As a completely independent, family-owned business, we strive to incorporate local, high quality & similarly independent businesses into our guest experience. From our locally roasted coffee & locally blended tea to our bath amenities, it’s our goal to create a truly unique & local experience for our guests. Looking to take our in-room experience to the next level, we have partnered with Peabody, MA based Firsthand.
Firsthand started as a home kitchen project by two friends, Josh & Filipe, seeking to solve a personal problem with hair styling products of the time – scalp irritation – and soon evolved into a full range of hair and body care products. Firsthand focuses on mindful formulation, creating products that are thoughtful of both our bodies & our environment while also creating an elevated personal care experience.
In a move that strikes a deep chord with our own independent spirits, Firsthand has decided to forge a unique path in the haircare & skincare space. They produce all their products, from retail to our bulk in-room products, themselves, just miles north of Boston in Peabody. You can’t really get much more local than that!
Beyond being thoughtfully formulated & locally sourced, the amenities from Firsthand provide for a wonderful personal care experience – gentle on hair, nourishing for skin, and with an elevated scent profile for a spa-like experience from lather to lotion.
If you haven’t been to Sweeney’s yet, you haven’t had the chance to try one of our amazing new desserts, the Local Honeycrisp Apple Crisp. Here’s my rendition of this traditional fall favorite, which is delicious served with a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream on top. I recently had the pleasure of appearing on The Rhode Show preparing this dessert – check it out here.
Be sure to stop by and try it out, or better yet – you can make at home with the recipe below!
Crisp Topping Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/2lb unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp all purpose flour
Apple Filling Ingredients:
4 large honeycrisp apples, peeled & diced
8 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
Pinch of sea salt
Method:
Sauté the apples with butter, cinnamon, and vanilla
Cook until the apples begin to turn tender, but don’t cook them too much or you’ll have made applesauce (also delicious!)
Transfer apples into a pie dish
For the crisp topping, toast the raw oats in a 350°F until golden brown
Combine butter, toasted oats, flour, & sugar
Spread the crisp topping mixture on a baking pan and toast in a 350°F until the entire mixture is golden brown
If you find yourself in Braintree, Massachusetts, and you’re a fan of craft beer, there’s a hidden gem you absolutely must visit: Widowmaker Brewing. Established in 2016 by Ryan Lavery and Colin Foley, Widowmaker has quickly made a name for itself in the New England craft beer scene, known for its innovative brews and welcoming atmosphere.
Widowmaker Brewing is more than just a place to grab a drink—it’s a community! The taproom is spacious yet cozy, with a rustic charm that makes you feel right at home. Large communal tables encourage mingling with fellow beer enthusiasts, and the staff is always eager to talk about their latest creations or recommend a beer that suits your palate. On weekends, the brewery often hosts food trucks and live music, turning any visit into a lively event. Widowmaker Brewing isn’t just about the beer, it’s about bringing people together. The brewery frequently hosts events such as trivia nights, beer yoga, and charity fundraisers. They also participate in local beer festivals and collaborate with other breweries, contributing to the dynamic craft beer culture in the region.
At the heart of Widowmaker Brewing is, of course, the beer. Their lineup is diverse, ensuring there’s something for everyone. Here are a couple of standout options:
Riff City Lager – Widowmaker’s new year-round lager, Riff City was designed to showcase the high-quality ingredients they use to create our lagers. Brewed with a single malt imported from Germany and fermented cold and slow to ensure a smooth lager and accentuate the steeped noble hops. The German malt and lager yeast lend a biscuit-like aroma, mildly sweet yet crisp flavor, and the hops provide a light, floral, and subtle bitter bite culminating in an elevated yet simply delicious offering. The true Boston Lager.
Deadly Gardens Dark Lager – brewed with a blend of Weyermann Floor Malted Pilsner and a few specialty malts with the goal of pushing max flavor with a simple recipe and hyper attention to process. Pouring dark with a beautiful tan head, this beer is incredibly crushable at 5.1% with a ton of body and subtle complexity. Tasting notes include chocolate and oatmeal cookies. Cold and dark, like a winter in New England.
