The thing I love about the Tonys, though, is that while it certainly creates a little extra crazy it also heals me a little bit. We all have problems day to day and sometimes they can seem insurmountable. But one night a year, for about four hours, I block out everything else and I’m completely immersed in all things Broadway. The good, the bad, and the ugly. (Yeah, I’m talking to you, Turn Off the Dark.)

In that time I see the fruition of childhood dreams as people perform on stage at the highest possible level of their craft. They thank God and their partners and their children and their parents and they do it with an astounding stage presence. It may be the fact that they have so much more practice with live audiences, but the acceptance speeches are so much more powerful and moving for me than any other award show all year.

You’ll see the true legends of the stage and the new movers and shakers who are redefining what it means to be a Broadway star. Sutton Foster and Angela Lansbury and Raul Esparza and Brian Stokes Mitchell all converge in one place. It’s as though it’s a unique universe of theater awesome.

But my favorite part? The reason I can sleep the night before and the reason I cry every year? The things that make me shiver and catch my breath in my throat? The numbers.

I live in Colorado, which is a wonderful place with an emerging theater community and traveling shows. However, Colorado is not New York City. Out of the year, 364 days I am perfectly content to be here with my mountains out the window, but one day a year I just want to lose myself in the music of that world. I can see many shows here, but there are many more than will never cross into my yard. On Tony Day, I can get a little taste of them and feel like I’m part of that. I can be in the audience and feel the power of the performance.

I know that sometimes things don’t translate as well from the stage to the screen. Several people mocked last year’s Tony winner Catherine Zeta Jones for her intense version of Send in the Clowns. Sure, if you watch it on tv it seems a little much. If you take a moment and put yourself in a theater, it’s perfect. And for this one night, I get to be in that theater.

I know I get crazy. I know I get weird about noise and food and whatnot, but try to put up with me until the broadcast is over. Then we’ll get back to your regularly scheduled life.

Best Play

Good People
Welcome to Southie, a Boston neighborhood where a night on the town means a few rounds of bingo where this month’s paycheck covers last month’s bills and where Margie Walsh has just been let go from yet another job. Facing eviction and scrambling to catch a break, Margie thinks an old fling who has made it out of Southie might be her ticket to a fresh new start. But is this apparently self-made man secure enough to face his humble beginnings? Margie is about to risk what little she has left to find out. Tate Donovan and Frances McDormand star in this new play by David Lindsay-Abaire.

Author: David Lindsay-Abaire (Ok, so I love this author. I have read a few of his works and I find him really compelling. Look him up. He’s worth the read.)
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove

Jerusalem
In the woods of South West England, Johnny “Rooster” Byron, former daredevil motorcyclist and modern-day Pied Piper, is a wanted man. The council officials want to serve him an eviction notice, his son wants to be taken to the country fair, a stepfather wants to give him a serious kicking, and a motley crew of friends wants his ample supply of drugs and alcohol.  Mark Rylance stars in this new play by Jez Butterworth.

Author: Jez Butterworth
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Stuart Thompson, Scott Rudin, Roger Berlind, Royal Court Theatre Productions, Beverly Bartner/Alice Tulchin, Dede Harris/Rupert Gavin, Broadway Across America, Jon B. Platt, 1001 Nights/Stephanie P. McClelland, Carole L. Haber/Richard Willis, Jacki Barlia Florin/Adam Blanshay

The Motherf**ker with the Hat

A high-octane, verbal cage match about love, fidelity, and misplaced haberdashery from playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis. Jackie and Veronica have been in love since the eighth grade. But now, Jackie is on parole and living clean and sober under the guidance of his sponsor, Ralph D., while still living and loving with his volatile soul mate, Veronica, who is fiercely loving, but far from sober. Still, their love is pure. And true. Nothing can come between them except a hat.

Author: Stephen Adly Guirgis
Producers: Scott Rudin, Stuart Thompson, Public Theater Productions, Oskar Eustis, Joey Parnes, Labyrinth Theater Company, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mimi O’Donnell, Yul Vázquez, Danny Feldman, Fabula Media Partners LLC, Jean Doumanian, Ruth Hendel, Carl Moellenberg, Jon B. Platt, Tulchin Bartner/Jamie deRoy

War Horse
At the outbreak of World War I, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a mission to find him and bring him home.

Author: Nick Stafford
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten, National Theatre of Great Britain, Nicholas Hytner, Nick Starr, Bob Boyett, War Horse LP

Best Musical

The Book of Mormon (The one thing I’ll say for the South Park guys is that they seem to appreciate good musical numbers.)
Described as “God’s favorite musical,” this show from the creators of “South Park” and the co-composer/lyricist of Avenue Q features a pair of mismatched Mormon boys who are sent on a mission to a place that’s about as far from Salt Lake City as you can get.

Producers: Anne Garefino, Scott Rudin, Roger Berlind, Scott M. Delman, Jean Doumanian, Roy Furman, Important Musicals LLC, Stephanie P. McClelland, Kevin Morris, Jon B. Platt, Sonia Friedman Productions, Stuart Thompson

Catch Me If You Can (Another movie-turned-musical. Sometimes they work and sometimes, we end up with High Fidelity the Musical.)
This new musical captures the astonishing true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr., a world-class con artist who passed himself off as a doctor, a lawyer, and a jet pilot all before the age of 21. With straight-arrow FBI agent Carl Hanratty on Frank’s trail, we’re off on a jet-setting, cat-and-mouse chase, as a jazzy, swinging-sixties score keeps this adventure in constant motion. In the end, Agent Hanratty learns he and Frank aren’t so very different after all, and Frank finds out what happens when love catches up to a man on the run.

