Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Ideas to Enjoy New Year's Eve at Home

1. Make a homemade meal. Considering that ordering out on New Year's Eve often costs more (since prices are usually increased for the holiday), this is a good excuse to splurge a little and make a family meal at home. Pick out dinner food that everyone enjoys but you don’t get a chance to have very often, like steak, chili, or lobster. This family meal can turn into a New Year’s Eve tradition.
You could also consider making a meal out of appetizers. This could lead to a more casual dinner setup, and the kids will like having the ability to pick and choose different kinds of food.
Cheese fondue is another fun dinner idea for New Year’s Eve.  Eating cheese fondue with bits of bread and meats will require everyone to sit and eat together. You can take turns dipping your food into the cheese and tell stories from the past year as you eat.

2. Make fun snacks and desserts. Consider making cookies, toffee, or other desserts that you can make together as a family and eat throughout New Year’s Eve night. You can get even more in the New Year’s spirit by making New Year’s specific desserts. Lots of cultures have New Year’s Eve desserts like Vasilopita, a Greek New Year’s Eve cake baked with a coin hidden in the dough.  Whoever gets the piece of cake with the coin will have good luck for the upcoming year.
Marshmallow countdown skewers are another fun dessert idea. Each marshmallow has two or three numbers drawn on with edible ink, and you can eat the marshmallows as you count down to midnight.
A fun idea for New Year’s Eve kid friendly drinks are milk and cookie toasts. The kids can join in on the New Year’s toasts by clinking their milk glasses together and eating their cookies as they toast.

3. Make some holiday drinks and mocktails. Kids will love having hot cocoa, fruity soda pop, and sparkling grape juice on New Year’s Eve. You can even make other mocktails like strawberry-kiwi spritzers, cranberry sparklers, and peppermint drinks.  Be sure to use plastic champagne flutes or other plastic “adult” like glasses to make the kids feel really special.  Adults can make their own specialty drinks, or stick with classic champagne.
If you or family members are starting to feel tired, consider making some fun coffee drinks with and without alcohol.

4. Have a family game night. Bring out board games, card games, and electronic  games, and even group video games to play as you wait for the clock to strike midnight. You could make up game tournaments, or try to play all the games at least once during the night.

5. Have a movie night. Pop in a movie you already have at home or rent a movie that you all have been wanting to see. Watching a movie can be just one aspect of your New Year’s Eve plans, or you can turn it into a movie marathon. During this time you can eat and drink different snacks that you have prepared for the night.
You can also use this time to watch old home videos and reminisce on good times. Depending on how many home videos you have, you can make it a dinner time activity, or have them playing throughout the night.

6. Create a New Year’s Eve photo booth. Arrange an area of your home to be the photo booth stage. Find a wall or background that you can use as a backdrop, and decorate it with some holiday decorations or your written resolutions. You could even print out some masquerade type costume pieces, and have your very own photo props.

7. Play dress up.  Bring out everyone’s best clothes and make everyone in the family feel like they are a part of a fancy New Year’s Eve party or ball. You could play music, dance, and everyone’s fancy outfits can make for some great photos.

8. Make countdown bags to open every hour. Fill small bags with different snacks and goodies to open up at every hour leading up to midnight. You can make as many bags as you want depending on how early you want to start opening the bags. Some ideas for bag fillers include:
  • Disposable cameras
  • Activity tags: watch a movie, eat ice cream, play a game, etc.
  • Craft kits
  • Candy




9. Make your own New Year’s Eve decorations. Make your own party hats with some construction paper, string and decorating supplies.  You can also make your own New Year’s Eve noisemakers by putting rice, confetti, and glitter inside empty water bottles. Simply twist on the cap and shake to loudly bring in the New Year. Consider making a balloon drop for when the clock strikes midnight:
Simply blow up balloons, and create netting around an overhead fan with some tape and wrapping paper or fabric. Place all the balloons inside the netting, and release the balloons whenever you plan to ring in the New Year.


Reflect on the past year and make resolutions together. Around midnight or throughout the night in general, you and your family can gather together and reminisce over where the past year has taken each of you individually, and as whole family. After, make and share resolutions for the New Year and what you hope to achieve. You can even try to make a resolution as a family and be each other’s accountability partners.