Widowmaker is also known for its limited releases and experimental brews, so there’s always something new and exciting on tap! Be sure to stop by our Irish pub Sweeney’s on Boylston to try current beer on tap, Blue Comet!
I actually came to The Lenox all the way from a career in the movie theater business in Oregon. During this time, I got hit by the travel bug and decided to visit Chicago, New York, and Boston. Once I arrived in Boston, it was love at first sight! I really enjoy being part of a boutique family owned hotel, and my favorite part of being a Concierge is creating memorable experiences for our Lenox guests.
Tailoring each guests’ visit to create the perfect Boston experience is what I strive for each day I come into work. When I am not behind the Concierge desk, I love traveling to gain new insights. I have visited 40 states in the US and 15 different countries, with Portland, Maine and Nice, France being some of my favorites. Speaking of favorites…I absolutely love the Red Sox and The New England Patriots and of course, in a nod to my Oregon roots, the Oregon Ducks!
Nick Peterson
I was raised down by the Cape and attended UMass Amherst for hospitality. My first job in the industry was as a bellman at Wequassett Report and Golf Club on Cape Cod. Afterwards, I went to the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City, UT to get a taste of the mountain life. Now, I happily work as a Concierge at the Lenox. The reason I love this job is that I get to live vicariously through our guests and the vacation they are having.
Stop by and visit me in the lobby! I have all kinds of ideas for what to do in Boston, and beyond.
Kenzo Abdi
I grew up in Culver City, CA and decided to go to the East coast for my undergraduate at Boston University. While I was there, I was in the Pre-Med track but after 3 years, I realized being a doctor was not my desired career anymore. However, I still wanted to help people for my job, so I started to work at the Lenox as a valet, then a bellman. Nonetheless, I wanted more meaningful interactions with guests and to ensure guests’ stays were as memorable as possible, which led me to this wonderful position as a Concierge.
My favorite question I get asked by guests is what a perfect day in Boston looks like. My answer is starting the day off by walking down Newbury Street and grabbing lunch to go, then walking down Commonwealth Street to go to the Esplanade — it’s a perfect spot to eat lunch and relax in the sun by the river. Then, ending the day at North End, where I always eat dinner at Bricco and after, grab a delicious dessert at Bova’s.
Tom Nguyen
I was born in Santa Rosa, California and lived there until I was 14 years old. Then, I moved to Boston and attended Wheelock College for my undergraduate career where I studied Social Work. Fortunately, I got a job here at the Lenox in 2017 and I’ve worked in many different departments, but my favorite position thus far has been working as a Concierge. It’s extremely rewarding to help guests curate their perfect weekend in Boston and I love hearing all about their adventures when they come back to the Lenox.
Living in Boston for nearly 16 years, I’ve come to enjoy many areas and spots here, such as Seaport, Allston, and Downtown/Theater District. Some of my favorite things to do in Boston are biking along the Charles River, eating a delicious seafood boil at Bootleg Special in Downtown, and having a fun night out at Royale Nightclub.
With magnolia blossoms veritably exploding on Commonwealth Avenue to tulips blanketing the Boston Gardens, Boston is brimming with color and life in spring. Check out some of our favorite things to do in Boston in spring in our latest edition of Nineteen Hundred.
Year after year, we continue to be amazed at the level of determination, grit, & passion it takes from runners & their support teams alike to take on the Boston Marathon. A defining moment in the year for us marking our own change from winter into spring, we look forward to the next Marathon the day after the current one ends. We are thrilled to be part of your experience each year and hope to continue to be called your Boston Marathon home. Thank you for choosing us!
Please enjoy some photos from this year’s Marathon linked in a gallery below. All are available for you to download to help preserve those memories!
It’s no surprise that the Boston Marathon is a pretty big deal to us. Just 132 steps from the finish line of the biggest race around, we’re thrilled to spend the weekend celebrating with our guests and losing our voices cheering them on during the race. Check out our Marathon Special Edition of Nineteen Hundred below for some stories of inspiration from legends Kathrine Switzer & Tedy Bruschi. Wishing all our runners the best of luck!