Producers: Margo Lion, Hal Luftig, Stacey Mindich, Yasuhiro Kawana, Scott & Brian Zeilinger, The Rialto Group, The Araca Group, Michael Watt, Barbara & Buddy Freitag, Jay & Cindy Gutterman/Pittsburgh CLO, Elizabeth Williams, Johnny Roscoe Productions/Van Dean, Fakston Productions/Solshay Productions, Patty Baker/Richard Winkler, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., Warren Trepp, Remmel T. Dickinson, Paula Herold/Kate Lear, Stephanie P. McClelland, Jamie deRoy, Barry Feirstein, Rainerio J. Reyes, Rodney Rigby, Loraine Boyle, Amuse Inc., Joseph & Matthew Deitch/Cathy Chernoff, Joan Stein/Jon Murray, The 5th Avenue Theatre

The Scottsboro Boys (Kander and Ebb gave us Cabaret, so if anyone can write snappy show tunes about a really dark time in history with racism and violence, it would be them.)
The Scottsboro Boys is based on the notorious “Scottsboro” case in the 1930s, where nine African American men were unjustly accused of attacking two white women on a train in Alabama. The young men were convicted by an all-white jury and spent years in jail, while the case was tried and retried. This new musical features a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb.

Producers: Barry and Fran Weissler, Jacki Barlia Florin, Janet Pailet/Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Nederlander Presentations, Inc./The Shubert Organization, Beechwood Entertainment, Broadway Across America, Mark Zimmerman, Adam Blanshay/R2D2 Productions, Rick Danzansky/Barry Tatelman, Bruce Robert Harris/Jack W. Batman, Allen Spivak/Jerry Frankel, Bard Theatricals/Probo Productions/Randy Donaldson, Catherine Schreiber/Michael Palitz/Patti Laskawy, Vineyard Theatre

Sister Act (See my earlier comments for Catch Me if You Can.)
When disco diva Deloris witnesses a crime, the cops hide her in the last place anyone would think to look – a convent. Under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. The musical is a sparkling tribute to the power of friendship.

Producers: Whoopi Goldberg & Stage Entertainment, The Shubert Organization and Disney Theatrical Productions

Best Book of a Musical

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson – Alex Timbers

An audacious mix of historical fact and invention, this musical uses the story of America’s controversial seventh president, “the man who invented the Democratic Party, doubled the size of our nation, and signed the Indian Removal Acts that started the Trail of Tears,” to investigate the attraction and terrors of American populism, using a raucous blend of outrageous comedy, anarchic theatricality and infectious emo rock.

The Book of Mormon – Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone

The Scottsboro Boys – David Thompson

Sister Act – Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner and Douglas Carter Beane

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
(Given how I feel about showtunes, this is sort of my favorite part. Ok, one of several favorite parts.)

The Book of Mormon – Music & Lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone

The Scottsboro Boys – Music & Lyrics: John Kander & Fred Ebb

Sister Act – Music: Alan Menken, Lyrics: Glenn Slater

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown – Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek (David Yazbek wrote the music for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which I quite enjoyed. Also, I have a feeling I’ll be able to dig this show based on the women in it, the title, and the general oomph it seems to have.)
Set in late 20th-century Madrid, this musical tells the story of the intertwining lives of a group of women whose relationships with men lead to a tumultuous 48 hours of love, confusion and passion. At the show’s center is an actress whose lover has left her, putting into motion a dizzying set of complications, farcical comedy, and some pretty potent gazpacho.

Best Revival of a Play

Arcadia (I’m currently reading this. I like how it crosses back and forth a bit through time. Plus it has Raul Esparza. Love him!!)
Tom Stoppard’s play is a masterpiece of wit, misunderstanding, and quest for knowledge, resonating across centuries. It is April 1809 on an elegant English country estate. Thomasina, a gifted pupil, proposes a startling theory well beyond her comprehension. All around her, the adults, including her tutor, Septimus, are preoccupied with secret desires, illicit passions and professional rivalries. Two hundred years later, academic adversaries Hannah and Bernard are piecing together puzzling clues, curiously recalling those events of 1809 in their quest for an increasingly elusive truth. Starring Billy Crudup, Raúl Esparza, and Margaret Colin

Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Roger Berlind, Stephanie P. McClelland, Scott M. Delman, Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz, Disney Theatrical Group, Robert G. Bartner, Olympus Theatricals, Douglas Smith, Janine Safer Whitney

The Importance of Being Earnest (A classic for a reason.)
Oscar Wilde’s comedy of mistaken identity ridicules codes of propriety and etiquette. Dashing men-about-town John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff pursue fair ladies Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew. Matters are complicated by the imaginary characters invented by both men to cover their on-the-sly activities – not to mention the disapproval of Gwendolen’s mother, the formidable Lady Bracknell.

Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy

The Merchant of Venice (I love so many things about this play. Sadly, the website is no longer available.)
In Shakespeare’s comedy, Antonio is a young man who pledges a pound of his own flesh to a moneylender, Shylock (Al Pacino), so a friend can woo his lady-love in style. Antonio learns a hard lesson in loyalty, humanity, friendship and prejudice when the revenge-seeking Shylock comes to collect and he is unable to pay.

Producers: The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Andrew D. Hamingson, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Debbie Bisno & Eva Price, Amy Nederlander, Jonathan First, Stewart F. Lane & Bonnie Comley, Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Merritt Forrest Baer, The Araca Group, Broadway Across America, Joseph & Matthew Deitch, JK Productions, Terry Allen Kramer, Cathy Chernoff/Jay & Cindy Gutterman, Mallory Factor/Cheryl Lachowicz, Joey Parnes, The Shubert Organization

The Normal Heart (I’ve seen this show. We did this at the Upstart festival a few years ago and it will get you hard. I am glad that people are seeing this again.)
Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart focuses on the early years of the AIDS epidemic in New York and the criminal silence of America’s political and media powers in addressing the issue. A quarter-century after it burst onto the stage and forever changed a generation, the issues it tackles are more relevant than ever.

Producers: Daryl Roth, Paul Boskind, Martian Entertainment, Gregory Rae, Jayne Baron Sherman/Alexander Fraser

Best Revival of a Musical (I’m sad there are so few revivals this year, but I love the two that are nominated. I’ve seen them both and they are fun, silly, and full of big musical numbers just the way I like.)

Anything Goes
When the S. S. American heads out to sea, etiquette and convention head out the portholes as two unlikely pairs set off on the course to true love… proving that sometimes destiny needs a little help from a crew of singing sailors, an exotic disguise and some good old-fashioned blackmail. Peppering this hilariously bumpy ride are some of musical theatre’s most memorable Cole Porter standards. Sutton Foster stars as Reno Sweeney. (Yay Sutton Foster!)

Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Daniel Radcliffe stars in a new Broadway production of the classic musical with a score by Frank Loesser. Following the advice of a book entitled How to Succeed in Business, a young window-cleaner, J. Pierrepont Finch, begins a meteoric rise from the mail-room to Vice President of Advertising at the World-Wide Wicket Company. Finch’s unorthodox and morally-questionable business practices jeopardize not only his career but also his romance with a secretary, Rosemary Pilkington.

Producers: Broadway Across America, Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Joseph Smith, Michael McCabe, Candy Spelling, Takonkiet Viravan/Scenario Thailand, Hilary A. Williams, Jen Namoff/Fakston Productions, Two Left Feet Productions/Power Arts, Hop Theatricals, LLC/Paul Chau/Daniel Frishwasser/Michael Jackowitz, Michael Speyer-Bernie Abrams/Jacki Barlia Florin-Adam Blanshay/Arlene Scanlan/TBS Service

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest (He plays a lady. Hehe.)
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker with the Hat (I knew him as Will’s significant other in the final days of Will and Grace.)
Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart (He’s mostly a director, but he acted in Angels in America. Makes me think this show is really important to him.)
Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice (Do you even need his link? Seriously?)
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday (So far this is Nina’s only play on Broadway. What a debut!)
Frances McDormand, Good People
Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice
Vanessa Redgrave, Driving Miss Daisy
Hannah Yelland, Brief Encounter (Another newbie.)

More to come, friends. However, as I am battling a horrific sinus attack, this is it for now and I will continue the update post-medicated nap.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can
Josh Gad, The Book of Mormon
Joshua Henry, The Scottsboro Boys
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Sutton Foster, Anything Goes
Beth Leavel, Baby It’s You!
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Mackenzie Crook, Jerusalem
Billy Crudup, Arcadia
John Benjamin Hickey, The Normal Heart
Arian Moayed, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Yul Vázquez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Ellen Barkin, The Normal Heart
Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves
Judith Light, Lombardi
Joanna Lumley, La Bête
Elizabeth Rodriguez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Colman Domingo, The Scottsboro Boys
Adam Godley, Anything Goes
John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Forrest McClendon, The Scottsboro Boys
Rory O’Malley, The Book of Mormon

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Tammy Blanchard, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Todd Rosenthal, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Rae Smith, War Horse
Ultz, Jerusalem
Mark Wendland, The Merchant of Venice

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Beowulf Boritt, The Scottsboro Boys
Derek McLane, Anything Goes
Scott Pask, The Book of Mormon
Donyale Werle, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Best Costume Design of a Play

Jess Goldstein, The Merchant of Venice
Desmond Heeley, The Importance of Being Earnest
Mark Thompson, La Bête
Catherine Zuber, Born Yesterday

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Martin Pakledinaz, Anything Goes
Ann Roth, The Book of Mormon
Catherine Zuber, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Paule Constable, War Horse
David Lander, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Kenneth Posner, The Merchant of Venice
Mimi Jordan Sherin, Jerusalem

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Ken Billington, The Scottsboro Boys
Howell Binkley, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Peter Kaczorowski, Anything Goes
Brian MacDevitt, The Book of Mormon

Best Sound Design of a Play

Acme Sound Partners and Cricket S. Myers, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

Simon Baker, Brief Encounter
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Jerusalem
Christopher Shutt, War Horse

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Peter Hylenski, The Scottsboro Boys
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Catch Me If You Can
Brian Ronan, Anything Goes
Brian Ronan, The Book of Mormon

Best Direction of a Play

Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse
Joel Grey & George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart
Anna D. Shapiro, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Daniel Sullivan, The Merchant of Venice

Best Direction of a Musical

Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

Best Choreography

Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

Best Orchestrations

Doug Besterman, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Larry Hochman, The Scottsboro Boys

Larry Hochman & Stephen Oremus, The Book of Mormon
Marc Shaiman & Larry Blank, Catch Me If You Can

Tony Nominations by Production

The Book of Mormon – 14

The Scottsboro Boys – 12

Anything Goes – 9

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – 8

The Merchant of Venice – 7

Jerusalem – 6

The Motherf**ker with the Hat – 6

The Normal Heart – 5

Sister Act – 5

War Horse – 5

Catch Me If You Can – 4

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo – 3

The Importance of Being Earnest – 3

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown – 3

Arcadia – 2

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson – 2

Born Yesterday – 2

Brief Encounter – 2

Good People – 2

La Bête – 2

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – 2

Baby It’s You! – 1

Driving Miss Daisy – 1

The House of Blue Leaves – 1

Lombardi – 1

The People in the Picture – 1

www.TonyAwards.com

It’s a work in progress, but the Tony nominations are here, and that’s really what matters, isn’t it?

Don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself. Whether it’s sending a goopy Valentine’s Day card or saying that you love him more than you thought yourself capable of, or being so comfortable together that you sometimes forget to be a cool girlfriend and you put a book on your head and dance around the house getting jiggy to old swing songs, be ok with being a little ridiculous. For me, it’s the fact that I can be a total cheese ball when saying “I love you” and the fact that I can be myself completely (which often does include things most people find a little iffy. Yes, I sometimes drink pickle juice and I occasionally shake my booty and sing along to jingles on tv, what of it?) that let me know I was with the right person.

He tells me he loves me every day and he shows me in a million little ways, but it’s when he’s willing to be a little goopy or a little exposed (emotionally!), or a little silly that I know he really loves me. You have to trust someone to be yourself around them. You have to feel safe with someone to open your heart to them. It’s scary and it’s risky and I’m not saying that you should slap on the propeller beanie and dance in the parking lot every other Tuesday and write love sonnets in flower petals on the bed to prove that you care. At least not every Tuesday and try not to use flowers with thorns on them. Just try not to take yourself too seriously. I promise, it makes a world of difference.

I have a fancy menu planned for dinner at home. The goal is steak, roasted fingerling potatoes, asparagus bundles, and herb butter. Dessert is supposed to be homemade tiramisu. Doesn’t that all sound fantastic? It would be even better if steak was less expensive, lady fingers were available anywhere at all, and I wasn’t a crazy person who turns a simple meal into something over the top and insane. Don’t get me wrong about this. I’m really looking forward to a nice, fancy, romantic dinner for two. The problem is that with VD on a Monday, I have to do as much prep as possible the day before and I’ll finish dinner after what I’m sure will be a crazy day at work on Monday.

Why will Monday be crazier than usual? Because my boss, the one I love so dearly, is having heart surgery that day. So let’s add the fact that I’m scared for her, I keep reassuring her on a daily basis that she’s going to be fine while all the while really terrified that something will go awry, and I have about a week of doing this job entirely alone. With two people working together we still get overwhelmed. Three people, even if one was only half time, would make this job manageable, and I get to do it alone for a week. Awesome.

Oh, and this year it appears that we’re doing gifts as a couple. (Sorry, I’m bouncing back a paragraph or two.) I am excited about this as the last time I had a boyfriend give me a gift on Valentine’s Day was in the 11^th grade when I got a Winnie the Pooh necklace from a boy I’d known about two weeks. I wore it once. The problem with gifts on Valentine’s Day is that I don’t know what to do or how far to go. I’ve considered everything from supplies to support his hobbies to an all-expense paid night away to a romantic train ride through the mountains. This last one would be great, but the only way I can afford it right now is if we go on March 5, and my little sister’s baby shower is March 6. That means that I’ll be prepping on March 5, even though I’m not technically the one hosting the shower. I just have a hunch, based on lots of family history, that I’ll be called up to bat the day before. It happens

I also don’t know what he has planned, so I don’t want to give something over the top if I’m getting a new sweater (I’d like a new sweater and he picks out really nice things) but I don’t want to give something too understated if he’s doing something really romantic (how do hobby supplies stack up against something like a heartfelt token of affection?). Last year I baked his favorite cake and he made me a CD of love songs. We had a candle light picnic on the living room floor and watched the Olympics while a radio station counted down the best love songs of the last ten years or so. It was really lovely. Of course I also freaked myself out and made a huge, over-the-top meal to go with said cake, but that’s sort of my thing.

And just in case I’m not making crazy enough already, there’s this weird emotional cloud hanging over my lately. I’m missing my friends really badly lately. You know who you are. I’m feeling like I need to see them, but I don’t have the money for much more than phone calls right now. And I’m not just emotional in the “I miss my friends” way. I’m also oddly over-reacting to relationship stuff. I’m not proud of this, but the other night when Irving made a joke about us and said “it’s almost like we’re married,” my eyes teared up. What the hell is that about? It passed as quickly as it happened, but it was shocking. I wonder if maybe it’s because I get so many questions about where our relationship is going and how we’re doing and will he ever marry me. I’m confident in my relationship and I have no doubt that we’ll be together forever and that this is the man I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with. I know he feels the same way and I know that things will happen in their own time. That does not, however, calm the fact that I sometimes literally hear a voice in my head counting down the months, weeks, and days until my 30^th birthday. Isn’t it terrible that in 2011 with life expectancy up in the 75-80 range on average, 30 still seems like the scariest of all possible numbers?

And this is why I’m hating Heart Day a little right now. I shouldn’t be. I am in a healthy, happy relationship with someone who treats me beautifully. I’m madly in love with my partner. I’m expecting at least a card and a very nice dinner at home. I am sure my boss’s procedure will go well. I’m doing fine. Yet, despite that, I find myself spinning about in a spiral of crazy. Thank God it’s only once a year.

While for the most part I felt that they were pretty accurate, I did feel it seemed a little unfair to lecture the men and not the women. Accordingly, I have taken it upon myself to come up with the six mistakes women make at Valentine’s Day.

Number One: Pretending like it’s not a big deal. Ladies, as much as we want them to be, men are not mind readers. Not only that, but they speak a completely different language than we do. When a woman says that she’s not expecting anything for Valentine’s Day and then gets upset because her guy doesn’t make a fuss, it’s really her own fault. Yes, after centuries of this same issue coming up in relationship after relationship, they should know better. I’m sorry, girls, but they don’t. If you tell him that you don’t care about Valentine’s Day and he takes you at your word, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Number Two: Expecting the “grand gesture.” It’s been scientifically proven that women and men react differently to the concept of romance. Our brains interpret things differently. You may want a serenade and roses, but he gets your tires rotated. Before you fly off the handle that he doesn’t care about your relationship, think for a minute about what his gesture actually means. If he rotates your tires it may mean that he wants to take care of you and protect you in the way he knows how. If he brings you the toaster oven you mentioned once in passing, don’t get up in arms and accuse him of being anti-feminist. Maybe it just means that he heard you say you wanted it and he wanted to get it for you.

Number Three: Putting it all on him. If you’re the couple that can never make a decision about where you want to go or what you want to do, or if you found a guy that constantly defers with the ever popular, “Well, what do you want to do?” then don’t be surprised if he doesn’t think to make plans in advance. Yes, we all know it’s more romantic when he surprises us with a big night out, but if your MO as a couple is that you make the final call 9 times out of 10, how is he supposed to know he’s flying solo? I’m not saying that you have to plan the whole night, but offer a little help. Mention a few places a week or two ahead of time and say, with no uncertainty, that you think they would be great options for your big Heart Day night out. Make suggestions that he feels comfortable with. Then he can still surprise you with the one he chooses, but you won’t be stuck at 7:30 wondering if you want Sonic or Burger King.

Number Four: Crazy gifts. I knew a couple who had been together about 6 weeks on their first Valentine’s Day. They exchanged cards, and then she busted out her pile-o-presents. A man bag (which he later returned), a new wallet (that he never used), and a brand-spanking-new cell phone, complete with updated family plan so they could talk any time! *chirp, chirp* Early in the relationship, stick to simple things. Committing to a cell phone plan is a lot of pressure because it states in the written contract that you’re stuck together for at least two years. Not to mention that should things go awry, now there is a penalty for breaking the contract, there’s the stress of changing your number, and essentially you put yourself through far more stress than was necessary if you’d gotten him a CD or movie he really liked.

