My Favorite Things

Christmas is my second favorite time of year, summer reigns supreme. I love Christmas trees, lights, store window displays, watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) and A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) (put it back on ABC!!). Christmas music is top tier, you can’t tell me anything about A Motown Christmas(1972), Destiny’s Child’s “8 Days of Christmas”, Eartha Kitt purring on “Santa Baby”, or “Deck A Ho (Mitch Ferrino Mix)” by Bob the Drag Queen and Shangela (put it back on all the streaming sites!!). This is my inner child’s time to shine. We have a real good time. Whether it’s fun or faith based, I hope this season is enjoyable for you as well. In honor of this magical time and my favorite Christmas song, I’m sharing some of my favorite things.

Food
Instead of hours I measure my day by meals. What’s my first, when’s the next, and what can I have the following day. In a perfect world, I could consume these snacks with zero consequences.
–Macaroni & Cheese – Cavatappi supremacy! Breadcrumbs add a beautiful crunch.
–Peach Cobbler – My favorite dessert hands down. I’ll break out frozen birthday leftovers on NYE.
–Biscuits – My grandmother started this devotion and I’ll never leave them.
–Biryani – I have ordered this saffron basmati rice dish from several Indian restaurants and it never misses. Goat or lamb really sets it off.
–Quesadillas – Made at home with cheese and spinach, they may not be authentic but they make me happy.

Spending Time
I could fill my days with these activities and never grow tired of them.
–Reading – I’m a physical book devotee, I love the weight and turning the pages. I like organizing them by color on my bookshelf.
–Listening to Music – My daily activities need a soundtrack. I could be listening to almost any genre at any given time.
–Traveling – I want to go everywhere, see everything, and soak up cultural learnings. The airport is one of my favorite places. I remember when airlines fed you meals for free regardless of ticket class and the days pre-TSA when you could just roll up to the gate.
–Pole Dancing – This shouldn’t be a surprise. I’m currently working on my freestyling and let’s just say it’s a challenge.
–Baking – I want to be able to turn out flawless biscuits, rolls, and cookies. My cakes, pies, and brownies are consistently tasty.

Clothing
I want to put full effort into my look everyday but my desire for comfort usually wins. In my quest I’ve begun to identify a few personal staples:
–Oversized Button Up Shirts – I need more of them, in every color imaginable. They’re versatile and a part of the essence of my personal style.
–Bodysuits – They go with everything and are appropriate for any occasion.
–Slip Dress – I love a dress, from t-shirt to a Zuhair Murad gown. My supreme garment. I want to add a few more slip dresses, another versatile piece and I look good in them.
–Wide Leg Jeans – Never thought I would enjoy anything wide leg on me, welp I have one pair (thanks Heather!) and now I need more.
–Skirts – To me, half a dress so of course. Swing, A-line, mini, maxi, with a slit, I’ll take them all. My legs always have something to say let’s complement them.

Words
We need to use these terms more often, they deserve more shine.
–Fisticuffs  – I’ve never been in a fight but what a great way to describe it.
–Shenanigans – Unsurprising with the amount of Real Housewives I consume.
–Egregious – My coworkers hear this one quite a bit.
–Abhorrent – The weight and drama this holds, it drips with disdain, so fun.
–Hooligan – Never fails to make me giggle, reminds me of whippersnapper but reckless.

Albums of 2023
–the mornings x sahn – Beautiful, vulnerable, spirit-filled, loving, I have nothing but the highest praise for this work. Don’t shuffle her shit.
–The Age of Pleasure x Janelle Monáe – I want to be this free. As per Janelle’s tour imagery “Pleasure is a state of mind. Pleasure is a state of mine.”
–Seance x Saleka – I thank WWD for introducing me to Saleka in 2021. No skips to be found here.
–Jaguar II x Victoria Monet – “Cadillac (A Pimp’s Anthem)”, “How Does It Make You Feel”, and “On My Mama” are an elite three track run. Clean up at the Grammy’s Victoria!
–Metro Boomin Presents Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse x Metro Boomin – Miles and the Spiderverse are special, and the soundtrack suits it. James Blake’s “Hummingbird” is something serious and on my favorite songs list.

Films & TV Shows
–Black Panther (2018) – Took over the top spot from the next two, everything about it is glorious. I can probably recite it at this point. T’Challa is on my Christmas tree with the Barbies.
–Aladdin (1992) – I wore my VHS out so bad that my dad had to buy me another one when the tape popped out and couldn’t be rewound.
–The Bodyguard (1992)– Whitney Houston is my original Beyoncé, I broke out singing “I Have Nothing” in the middle of a store once.
–Living Single – “Oh Delia!” “Kha-di-jah!” 25 years strong, flawless execution.
–Golden Girls – Watch it on Hulu, Hallmark cuts out half of the jokes each episode. It’s still hilarious which is a testament to the writing but I want all the witty repartee.

Be sure to share some of your favorite things in the comments. Happy Holidays to you all!