Join us on Sunday, April 21st, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a fun-filled Wedding Showcase! Meet vendors, explore our spaces, and so much more.
Couples will have the opportunity to chat with our wedding experts in a relaxed setting. Mingle with the industry’s top wedding photographers, bakers, florists, DJs, rental companies, and so many more! Wedding planning can be stressful, but at our Wedding Showcase, it doesn’t have to be. Bring your partner, friends, and family members and come enjoy a fun night out while checking off your Wedding To-Do list!
Just north of Boston, Kouzina stands as a cherished family-owned Greek restaurant, a living testament to the immigrant success story. Originally hailing from Kalamata, Greece, Penny & Jimmy Christopher established deep roots in both Massachusetts and their homeland. Driven by a genuine passion to introduce others to the beauty of Greece, they curated two exceptional dining experiences in the Boston area – Kouzina in Peabody and Gyro City in Brighton.
Embedded within the local community and deeply connected to their home country, Penny & Jimmy retain partial ownership of an olive grove in Greece. Recognizing the unparalleled quality of fresh olive oil, they chose to import their own, sourced directly from their olive grove. Penny’s love for her homeland shines through every bottle, infusing the dishes she prepares with a true tase of her own Greece. When you can manage to keep her out of the kitchen for more than five minutes, she’ll have you daydreaming of joining her on one of her many trips back home.
With a legacy steeped in generations of artisanal expertise, their extra virgin olive oil seems to have bottled the essence of Greece itself – a golden embodiment of sunshine and love. Handpicked Kalamata olives undergo cold pressing just hours after harvesting, resulting in an olive oil boasting remarkably low acidity and certified bio-organic credentials. Each drop of their olive oil promises to elevate any dish it graces.
Dine Out Boston is back! From March 10th to the 23rd, there will be more than 160 restaurants around the city offering a 3-course meals for a fixed price of $55. It’s an affordable way to try many of the city’s fantastic restaurants. Our very own City Table will be participating yet and their select menu is available for both dine-in or takeout.
Dine Out Boston began as a way to better involve both visitors and residents by introducing them to the fine cuisine Boston has to offer. Twice a year, the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau encourages local eateries to create a unique menu that best represents them. In turn, foodies from far and wide can come together to experience this fun and affordable way to meet Boston through Dine Out.
This year, City Table’s menu offers items from both land and sea, each coupled with delicious dessert options. My personal favorite is the Pan Seared Cod which comes atop a creamy cauliflower puree, making this dish both filling and light. Four of the items on their Dine Out menu are available in gluten-free versions and will be able to cater to most dietary needs.
Come stop by City Table starting next week to try the Dine Out experience. Reservations are recommended although walk-ins are always welcome!
Started with sparks of curiosity and community, Craic Sauce has a commitment to creating local sourced hot sauces with balance, depth and lots of fresh flavor. Craic Sauce founder Brian Ruhlmann discovered his passion for craft hot sauce after experimenting with his first batch using pumpkin, habaneros and golden ghost peppers grown in his Massachusetts garden. Craic (pronounced “crack”) is an Irish word that means good times and fun.
In 2014, after moving to Ireland, Brian started the website crafthotsauce.com, and interviewed inspirational hot sauce makers from around world for his podcast and blog. Three years later in 2017, following his move back to the US, Brian took his obsession to the next level and began producing Craic Sauce, a collection of flavorful and unique hot sauces.
Having good craic was the guiding light of his new business, a value that is still essential to Brian and his crew today, who make their small batch hot sauces by hand in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Next time you visit the hotel, be sure to buy a bottle (or two!) Also available online at our Mercantile!
From relaxing by a crackling in-room fire to hitting the brick-lined streets to take in Boston’s rich history to going ice skating at the iconic Frog Pond, Boston makes a lovely escape from the every day in the winter. Check out some of our favorite winter activities in our winter edition of Nineteen Hundred!