Number Five: Over glamming. I’m a jeans and sweatshirt kind of girl. Irving likes it when I wear black or dark eye liner, so often when we’re going out for a date night, I’ll slap on a little makeup or find a nice black top. Generally, though, he knows that I come as I am. On special occasions, even the most non-glamorous women sometimes want to kick it up a bit. I’ll admit that I spent an uncommon amount of time getting myself gorgeous for New Year’s Eve. Still, I warned him in advance. I let him know that I’d be cocooning myself in the bathroom and not coming out until I was as good as I was going to get. Because I warned him that I wanted to go big, he knew to be more careful with own outfit, and that I’d need compliments when I came out. If you are planning on breaking with your traditional getup for the big date night, give him a head’s up. You don’t want to come out for the dramatic reveal wearing the slinky LBD and hooker heels to find him in the jeans he wore yesterday that still have the mustard stain from lunch.

Number Six: Losing focus. Valentine’s Day has been drilled into our brains as the single most important day of the year in your relationship. It’s bigger than your anniversary. It’s bigger than your birthday. It’s the day when every single couple on the planet is celebrating their special kind of love and if you don’t get the right card or the sparkling necklace or the proposal, it must mean that your love isn’t as special as theirs. Um, no. Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to be reminded of why you’re together in the first place, but it’s not the be all, end all moment. Think about what made you fall for each other. If it’s early, think about where you two can go but enjoy where you are. If it’s been a while, reminisce about how you began. Focus on the fact that you can put aside time to tell the other person what you should be telling them all the time anyway—that you care about them and consider yourself lucky that they care about you, too.

This weekend, however, I had my own holiday movie montage. I’m serious. It was as cutesy and sugary sweet and overly romantic as you’d see on ABC Family, but it was so much better than that because it wasn’t exactly perfect.

Irving and I decided on Friday night to get our Christmas tree. I was starving due to a very light lunch had very early in the day and as anyone who knows me can attest, I’m no fun when I’m hungry. Still, I didn’t want to rain on the Christmas parade, so I chomped on some gum and meandered through the store, making a mental list of the holiday items we’d need to pick up. Irving and I made it over to the frozen food sectionwhere we decided to make a meal of frozen appetizers and eat ourselves silly, pre-tree. Given that neither of us is stellar at decision making and three aisles of frozen options means an awful lot of choosing, it took nearly twenty minutes to commit to the bag of frozen chicken wings we initially pulled from the freezer when we arrived. We made a few other selections and went to inspect the holiday section.

In the garden section we chose a new tree stand and I pouted over the fancy ornaments, feeling like perhaps I needed to improve on the collection I possess. It’s not that I don’t have nice things, it’s just that I don’t have all that many. I’ve got a few fantastic ornaments, among them two singing Sinatra figurines, a hand-painted martini glass with Santa and the reindeer, a ceramic bell with a picture of my grandmother, and so on. The issue for me is that I grew up with a tree that always ended up being more glitz than pine. My selection was feeling skimpy. I gathered myself together, put back the dozens of over-glittered, over-priced items I’d selected, and mentioned that we should probably hurry along if we were to safely eat our frozen chicken when we got home.

We finally left the store laden down with snacks but still missing a tree. We made a detour to the nearest Home Depot, where they apparently sold all of their non-ridiculously priced and/or skimpy trees just before we arrived. Refusing to be deterred, we ventured to yet another grocery store in this, our third attempt at tree finding. Lo and behold, we not only found a tree, but also came up with a list of at least three or four other things we absolutely had to add to our list of appetizer menu items. We finally found our tree, threw it in the car, and headed home, our wilting frozen food getting soggier by the moment.

We got home and I set about to heating, microwaving, and opening the food while Irving took on the duty of putting up the tree into our fancy (i.e., plastic but expensive) tree stand. Sure, he forgot to cut off the bottom of the tree before placing it in the stand and sure, he decided to trim the bottom branches after the tree was already in place. Still, the point is that he took on this task that has baffled me and left me covered in pine needles and sap year after year.

Cut to twenty minutes later, after the pangs of hunger have been eased and the tree has settled down into its new home. We turned on the television to an old black and white movie, only vaguely connected to Christmas but delightfully funny and somewhat seasonally appropriate, and began to wrap lights and tinsel around the tree.

I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point it occurred to me that I had a full belly, a cute boyfriend, a beautiful Christmas tree, a 1930’s movie, and a fridge full of eggnog at my beck and call. We finished the tree, hit the lights, turned on the Aspen Glow, and sat in stillness enjoying the moment.

When we finally turned off the song, we threw in The Thin Man (again, only the slightest Christmas connection, but still seasonally appropriate), curled up on the couch beneath the glow of the tree, and watched the martini-guzzling, innuendo-slinging, dog-walking pair find a murder and keeping a young girl innocent while still giving each other expensive and fancy gifts.

And in case this scene of the cutesy couple on the couch watching a holiday movie beneath the light of the Christmas tree isn’t enough to convince you of the disgustingly cute holiday weekend I had, the next day included shopping together for gifts at three different stores, including a brief moment wherein we each turned on or pushed the noise-making button on every toy in three isles, a drive through snowy mountains, walking hand-in-hand through a small mountain town under the lights of the shops as it snowed lightly, an accidental crash of a store grand opening that came complete with free wine and appetizers, and dinner together before a drive home in the snow. After arriving at home, still more eggnog, the twinkling lights of the tree, and a Gene Kelley and Judy Garland technicolor extravaganza.

It was a good weekend.

I am trying to condense some of my Tony posts into one big Tony post since I’ve been a terrible procrastinator and we’re already only 10 days away. To start with, I have included the list of all of the Tony nominees. (Of course.)

I will be working on adding all of the links and my own personal comments between now and next Sunday. I have to admit to you that I’m actually more excited about the plays this year than the musicals. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll still be freaking out every time someone begins to sing or even looks like they’re about to shuffle across the stage, but the plays this year sound so brilliant that I can’t wait to see them. While I’m only about 7/8ths as excited as usual about the new musicals, the revived musicals are amazing! I love all four of them. I’m about 9/8ths as excited as usual about them this year.