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Lexington Annual Christmas Eve Caroling


Please bring family and friends to Lexington’s annual Christmas Eve Caroling event!  As always, caroling will take place from 4:00 – 4:30 pm on December 24th at the Hastings Park Bandstand in Lexington, which is located at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Worthen Road.  Join in this town tradition that is enjoyed by several hundred residents and neighbors each year who gather to sing an assortment of traditional and favorite carols. 

Song sheets, hot chocolate, and cookies will be provided to all!


Contact Jackie Piscitello with any questions at jackiepiscitello@gmail.com.  

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Vocal Revolution: WinterSing!

Vocal Revolution, the Northeastern District Barbershop Champions, and winners of WGBH Sing That Thing! season 2 are teaming up with some of this years Sing That Thing winners for a fantastic a cappella extravaganza! Saturday, December 16, at  2:00pm at Cary Hall.

On stage will be the Sing That Thing Season 3 collegiate winners Endicott Singers and high school winners Wellesley High Schools Rice Street Singers.

Also singing will be VR's own collegiate quartet champions: the 2017 champions Greenlight and the 2016 champions Last Chance!

The proceeds of the show will support all of the performing groups as well as Vocal
Revolutions outreach program to develop a cappella and barbershop singing.

We also invite our audience to join us after the show for casual singing and conversation! (Details of the location at a nearby restaurant will be announced at the show.)

Please click here for tickets.


This year we have two special guest choruses joining us:
  • Endicott Singers, the Sing That Thing Season 3 collegiate winners.

  • Rice Street Singers from Wellesley High School, the Sing That Thing Season 3 high school winners.

Also, two special collegiate quartets:

  • Greenlight, the 2017 Northeastern District collegiate champions

  • Daily Special (formerly known as Last Chance), the 2016 Northeastern District champions

It will be a show to remember!


Please click here for tickets.

Saturday, December 16, 2017 - 2:00pm
Cary Hall
1605 Massachusetts Avenue
Lexington 02420

Please click here for tickets.

Friday, December 8, 2017

Habits to Make Dream of Lexington Homeownership a Reality

Healthy habits for Lexington homebuyers
Do you dream of buying a Lexington home in 2018? Are you ready to stop throwing your money away on rent and invest in your future? Home prices and mortgage rates are expected to increase in 2018, so the sooner you buy, the more you might save in the Lexington real estate market!

As your Lexington real estate agent, I am here to help guide you through the first-time buying process, and to answer any questions you may have. Even if you don’t plan to buy for another few months, there are habits you can start to implement now to better your chances at qualifying for a loan and a low interest rate! Here are the top three that realtor.com just shared:

1.  Automate down payment savings. Saving enough money for a down payment is one of the hardest steps for first-time buyers, but the more you put down initially, the lower your monthly payments could be. Automate your checking account to save a certain amount of your paycheck each month into a down payment savings account. If you receive any monetary gifts, put them right in the account as well.

2.  Build your credit history. Keep your credit history clean by paying off or paying down past debts, paying all of your bills on time, and using no more than 30 percent of the credit available to you. Have bills automatically withdrawn to make paying on time easier.

3.  Practice living on a budget. Downsize your spending so you can save more for a down payment and pay off your debts. Don’t by new clothes, cars, vacations, etc. until after you buy your home. Make coffee and your meals at home instead of buying it out. Walk or bike instead of driving when possible.

There are all great tips on getting you on your way to saving the money you need for a home in the Lexington real estate market! Enjoy your holidays, and when ready to buy a Lexington home this year or next, contact me, your Lexington real estate agent. I am here for you!

Theresa D'Antuono

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Lexington Tea Burning, Demonstrations, Parade, and More!

Lexington Tea Burning, Demonstrations,
Parade, and More!


Three days before the Boston Tea Party in 1773, citizens of Lexington burned all their tea in a common bonfire, and issued a stirring resolution supporting the people of Boston, announcing that anyone in town who used tea would be treated “as an enemy of this town and this country.”

Lexington Historical Society and the Lexington Minute Men invite all to the Lexington Tea Burning. The event will take place on the grounds of another sponsor of the event, the Lexington Visitor’s Center (1875 Massachusetts Avenue) and will begin at 10AM with an 18th century soldier encampment, followed by musket drills, 18th century cooking demonstrations, parades, and music, and culminate with the burning of the tea at 1:30PM.


Historic Buckman Tavern will be decorated for the holidays and open for FREE tours.

Sunday, December 10, 2017 - 10:00am
Lexington Visitors Center lawn
1875 Massachusetts Avenue

Lexington, MA 02420