Whipping up the fluffiest marshmallows & most delectable candy bars around, Sweet Lydia’s was founded in 2012, but taken over and run by passionate pastry chef and early employee, Shannon Arenburg. Starting out as one of Lydia’s first employees as an intern, Shannon studied Baking & Pastry at Southern New Hampshire University. She went on to study pastry internationally in Florence and honed her candy making skills at well-known restaurants throughout Boston. When Lydia of Sweet Lydia’s was ready to move on, Shannon didn’t hesitate to step in and make Sweet Lydia’s her own.
Setting up her candy making operation at a restored textile mill in Lowell, MA, Shannon continues Lydia’s sweet legacy while adding her own twist. From her Twickers bar, featuring homemade shortbread and rich caramel, to her Manhattan bar, a chocolatey delight with locally made whiskey-infused caramel, these candy bars aren’t just for the kids. Our favorite though? Sweet Lydia’s pillowy vanilla marshmallows will make you wonder if you’ve ever truly eaten a marshmallow before.
Shannon has gone on to expand her business into a full pastry shop called Pizzelle, inspired by her time in Italy. Featuring breakfast pastries, tarts, cakes, cookies, & so much more, paying Shannon a visit in Lowell makes for the start of a fun-filled day trip!
The Holiday Volume of Nineteen Hundred dives into some fun, wintery topics! From our seventh year supporting Wonderfund with our Room in Your Heart to some of our favorite Mercantile holiday gifts to an exploration of our fireplace rooms over the decades, we’re feeling all the cozy, warm feelings this season.
For nearly 50 years, you have been a shining example of hard work and perseverance at The Lenox. We’ve worked side by side for 25 of those years, seeing many changes come our way. Working in the heart of Back Bay, you’ve experienced incredible moments in time: The Big Dig, countless Boston Marathons, the ’86 Celtics, and the ’04 Sox all come to mind! You’ve seen a myriad of renovations, iterations of our restaurants (remember Diamond Jim’s?!), not to mention the countless team members you’ve worked alongside.
But the constant through all of these decades of change has been YOU! Thank you for the years of steadfast dedication, ensuring our hotel is clean and comfortable for both our guests and team alike. I’m so happy for your next chapter to begin, spending lots of time with your four kids, two grandkids, and, of course, your cats! Congratulations on your retirement! We will miss you!
Getting out of your cozy Lenox bed in the morning can be difficult. That alarm goes off and you snooze one extra time, but alas, the day is bright and you have things to do! One way to start your day off right is with a morning stretch.
Our team takes their morning stretches very seriously. At 8AM each day, our housekeeping team gathers for their daily line-up meeting to discuss the details of the day from how many guests are arriving and departing to supply deliveries as well as other operational happenings. But the most important part of the meeting is the morning stretch, led by our Executive Housekeeper, Lewis Ware. Lewis starts with a stretch to the ceiling and ends with a toe touch, helping the team prime their muscles for the physical challenges of their shifts. The result? An energized team that works together and is ready to take on the day!
How can you get up for your day at The Lenox? Get up and stretch, head to our fitness room, or take a walk down Newbury Street! Stay happy and healthy!
We recently sat down with one of our concierges, Beverly Doughty, and she gave us some insight on the best water activities in and around Boston.
Hey Beverly, what are some of your favorite activities to do in Boston?
My favorite thing to do on a day off is to bike along the Charles River Esplanade. It is very relaxing, and I love biking during sunset time. I also enjoy kayaking on the Charles River! You can rent a kayak or canoe with Paddle Boston and see splendid views of the city skyline.
That sounds fun, are there any other water-related activities you’d recommend?
I actually have a few recommendations because being near the water is my favorite thing to do! If you’re interested in sailing on the Boston Harbor, I’d say a sunset sail on a Classic Harbor Line boat is amazing, perfect for a date night or to unwind after work! If you’re looking for a more fun and thrilling activity on the water, then going on a Tiki Boat or Cycle Boat is the way to go. The Tiki Boat offers island-inspired cocktails and a tropical playlist to set the mood, it is so fun! The Cycle Boat is a unique experience because you propel the boat by pedaling around the harbor and bring your own food and drinks aboard. If you’re not a biker, then there’s always the option to sit and let the captain take you all around Boston!
