Category: celebration

celebration, happiness, wishes

Habitual rewards

Christa Avampato

My dear friend, Lisa, took me to brunch this morning for my 32nd birthday. I ordered some peppermint tea and the tag read “reward yourself”. Lisa, who has known me for nearly ten years immediately said, “Christa, as if you need anyone to tell you that.” She’s right of course, I’ve made rewarding myself a habit, though that wasn’t always the case, and as much as I love being nice to myself, it doesn’t come without a tiny piece of questioning each time. 

I took the day off today to celebrate me. I got the idea from my friend, Ken, who also took his birthday off as a personal day this year. Another friend of mine, Alex, told me about a company that gives its employees their birthdays off as an extra perk. 
I took myself for a nice long walk through the park – a glorious, sunny day – and then to get a manicure and pedicure. After that, I took another long and leisurely stroll home. It was one of those days that I was so happy to have had, and would have been so sad to see end except for the fact that I know another self-reward is likely just around the corner.
Alex also was telling me today that as adults we don’t celebrate or birthdays with the same gusto as children. And that started me wondering how this happened. As a kid, I would wake up with such an excitement that my big day had arrived. And while today I was thrilled to have the day off, I didn’t have that tingly happy birthday feeling. So, as my birthday wish, simple though it may seem, I am searching for a way to get that birthday tingle back, a way to believe that self-celebration is not a luxury, but rather something that comes naturally.    
celebration, happiness, holiday, New Years Eve, New York

Day 1

Christa Avampato

2008 was brought in with a wide smile on my face surrounded by fabulous friends. I have never hosted a New Year’s party before and my friend, Catherine, suggested that having one would be a good idea. Plus, she has a spacious apartment, a rarity in NYC, that would be a perfect spot to host one.

I invited a number of friends from different parts of my life, and many of them had never met before. Worlds colliding can be a nerve-wracking thing. To my delight, it was fabulous from beginning to end. People were striking up conversations right and left and I feel confident that the party could have gone on into the wee hours of the morning without a pause.

I was so thrilled with the turnout of so many amazing people in one room. And a bit sad, too. I have been wishing that I could afford a bigger apartment to have gatherings like this more often. And then my dear friend, Lisa, helped me open up my eyes a bit wider. We panned the room to take a look at the space that people were actually occupying as they enojyed the last few hours of 2007. It was roughly the size of my studio apartment. And when I came home I did some more analyzing…while my place may be small, there is ample room to sit and chat, and people at a party don’t spread out – they clump together to have conversations and to share laughs.

The wonderful gift that 2008 brought me, in addition to all of the great people I was surrounded by, was the idea that this type of gathering didn’t need to be a once-a-year event. I could have this kind of celebration much more often, even in my studio apartment. Happiness and laughter is like air – it just conforms to the space in which you allow it to be.

The image above can be found at http://www.backdrops.net/images/108%20Celebration%2010%20x%2010.JPG

celebration, holiday, New Years Eve, New York, New York Times

Wild Revelry Is So Last Year

Christa Avampato

For the past few days I have been using my drive to work to come up with some pithy and witty commentary on New Year’s and why it’s my least favorite holiday. I opened the Times this morning and decided I didn’t need to write anything – William Grimes said it best.

I’ll be spending NYE with a few friends eating delicious, home-made food, and completely avoiding any run in with crowds. I’ve decided that 2008 is going to be the best year of my life. “Why?” you may ask. Just call it a very good hunch.

William Grimes story in Today’s Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/arts/28stay.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin