I trust everyone had a very very merry Christmas? And a Happy Hanukkah, a happy Kwanzaa, a pleasant Solstice or a lovely day, depending on what you celebrate (or don’t). I’ve been stuffed & spoiled many times over this past week. And while Christmas may be “over” (although technically not until January 6th), the party itself is far from over. It’s almost New Year’s Eve, dontcha know!

Incredibly enough, I had more than 15 things for this edition of the Friday Fifteen. I had to narrow it down, so a few of them will probably turn up in another FF later on this month. So many awesome things, such little time, people!

And so, as it’s been every few weeks since October, it’s time for the Friday Fifteen. Today’s edition: The roaring & never boring NEW YEAR’S EDITION!

1. My brand spankin’ new MacBook Pro! Hurray! If I did’t have this as number one of my 15 favorite things, I’d be an idiot. I’m super happy with it. I mentioned before Christmas that my much loved & much used pink laptop, June Carter, died a sad & unexpected death a few weeks ago. She wasn’t quite 3 years old so it was really unexpected. I was sad, but I had to move on. And so I did. Thanks to the men in my life for giving me such a great and much needed Christmas present! As much as I adore it (and believe me- I really freakin’ do), I’ll always have a soft spot for PC’s. Every internet memory I’ve ever made has been on a PC: the first computer I ever owned, my first internet experience back on AOL, meeting all my awesome “internet friends” through blogging/DeviantArt many years ago, teaching myself Photoshop & Illustrator, and the creation of Cupcake Rehab to name a few. So now it’s time to start a new chapter.. the Apple chapter!
2. Oh Em Gee- Downton Abbey season 3 starts on January 13th! And… Grimm returns January 11th! Oh man. So excited. Bring on the new year!
3. Pink champagne. Every New Year’s Eve, it’s all about pink champagne. I don’t care who makes it or how much it costs, as long as it’s pink- I’m there. In a pinch, Cold Duck or regular champagne will do just fine. But I much prefer it pink.
4. Winter squash pie with a heaping helping of brandy whipped cream is the new most requested dish ’round here. It’s like the winter version of fall’s infamous pumpkin pie. If you haven’t tried it, and you’re a pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie fan, please give it a shot. And brandy whipped cream? COME ON.
5. Speaking of recipes, the last big bash of 2012 and the first big bash of 2013 is arriving soon. Here are two fantastic ideas to serve at your shindig (or to make using leftover champagne!): champagne jelly and champagne cupcakes. The jelly is divine with hors d’oeuvres, also excellent with roast chicken and cheese/crackers, meanwhile the cupcakes are a decadent once-a-year treat.
6. Speaking of my champagne-infused deliciousness… I have something very special coming up soon for this NYE. *evil grin* Come back here on the 31st and you’ll see!
7. Also speaking of champagne, the champagne cookies from Sweet Hope Cookies are seriously the prettiest things ever.
8. The Think Outside the Blog blog hop: my friends & I created this blog hop ourselves back in October, because we couldn’t find one that fit us. We’re all different, each of us is very unique, and we each have something that separates us from the usual bloggers. So why not make a blog hop that celebrates it!? If you’re a blogger, specifically a non-cookie cutter blogger, then please join us every Thursday. You can find some new blogs to read, make some friends, and do some networking. It’s fun! All you’ve gotta do is come back here on a Thursday; there’ll be a new blog post for the hop with instructions on what to do & how to join.
9. Robes. I’m very into them this winter, more than I ever was before. I was always a hoodie-in-the-house girl. Now I find myself wearing robes more often. Maybe I’m just getting older…
10. Samuel Adams’ Winter Lager & Merry Mischief stout are sure to warm you on a cold winter’s night. Specifically the latter, with a 9.0%ABV – 6.9%ABW.
11. I’m just in love with these adorable ceramic pieces from Paulova on Etsy. This salt jar, especially. Beautiful stuff.
12. And how cute is this tray for New Year’s Eve!? It reminds me of that scene in Dumbo with the pink elephants. It’s amazingly retro, yet relevant today.
13. If you’re not the type to have a drink to celebrate the new year, perhaps you’ll have some tea. And in that case, this mug with initials comprised of tiny bubbles would be appropriate. Gotta have some kind of bubbly, right?
14. The Dark Knight Rises. Whoa. Good movie.
15. And last, but definitely not least… my favorite thing about the past week: my cupcake/candy/donut tree! It’s a 4.5ft white tree with multicolored lights & every cupcake ornament I have, plus a few Starbucks coffee cup ornaments, and some Dunkin’ Donuts coffee cup & donut ornaments. Add to that a candy-striped ribbon topper, pastel candy cane ornaments, and a few little baker/chef figurine ornaments and you’ve got my newest tree. I put it up in my bedroom last minute, about 2 days before Christmas, and I’m glad I did. Next year, it’ll be a bit neater (I kind of threw the lights on, haha) & it will have a lot more ornaments. But for this year, it served it purpose well; to be a beautiful nightlight & cheer me up a bit. Next year I’d like to fit it in the kitchen or dining area, because I think the food-theme would work really well for that. But we’ll see. For now, it’s nice to fall asleep to Christmas lights. I haven’t had a tree in my room since I was a kid, and I forgot how sweet it is.

 Here’s wishing you a very, very happy & healthy new year!