Wow, that sounds like a blast, is there anything else that is a must-do on the water?
If I have a whole day free, then I like taking the MBTA Ferry to different destinations. If you’re looking to go to the beach, then you can take the ferry to Winthrop Beach, it’s only about a 30-minute ride. It’s great for sunbathing and swimming, I love it! If you like being by the marina, then there’s also a Ferry to Hingham Marina from Long Wharf in the North End. It’s a beautiful place to visit and I’d recommend eating at Alma Nove or The Beth for lunch or dinner!
This all sounds great, thank you Beverly!
Feel free to visit me in the lobby or call if you need more information or recommendations!
We recently sat down with one of our concierges, Tom Nguyen, and he gave us some insight on the best places to have a delicious bowl of Ramen in the Boston area. Tanoshimu!
Alright, Tom, if I’m looking for Ramen near the hotel where am I going?
Santouka Hokido Ramen. This shop is right down the street and they are the first hokido style that came to Boston. It’s a city in Japan famous for seafood and toncastu broth. When I was in Japan, I met a friend who was from Boston and he actually was a Ramen Chef. He said that what makes Santouka great, is that when they train their chefs, they fly people in from Japan.
The best way to describe it is as a slow simmer pork bone-based ramen. And they make their noodles in house! It’s definitely the most authentic bowl of Ramen within walking distance of The Lenox.
If I’m up for going a little further away from Back Bay where would you go?
I’m definitely going to this spot called Ganko. It’s inside of a historic building and it’s the most Japan-like Ramen shop. They actually hold a lot of special events over the summer where they will have different ramen shops fly in and they make like 60 bowls for the day and that’s it! The unique thing about Ganko is that they are a Sapporo style ramen, which means it is cooked in a wok so all of the spices and aromatics go in first. Sapporo style ramen flavors hit harder. Definitely worth it!
How did you first discover this place?
I was always drawn to it based on its location. Because right next to it is a great Japanese marketplace. It’s a really densely Japanese part of Brookline. And it’s in the historic Arcade Building, which has a bunch of small shops and businesses.
Any other spots that are worth checking out? Something unique or super popular with the locals?
There is another Ramen shop that has grown in popularity over the last decade – Yume Wo Katare in Porter Square.
Is this the place that always has the line out front?
The line is always crazy but I never let anybody get discouraged by the line because it’s a very fast paced restaurant. What they are known for is Jiro style. This style is not based on a location or anything. It’s actually based on a chain in Japan. Jiro translates to pork bone and soy sauce based ramen. And they are famous for big portions and homemade noodles.
The name translates to “speak your dreams.” The concept is that they encourage diners to share their dreams after they finish their meal. The restaurant is on the smaller side, again, it only has about 20 seats and you are sitting in a classroom-style layout. When you are done with your bowl of Rame, they go one by one and ask you to share your dreams. You then stand up and share with the whole room or you can write it down and hang it on the wall.
Sounds kinda wild. I’m sure this is not for everyone?
It’s really not the type of place where you are going to sit down and mingle. There is no alcohol, there is none of that, but there is something unique about sitting with 20 strangers and everyone is eating together and sharing their dreams. It’s an interesting and warm way that Ramen brings people together.
These are just a few of the many ramen spots you can find in Boston. Each place has its own unique style and flavors, so feel free to explore and find your favorite!
Once the weather turns warm, our coffee gets cold. Ice cold that is! Right outside our elevators every morning during the warm months, we set up our nitro cold brew coffee station alongside our freshly ground & brewed hot coffee. It’s even self-serve so you get to pull that cold brew keg tap yourself – no barista training required.
All our lobby coffee comes from Share Coffee Roasters located in Hadley, MA, just 96 miles from our doors. They roast their coffee in small batches on a restored Probat roaster from the 1950s, working meticulously to bring out the delicious flavors inherent in their beans. Their goal is to highlight the hard work the coffee farmers put into growing their coffee beans and bring that incredible experience to you.
