These are a few of my favorite things!

Every Christmas my sisters and I have a little gift exchange....Our Favorite Things...yes, a total knock off of Oprah's Favortie Things, but every year, it's the highlight of my Christmas afternoon! I love to see what each of us compiled and we have a ball opening each other's Favorite Things!!!!

So, here's what made my list this year...we have a $50 limit..although we always go over!

1. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Every year I put in my favorite book. Both my mom and dad love to read and passed that love onto their kids as well! Last year's honors went to the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo...this year it goes to the Hunger Games. I picked this book because when I read what it was about, I immediately though..so not my thing...and I was wrong..I loved it..even though it's a book written for teens! This is book 1 in a trilogy and the movie is out later this year!

2. Bananagrams

Best game ever! Especially for wordy competitive dorks like me! My sisters come to Martha's Vineyard during the summer with us. One day, when we were beached out and clouds came in...I introduced them to this! Maybe I just love it because I always seem to be winning it. Oldest sister yelled "Bananas" when she thought she won...only to find out that all her words weren't connected in a crossword puzzle fashion...nice try!

3. Chilmark Chocolates

My sisters weren't able to come to Martha's Vineyard for our whole week long vacation this year. We had a last minute cancellation and I was so excited when my friend, L, and her husband were able to jet down for a couple nights since we had a spare room with no one in it in our rental! L told us a story about when she was little and her memory of coming to Martha's Vineyard with her family, heading to a place called Chilmark Chocolates and eating the whole box of chocolate before they made it to the ferry to head home. So, everyone got all excited to head to Chilmark Chocolates to help her re-live this childhood memory! We hopped in the van, drove there and were devastated (mostly for L) that it was only open Thursday through Sunday...and L and her husband were leaving Wednesday morning!

Once my sisters got on the island, we told them the story and said we HAD to make it to Chilmark Chocolates and bring some home for L. Were we glad we did! It's a tiny little building the size of a hallway with some good ass chocolates! My oldest sister carried on my friend L's tradition...as she ate her box of chocolates before we hit the ferry! Mr. Allan and I went back to Martha's Vineyard a few weeks ago to help celebrate Christmas in Edgartown and on our list of must do things...hit up Chilmark Chocolates!

4. LUSH items

I love this store. I love that everything is fresh, all natural, handmade products. I only bought something from LUSH maybe 6 months ago and have fallen hard for this place! The only products I didn't immediately fall in love with were the shampoos and conditioners..mostly because I have a crap load of wavy hair. But, every other thing from the soap to the lotions to the bath bombs to the shower gel...I absolutely love! So, each sister got a little goody bag of some of my favorite things...including Honey I washed the Kids soap, Charity Pot body lotion, Snow Fairy shower gel, and a Buffy bar!

Snow Fairy...rumor has it some of the holiday line is buy one get one free now!

Charity Pot..proceeds go to Charity!

Buffy Bar..might not look like much but its filled with tiny beads that, well, buff you. I use this at the end of my shower and it leaves a moisturizing feel all over my arms and legs. I get out and immediately put on Lush Dream Cream lotion ...the perfect combo!


5. Woonsocket Rocket T-shirt

You might be asking yourself..what the hell is this? Well, Woonsocket is the great Northern Rhode Island town the three of us hail from. It's the city where my Dad and stepmom still live. It gets a really bum rap in RI. Lots of people make fun it, but I will say, growing up in a city with a lot of different ethnic groups and people from all walks of life is something I wouldn't change..at all. Growing up in such a diversified city really prepared me for life beyond RI once I graduated high school and moved away to college. So..make fun of it if you will...but the only people that are truly allowed to crack on Woonsocket are those who were born and bred there. They're the people we like to refer to as Woonsocket Rockets.

Older sister emailed me and Oldest sister a few weeks ago. I'm not sure where she found this T-shirt..but she told us that a place in downtown Providence had this HILARIOUS T-shirt that she needed. It just so happened that this place was 2 blocks from my work office. I jetted over there and scooped them up. Although it might not fall under the category of one of my favorite things...I KNEW they'd laugh their asses off...and I was right. So, I fully expect the sisters to be donning this kick ass T-Shirt at every family function and I think I might need to hop over to CraftLand on Westminster Street in Providence and grab myself one!

If I didn't have a $50 limit..some of my absolute favorite things this year would have been my Kindle...I've been a reading machine this year and love that I can shove it in my purse and have tons of books at my disposal. Tory Burch flats...still having a love affair with these after our little breaking in period is now over. Hunter boots...they've made rainy days much more fun! Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! (and got good shit too!)