second year attending the event.

My sister and I usually meet friends for dinner at the Bedford Village Inn in Bedford, NH.  The inn is stunning. And the week after Christmas is the best time to visit.  It is still decorated for Christmas but the atmosphere is more relaxed. We look forward to this special dinner.

I enjoy shopping in the small shops in surrounding towns such as Concord, Lexington, Winchester, and Melrose. I've already been to Nesting on Main.  They do such an amazing job with their displays. If I have time I like to go to Boston and browse around Beacon Hill and Newbury Street.  The window shopping is great!

I also take in church fairs and antique fairs. I find the best stuff there. In fact, I will show you some of my finds in another post.

A must do on my list is to visit Burdick's in Harvard Square.  Their hot chocolate is too die for! The cafe is decorated tastefully for the holidays. After hot chocolate, I have the energy to brave the crowds and do some serious shopping.  There is always lots to see in Harvard Square.

Here's a view of the twig chandelier in Burdick's. I had hoped to duplicate this for my Christmas Soiree but time is running short and there is still so much to do!

There you have it, my Christmas Bucket list. Do you have one? What's on your list?

Snowy Saturday and a Trip to Harvard Square

A storm was predicted and it had already started to snow. I planned to stay home with the kitties on this snowy Saturday.



I usually make a trip into Harvard Square before Christmas. I love to browse in the unique shops and people watch. There are many great eateries there too. This Christmas I didn't make it to Harvard Square.

So I was thrilled when my friend Kim called to ask if I was interested in going there on this Saturday afternoon. It was snowing and cold but Burdick's Hot Chocolate was calling.

We drove in and parked at Harvard University since Kim had a parking pass. Harvard Yard looked gorgeous in the snow as we walked through it.



At Burdick's we walked past the man keeping count of how many hot chocolate lovers were in the shop. Maximum occupancy is 49 and it is strictly enforced.

A winter wonderland awaited us. Twigs and branches were suspended from the ceiling and glass snowflakes and icicles dangled and caught the light. It was quite beautiful and an idea I may use in the condo mext Christmas.



Here's an overall view of the shop. See how cool it looks?




I ordered a small dark chocolate with a cinnamon luxembourger just like the macarons in Paris. The photo is blurry due to the fact that I was suffering from chocolate intoxication. Just the smell made me woozy with excitement!



Here's the outside of Burdick's, the steam on the window just adds to it's mystique. We browsed a bit in a few shops and then it started to really snow so we crossed Harvard Yard and headed home.

It was an enjoyable spontaneous excursion!