We recently headed out to Hadley to visit Share and see just what goes into brewing up their incredible cold brew.
Share brews their cold brew using beer brewing equipment as the processes are quite similar. After selecting the best beans for cold brewing from their most recent roast, Share coarsely grinds the coffee, combines it with cold water, and lets the coffee brew for between 10 and 12 hours. This long brew time leads to great flavor and low acidity – perfect for enjoying cold!
After it’s brewed, Share filters the coffee to remove any hint of sediment, fills up five gallon kegs with the cold brew, charges the kegs with nitrogen, and chills them before delivering them to us, ready to be put into our cold brew kegerator and into your cups for a great start to a summer morning.
So, next time you’re in our lobby in the morning, give the cold brew a try or savor that hot coffee a little more knowing all the hard work & dedication that went into your morning cup!
The holidays are a time when most of us do a lot of reminiscing and think about family traditions or what we associate with certain days of the year. For many of us, we are immediately reminded of our childhood when a certain toy is mentioned. It brings you back to the countless days and hours you spent playing with that toy and how much joy it brought you, even if for a brief period of time.
In light of our fourth annual Room In Your Heart toy donation campaign from The Lenox Hotel, we asked some of our Lenox staff members to share their favorite childhood toy memories. As the season goes on, we will keep adding more and we hope this will inspire you to come down to The Lenox and donate an item or two to the Wonderfund!
You know that question that gets asked: what would you grab if you had 10 seconds to leave your house in a fire? Call my answer silly, but I’d grab Dede. Dede was a baby doll that I got as a gift from my Mom & Dad after a trip to the hospital to cheer me up – and cheer me up she did!! It was love at first sight and I brought her with me, quite literally, EVERYWHERE. Grocery store run? Dede’s coming. Camping Trip? We aren’t leaving without her. Beach day? I’d pretend to put a pair of sunglasses on her head and off we went.
One day, Dede went missing and as you can imagine, I was inconsolable. My dad was away at the time, but a few days later when he got home, and to my absolute delight, returned with a new Dede doll for me. While I was always a bit upset that my original one was lost, I made it a mission to love this one even more. Along the way she has been around for every fun adventure, lost most of her filling, was replicated onto my birthday cake in frosting, got her own Instagram page, and even got a leg chewed off by our family dog… (cue another round of inconsolable-ness). Needless to say, Dede is my absolute favorite childhood toy, and she is even still around today, albeit very fragile now. (And yes, I might even still bring her home with me when I go to visit my parents). She was my comfort & best pal for as long as I can remember & if you ask most people in my life what would I grab if I had 10 seconds, I bet they would say Dede, too.
Joanna Chan
CONFERENCE SERVICES MANAGER
One of my favorite toys growing up were yo-yos! All the kids had them at school and & I was obsessed. I remember getting a yo-yo with “brains”, carrying it around in my pocket everywhere I went, doing all the tricks. I could do the elevator trick, walk the dog, go around the world, rock the baby… all of them. I’m pretty sure I went through 4 or 5 yo-yos during this toy phase – a glow in the dark one, a red and blue light up one, a purple clear one. What a time!
Lorna McHale
DIRECTOR OF SALES My favorite toy growing up were my roller skates! I remember the Christmas Santa brought them for me. My mom had me in a tizzy because she had heard Santa on the radio asking for my shoe size. I was so worried he wouldn’t get it right, so I left multiple shoes under the tree for his reference!
My best friend Sarah got a pair that same year, and I remember pretty much living in our skates every day after that! Luckily growing up in Ireland meant it was super rare to get snow, so we could skate whenever we wanted!
Melissa Villalobos
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO DANIEL DONAHUE, PRESIDENT
My favorite toy as a child was a little monkey called Monchichi. She was a little monkey that came everywhere with me. I got her on my 4th birthday and she became my best friend. I would not go anywhere without her. I mean, it was bad; car rides with no seatbelt on, dinner table every night, bathroom. I even once tried to bring in the bathtub with me. She was my best friend for years. One day she was gone, I don’t know what exactly happened to her, but my parents bought more toys, so I eventually forgot about her. Fast forward 20 years, my brother got me the same doll for Christmas as one of my gifts, since he thought it would be funny. I, on the other hand, cried. Every day I make my bed and she lays there until I get home.