Additionally, I wanted to share with you all my fabulous Tony theme. Ready for it? Have you braced yourself? Are you sitting down? It’s a good one….

BI-COASTAL!

Ya see, a lot (and I mean a lot) of the nominees this year are Hollywood folk taking a twirl on the Great White Way. Normally, I’m not really a fan of blending my Hollywood world and my Broadway world. Still, when the actors are good, when the effort is genuine, and when the performance is top notch, I’m going to be a fan. Besides, most of them are actually actors I’ve loved for a while anyway.

You may be asking yourself, “Self, how does one eat ‘bi-coastally’?” I’ll tell you. My menu is a blend of familiar California-inspired foods and New York-inspired foods. Behold:

California:
- Green salad with citrus fruit, avocado, and rasberry vinaigrette dressing
- Lemon tartlets with fresh berries
- Guacamole and tortilla chips
- Perhaps a wine-infused cake as an homage of the Napa Valley

New York:
- Mini reubens on cocktail rye
- New York-style cheesecake
- Cocktail franks wrapped in puff pastry and served with a mustard dipping sauce
- Considering doing mini apple tarts as an homage to The Big Apple.

Doesn’t that sounds divine? I think so, too. Any suggestions or additions?

And now for the really big stuff–the nominees!

Nominations for the 2010 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards®
Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing

Best Play

In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Author: Sarah Ruhl
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten
This show looks fantastic. Not only is it an interesting look at the Victorian era, but it’s a new story that doesn’t often get talked about. Come on! It’s subtitled “the vibrator play.” That’s just awesome.

Next Fall
Author: Geoffrey Nauffts
Producers: Elton John and David Furnish, Barbara Manocherian, Richard Willis, Tom Smedes, Carole L. Haber/Chase Mishkin, Ostar, Anthony Barrile, Michael Palitz, Bob Boyett, James Spry/Catherine Schreiber, Probo Productions, Roy Furman, Naked Angels
They didn’t give much information on this one, but I love most any story about faith and love.

Red
Author: John Logan
Producers: Arielle Tepper Madover, Stephanie P. McClelland, Matthew Byam Shaw, Neal Street, Fox Theatricals, Ruth Hendel/Barbara Whitman, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, The Donmar Warehouse
It has Alfred Molina. Love him. ‘Nough said.

Time Stands Still
Author: Donald Margulies
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove, Nelle Nugent/Wendy Federman
So many of my favorite broadway stars in this one show! And I’ve met one of them.

Best Musical

American Idiot
Producers: Tom Hulce & Ira Pittelman, Ruth and Steven Hendel, Vivek J. Tiwary and Gary Kaplan, Aged in Wood and Burnt Umber, Scott Delman, Latitude Link, HOP Theatricals and Jeffrey Finn, Larry Welk, Bensinger Filerman and Moellenberg Taylor, Allan S. Gordon/Elan V. McAllister, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Awaken Entertainment, John Pinckard and John Domo
Ok, so I’m all for these fun, “juke box” musicals. I love me some Mamma Mia, I admit it. Still, I’m a little on the fence. Let’s enjoy the moment, but not expect anything too out of this world.

Fela!
Producers: Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, Ruth & Stephen Hendel, Roy Gabay, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Edward Tyler Nahem, Slava Smolokowski, Chip Meyrelles/Ken Greiner, Douglas G. Smith, Steve Semlitz/Cathy Glaser, Daryl Roth/True Love Productions, Susan Dietz/Mort Swinsky, Knitting Factory Entertainment
A good dance show is important. I actually saw a performance of this show on the Colbert Report and thought it looked outstanding.

Memphis
Producers: Junkyard Dog Productions, Barbara and Buddy Freitag, Marleen and Kenny Alhadeff, Latitude Link, Jim and Susan Blair, Demos Bizar Entertainment, Land Line Productions, Apples and Oranges Productions, Dave Copley, Dancap Productions, Inc., Alex and Katya Lukianov, Tony Ponturo, 2 Guys Productions, Richard Winkler, Lauren Doll, Eric and Marsi Gardiner, Linda and Bill Potter, Broadway Across America, Jocko Productions, Patty Baker, Dan Frishwasser, Bob Bartner/Scott and Kaylin Union, Loraine Boyle/Chase Mishkin, Remmel T. Dickinson/Memphis Orpheum Group, ShadowCatcher Entertainment/Vijay and Sita Vashee
A story of multiracial romance and of rock and roll. Could be awesome.

Million Dollar Quartet
Producers: Relevant Theatricals, John Cossette Productions, American Pop Anthology, Broadway Across America, James L. Nederlander
It’s essentially the story of some of America’s most influential performers. Ever.

Best Book of a Musical

Everyday Rapture
Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott

Fela!
Jim Lewis & Bill T. Jones

Memphis
Joe DiPietro

Million Dollar Quartet
Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

The Addams Family
Music & Lyrics: Andrew Lippa
I love Andrew Lippa’s lyrics and music. He did Wild Party, which is one of my favorite shows. Still, The Addams Family? Really?

Enron
Music: Adam Cork
Lyrics: Lucy Prebble

Fences
Music: Branford Marsalis

Memphis
Music: David Bryan
Lyrics: Joe DiPietro, David Bryan

Best Revival of a Play

Fences
Producers: Carole Shorenstein Hays and Scott Rudin
August Wilson should be on Broadway more often.

Lend Me a Tenor
Producers: The Araca Group, Stuart Thompson, Carl Moellenberg, Rodney Rigby, Olympus Theatricals, Broadway Across America, The Shubert Organization, Wendy Federman/Jamie deRoy/Richard Winkler, Lisa Cartwright, Spring Sirkin, Scott and Brian Zeilinger
A madcap romp! Don’t you love those?

The Royal Family
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove
A classic tale of the love of the stage or the love a beau?

A View from the Bridge
Producers: Stuart Thompson, The Araca Group, Jeffrey Finn, Broadway Across America, Olympus Theatricals, Marisa Sechrest, The Weinstein Company, Jon B. Platt, Sonia Friedman Productions/Robert G. Bartner, Mort Swinsky/Joseph Deitch, Adam Zotovich/Ruth Hendel/Orin Wolf, Shelter Island Enterprises, The Shubert Organization
Ok, so I love Arthur Miller and I love Liev Schrieber. Not sure how I feel about Scarlette Johannson.