I know she is an ugly doll, don’t judge!
Gerry VonDohlen
ACCOUNTING MANAGER My brother and I as kids had many the royal battle with the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots. Nothing develops that brotherly bond like knocking each other’s block off.
Christopher Smith
DIRECTOR OF REVENUE & DISTRIBUTION
My favorite present wasn’t actually a gift, but a gift my brother, Brian got. Although Santa was running a few days late, when Playstation 2 came out, Brian was extremely lucky to receive it as a Christmas gift. But there was a problem. Our TV was too old to work with the Playstation and we needed an adapter. Or we lost power the day it arrived and couldn’t play. Or our heat stopped working and we needed to leave our house. Clearly, I don’t remember exactly what happened, but I remember we couldn’t play with it right away. However, that afternoon my parents drove us over to our grandparents’ house (they had left for a Florida vacation right after Christmas) and the two of us brought along the Playstation and NHL 2001, the game that came bundled with it. Brian and I hooked it up to their TV and played together for hours despite not really being hockey fans. I’ll never forget that Christmas, not for the actual gift, but for the time we spent together.
Shay Collins
SENIOR SALES MANAGER Growing up we were a pretty big hockey family. My two older brothers played and of course I had to do everything they did, so at a young age I ditched the figure skates for hockey skates. Winters were mainly spent in our driveway playing hockey; I was typically forced by my brothers to play goalie so they could practice their slap shot with a frozen tennis ball. In an effort to find something I could beat them at, I asked for a table top hockey for Christmas one year. Our games got pretty competitive and usually ended in fights, but hey at least it gave me a break from saving frozen tennis balls in 20-degree weather.
Brendan Griffin
SALES MANAGER
When I was a kid, any time I got a good report card or if there was a special occasion, it meant I got to pick out a new matchbox car. At the time, I thought life didn’t really get any better than that. I also had a large mat with a city map on it that you could use the cars on – I would spend hours playing with them. I now realize that life does get better – I get to watch all three of my nephews use the same cars and mat that I played with when I was a kid. My mom saved them all and whenever my nephews are at my parents’ house they do exactly the same thing I used to do. It’s a very cool thing to see that, despite all the technology, these toys are still relevant and loved.
Alison Majka
DIRECTOR OF CATERING I asked my Mom what my favorite toy was as a child and she told me it was our family cat, Booster. I guess I would carry him around the house on my shoulders and occasionally dress him up. The funniest part is that I had a lisp so I would chase him around the house yelling “Booothhherrrrrr”. Booster showed up on our doorstep on a freezing cold winter’s night in January, and he was starving with no tags so we had to take him in! My mom, sister and one of my brothers were allergic to cats so I had to BEG my family to keep him. At first, he slept by the heater in the basement and then within days, everyone fell in love with him and he was part of our family for 10 years!
Dan Donahue
PRESIDENT Every Saturday, I would go to a beer distributor in Pennsylvania to sweep the floor when I was a kid. Well, the Saturday before Christmas, I was there with about 3 or 4 guys, plus my father. They told me I couldn’t go into the cooler that day because there was a big gas leak. Turns out, my parents bought me a Schwinn Bike for Christmas that year and they hid it in that room in the beer distributor so I wouldn’t find out. I didn’t even know that happened until 5 years later!
Lisa Burns
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Back in the early 70’s (yikes!) all the rage were Crissy and Velvet dolls – and it was number one on my Christmas wish list. These dolls had the ability to “grow” their hair from a spout on the top of their head, weird, I know but oh so cool! I received my Velvet doll in 1971 and I swear she never left my side, as you can see at my brother’s birthday celebration. The following year, I asked for her “friend” Mia, who had long dark hair. She didn’t last very long after my babysitter poured baby oil in her “spout” to loosen some tangles! Ha! Merry Christmas!
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