Best Revival of a Musical

Finian’s Rainbow
Producers: David Richenthal, Jack Viertel, Alan D. Marks, Michael Speyer, Bernard Abrams, David M. Milch, Stephen Moore, Debbie Bisno/Myla Lerner, Jujamcyn Theaters, Melly Garcia, Jamie deRoy, Jon Bierman, Richard Driehaus, Kevin Spirtas, Jay Binder, StageVentures 2009 Limited Partnership
If you can see this movie, you should. Fred Astaire is delightful.

La Cage aux Folles
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani, Barry and Fran Weissler and Edwin W. Schloss, Bob Bartner/Norman Tulchin, Broadway Across America, Matthew Mitchell, Raise The Roof 4 Richard Winkler/Bensinger Taylor/Laudenslager Bergrère, Arelene Scanlan/John O’Boyle, Independent Presenters Network, Olympus Theatricals, Allen Spivak, Jerry Frankel/Bat-Barry Productions, Nederlander Presentations, Inc/Harvey Weinstein, Menier Chocolate Factory
Love this show! I saw it live once and it was breathtaking. Interestingly, this was revived not long ago.

A Little Night Music
Producers: Tom Viertel, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, The Menier Chocolate Factory, Roger Berlind, David Babani, Sonia Friedman Productions, Andrew Fell, Daryl Roth/Jane Bergere, Harvey Weinstein/Raise the Roof 3, Beverly Bartner/Dancap Productions, Inc., Nica Burns/Max Weitzenhoffer, Eric Falkenstein/Anna Czekaj, Jerry Frankel/Ronald Frankel, James D. Stern/Douglas L. Meyer
You already know how I feel about Sondheim. And if you don’t, you should.

Ragtime
Producers: Kevin McCollum, Roy Furman, Scott Delman, Roger Berlind, Max Cooper, Tom Kirdahy/Devlin Elliott, Jeffrey A. Sine, Stephanie P. McClelland, Roy Miller, Lams Productions, Jana Robbins, Sharon Karmazin, Eric Falkenstein/Morris Berchard, RialtoGals Productions, Independent Presenters Network, Held-Haffner Productions, HRH Foundation, Emanuel Azenberg, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Michael Kaiser, Max Woodward
The original presentation of this show stole my heart and introduced me to some of my favorite stars of all time.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Jude Law, Hamlet
Alfred Molina, Red
Liev Schreiber, A View from the Bridge
Christopher Walken, A Behanding in Spokane
Denzel Washington, Fences

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Viola Davis, Fences
Valerie Harper, Looped
Linda Lavin, Collected Stories
Laura Linney, Time Stands Still
Jan Maxwell, The Royal Family

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

Kelsey Grammer, La Cage aux Folles
Sean Hayes, Promises, Promises
Douglas Hodge, La Cage aux Folles
Chad Kimball, Memphis
Sahr Ngaujah, Fela!

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Kate Baldwin, Finian’s Rainbow
Montego Glover, Memphis
Christiane Noll, Ragtime
Sherie Rene Scott, Everyday Rapture
Catherine Zeta-Jones, A Little Night Music

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

David Alan Grier, Race
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Fences
Jon Michael Hill, Superior Donuts
Stephen Kunken, Enron
Eddie Redmayne, Red

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Maria Dizzia, In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Rosemary Harris, The Royal Family
Jessica Hecht, A View from the Bridge
Scarlett Johansson, A View from the Bridge
Jan Maxwell, Lend Me a Tenor

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

Kevin Chamberlin, The Addams Family
Robin De Jesús, La Cage aux Folles
Christopher Fitzgerald, Finian’s Rainbow
Levi Kreis, Million Dollar Quartet
Bobby Steggert, Ragtime

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Barbara Cook, Sondheim on Sondheim
Katie Finneran, Promises, Promises
Angela Lansbury, A Little Night Music
Karine Plantadit, Come Fly Away
Lillias White, Fela!

Best Scenic Design of a Play

John Lee Beatty, The Royal Family
Alexander Dodge, Present Laughter
Santo Loquasto, Fences
Christopher Oram, Red

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Marina Draghici, Fela!
Christine Jones, American Idiot
Derek McLane, Ragtime
Tim Shortall, La Cage aux Folles

Best Costume Design of a Play

Martin Pakledinaz, Lend Me a Tenor
Constanza Romero, Fences
David Zinn, In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Catherine Zuber, The Royal Family

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Marina Draghici, Fela!
Paul Tazewell, Memphis
Matthew Wright, La Cage aux Folles

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Neil Austin, Hamlet
Neil Austin, Red
Mark Henderson, Enron
Brian MacDevitt, Fences

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kevin Adams, American Idiot
Donald Holder, Ragtime
Nick Richings, La Cage aux Folles
Robert Wierzel, Fela!

Best Sound Design of a Play

Acme Sound Partners, Fences
Adam Cork, Enron
Adam Cork, Red
Scott Lehrer, A View from the Bridge

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Jonathan Deans, La Cage aux Folles
Robert Kaplowitz, Fela!
Dan Moses Schreier and Gareth Owen, A Little Night Music
Dan Moses Schreier, Sondheim on Sondheim

Best Direction of a Play

Michael Grandage, Red
Sheryl Kaller, Next Fall
Kenny Leon, Fences
Gregory Mosher, A View from the Bridge

Best Direction of a Musical

Christopher Ashley, Memphis
Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Ragtime
Terry Johnson, La Cage aux Folles
Bill T. Jones, Fela!

Best Choreography

Rob Ashford, Promises, Promises
Bill T. Jones, Fela!
Lynne Page, La Cage aux Folles
Twyla Tharp, Come Fly Away

Best Orchestrations

Jason Carr, La Cage aux Folles
Aaron Johnson, Fela!
Jonathan Tunick, Promises, Promises
Daryl Waters & David Bryan, Memphis

* * *

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Alan Ayckbourn
Marian Seldes

Regional Theatre Tony Award
The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Waterford, Connecticut

Isabelle Stevenson Award
David Hyde Pierce

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York
B.H. Barry
Midtown North & Midtown South New York City Police Precincts
Tom Viola

Tony Nominations by Production

Fela! – 11
La Cage aux Folles – 11
Fences – 10
Memphis – 8
Red – 7
Ragtime – 6
A View from the Bridge – 6
The Royal Family – 5
Enron – 4
A Little Night Music – 4
Promises, Promises – 4
American Idiot – 3
Finian’s Rainbow – 3
In the Next Room or the vibrator play – 3
Lend Me a Tenor – 3
Million Dollar Quartet – 3
The Addams Family – 2
Come Fly Away – 2
Everyday Rapture – 2
Hamlet – 2
Next Fall – 2
Sondheim on Sondheim – 2
Time Stands Still – 2
A Behanding in Spokane – 1
Collected Stories – 1
Looped – 1
Present Laughter – 1
Race – 1
Superior Donuts – 1

www.TonyAwards.com

Don’t get me wrong, 2009 wasn’t all bad. We swore in our new president. (And while he’s had a rough year in his new job, I still think he’s doing alright.) I lived through a musical. I went to Chicago, Illinois; Spokane, Washington; Boston, Massachusetts; and East Haven, Connecticut. A substantial amount of travel for those of us with small pocket books. Speaking of pocket books, I bought my first Coach bag. And, one of my favorite things of the past year, I met my guy. (Insert contented sigh and cartoon hearts here.)

But whether I choose to remember this year as the year I met the man I love or as the year of Fun with Old Testament Punishment, I’m just glad 2009 is over. I think that, while our calendar is a bit wonky in my mind (we really couldn’t have worked out that whole differently numbered months, leap year issue?), I do think that the fellow with the oversized harem and undersized toga who set up the official length of the year did a good job. Perhaps as he was dictating to his memo-taking underwife he didn’t realize that after 364 days of the same year, you start to get antsy. You need a change. Or perhaps as a man with a slew of wives and concubines, he knew the advantage of variety.

Even in a year you enjoy, by the end of it you’re usually a little wiped out. You want to take a minute, catch your breath, and make grand gestures about life changes and new motivation. What I love about New Year’s resolutions is that sometimes the act of making the resolution is enough. Sure, we’ve all started dieting on Janurary 2nd and we’ve all declared we’d be cutting back on television or junk food starting right after the New Year’s marathon of whatever our favorite guilty pleasure TV show is. And more often than not, by January 7th, we’re back in our old habits. What’s fantastic about this, however, is that for a week, we feel in total control of our lives. We are making declarations with all the power and conviction of our calendar-making friend. Our proclamations may not change the world or alter the course of history, but we feel powerful. The start of a new year lets us feel like we have control again. Even at the end of the best years, you need that worldwide encouragement to reclaim your own destiny.

Every country celebrates the start of the new year. Billions of people around the world, over the course of several hours, share the same wishes. How often can you say with certainty that a sheep herder in New Zealand and a cocktail waitress in New York City have the same dream at the same time? Once a year when they both wish for a better year with smarter choices and kinder people and open feelings and cheaper booze.

So remember tonight that everyone around you is wishing you success in your resolutions. And they are cheering you on just as they are cheering for themselves and swearing that this year they really mean it.

Let’s shake the dust of 2009 of our heels, leap into 2010, and try to be better than we were last year.

Now, with that chipper and gleeful introduction, let me tell you why I’m so happy this Christmas.

Two Christmases in a row, my very best friend and I have simultaneously purchased each other the same gift. Now, I’m not saying that we each grabbed the other person a candle or perhaps we both got books. I’m talking the exact same gift, down to the details. Last year, while living no more than 15 minutes apart (and that’s in bad weather and traffic), we both purchased a fabulous brown t-shirt with yellow writing that reads “Haikus are easy/But sometimes they don’t make sense/Refrigerator.” Awesome, right? This year, living approximately 1932.43 miles apart (thanks, MapQuest), we each bought the other person the t-shirt that reads “Shakespeare hates your emo poems.” What are the odds, right? Apparently pretty good when you know someone this well. I guess this helped me reaffirm that our friendship isn’t going anywhere. That’s a big mark on the plus column this Christmas.

What else makes this Christmas one to beat? Well, this year my family decided to branch out a bit from the tradition of buying umpteen presents for each and every member of the family (which, though I enjoy, can be costly as there are a ton of us) and we switched to a drawing system. And for the first time, the family agreed on the arrangement with little to no drama, easing us all into this new grownup era of McPherson Family Christmases.

And there’s my tree…not just that she’s beautiful this year (though she is!). Not just that I have a lovely assortment of gifts stashed under her (though I do). This year, for the first time in almost 5 years, I didn’t decorate alone. A certain special young man helped me pick out the tree, put it up, and decorate it. Sitting quietly in my house, the lights twinkling, John Denver playing softly, and a sweet guy with his arms around me, made for a truly beautiful tree experience this year.

I don’t have much money, so most people got small tokens or baked goods. And I don’t have an office to bring treats to, so instead I picked my favorite shelter here in town and gave them what I would have brought to work. My gift platter might not have been the most elaborate, but their sincere excitement and tears meant so much more than any corporate card or stale cookie would have meant in my old break room. I teared up myself a little and I can’t help but wonder why I hadn’t done it before.

I have a few gifts that I am really, really excited about giving people this year. They may not be expensive or flashy, but I love the idea of them and I think the recipients will be super pumped as well. I got the niece and nephews a few small presents; the window scraper/tree putter upper/laundry folder/super great boy friend a gift way back in November and I’m really anxious to see if I got this one right; and yesterday I came across a fun, silly gift for a friend that should make her smile. Who doesn’t love that?

So really, I just wanted to say how happy I am this Christmas. My friendships are in tact and still going strong. I have friends who have rallied around me this past season with dedication and love that I could never have expected. I have a person in my life who makes me feel special and loved (and that’s really the only gift I wanted this year). And on top of all of that, there will be ham and potatoes tomorrow! Christmas really does rock, you know.

Merry Christmas to all of you!