The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Holidays

Annual Frosty Day Parade Brings the Festive Holiday Spirit to Armonk

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Article and Photos by Stacey Pfeffer

Armonk was abuzz with activity this past Saturday as the annual Frosty Day kicked off the holiday season. Despite drizzly weather, Armonk locals and other tri-state area residents turned out in droves to experience a fun-filled afternoon with holiday train rides around town, face painting, Frosty-themed art projects, yummy holiday treats and of course several photo ops with Frosty the Snowman, who turns 65 this year. The day culminated with more than 30 local groups and organizations marching in a parade to welcome Frosty the Snowman back to his hometown.The parade concluded with a holiday lighting ceremony and sing-along at the gazebo in Wampus Brook Park.

Cookie decorating at DeCicco's photo
The “Village Square” mentioned in the famous “Frosty the Snowman” song is actually Armonk’s Historic District. The Frosty Parade is the only non-denominational holiday parade in the tri-state area noted Robby Morris, a local businessman and President of Friends of Frosty, Inc. the non-profit group that organizes the day’s events.

“Just about every local group is involved somehow in Frosty Day from the Town of North Castle to the Armonk Chamber of Commerce, from the religious institutions to the schools, from the sports and youth groups to volunteer organizations. It is a great time for everyone to come together and have some fun,” said Morris.

Each year the Friends of Frosty expands the day’s events with new activities. A horse-drawn carriage around Wampus Brook Park and a holiday-themed mural designed by Westlake High School students by DeCicco’s were added. “The Clydesdale horses were very cool. A friend told us that Frosty Day was a fun way to kick off the holiday season, so we decided to come out for this, even in the rain,” noted Teresa Hough, a New Rochelle resident who came with her family. Clowns, magicians, carolers and marching bands rounded out the day’s festive spirit.

The Friends of Frosty also has a charitable component with its Winter Warmth project “Help Frosty Help Others.”

Starting in the fall, the organization starts collecting gently used winter clothing, such as hats and mittens for those in need at several locations around town. Area restaurants and shops will be accepting donations and contributions throughout the holiday season.

Stacey Pfeffer Of New Castle attended this year’s parade for the first time, and hopes to make it an annual tradition with her family.

Face painting at Peachwave photoDonation jar photoDaisy Troop photoHorse drawn carriage ride photoHoliday train by Town Hall photo

Thanksgiving Traditions

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Volunteering, Shopping and Turkey OH MY!
By Heather Skolnick

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season for many. Thanksgiving triggers autumnal images of softly falling leaves and a feeling of chill in the air–a sure sign of what’s to come weather-wise. It signals the beginning of the holiday shopping season for those in retail with a daily countdown to Christmas. And for many, it evokes memories of meals and unique traditions that encircle the meal. These Thanksgiving traditions can be pretty wide and varied.

As a child, my Thanksgiving traditions were pretty straight forward–extended family came to eat. And eat we did. We enjoyed turkey with the standard carbohydrate-laden fixings, and enough desserts to satisfy the sweet tooth of a small nation. The meal was not complete until we all suffered from indigestion–all before 7 p.m. It was what we did before the meal that was different. Each year, my father and I awoke earlier than most on a holiday, put on sweats, and took a short drive to a neighboring town. We then participated in a local “Turkey Trot”–a five mile run in an attempt to help offset the meal we’d be eating a few hours later. That was our tradition.

My husband’s family didn’t believe in the “Turkey Trot”–instead, Thanksgiving was all about football. Neal, his brothers, cousins, dads and friends all got together to play a serious game of touch football. The colder, wetter and muddier it was outside, the better the game. While their game would end before dinner, the trash talking around that game could last an entire year. Area resident and brother Lyle said, “We would even keep track of records, from most touchdowns, consecutive games with a reception, best play, to worst mistake, and most times ‘giving in’!” Building on the football theme, after playing, they would all return home and begin watching the football games on TV before indulging in their meal.

Other Thanksgiving traditions abound as well. The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is, of course, available to one and all on TV. However, heading in to the city to watch it “live” is a popular tradition for some in our area. From seeing the balloons to watching the performers, the parade route is packed with onlookers of all ages.

Signaling the official start of the holiday shopping season, Black Friday shopping has long been a tradition for some. Amazing short-lived deals often abound on that day, with stores opening early and staying open late. Eager to squeeze an extra shopping day in before the holidays, shopping on Thursday evening has more recently become another (albeit, controversial) option. Many big-box retailers and shopping centers are now open for post-dinner shopping.

turkey paradeKatonah mom Samantha Holcman and her family spend their Thanksgiving doing a little bit of each of these things. They start celebrating at the Thanksgiving Parade. Samantha said, “It’s such an exciting, iconic way to spend the holiday and so easy for local New Yorkers…my kids love it and we love to watch the parade through their reactions.” Later, the Holcman family dines back in Westchester at one of our fabulous local restaurants, choosing a different restaurant each year. Lastly, Samantha’s husband Brad and his mother go shopping and scour stores for bargains, sometimes not returning until 10 a.m. the next day! Of shopping Thursday night, Samantha said, “For people that like a deal, it’s a unique and very fun experience.”

Volunteering is a wonderful way to enjoy the spirit of Thanksgiving while enjoying some quality family time. One option is to spend part of the day together, helping to provide a meal for others. Neighbor’s Link coordinates a food drive in anticipation of the holiday. On the actual day, they provide a full Thanksgiving meal and a full bag of groceries to take home.

Armonk mom Abby Hollander will be doing just that. She, along with her family, will be serving Thanksgiving meals in coordination with local religious affiliates. Abby decided to begin volunteering on Thanksgiving because “I thought it was really important as my son turns five this December to expose him to those less fortunate and show him what he can do to help. “ She continued, “We want to teach him to appreciate and be thankful for what he has. We really want him to see how he can help make the world a better place.  It’s a tough concept to explain to such a young child so we hope by showing him and participating he will also feel proud that he helped even in a small way.”

The common theme threaded through all of these traditions can clearly be identified as spending quality time together as a family and/or with those who are most important to you. So whether you are a traditionalist in your Thanksgiving approach or not, let’s remember that Thanksgiving is about being surrounded by those who are important to you and appreciating the moment.

Heather Skolnick is a New Castle resident with her husband and three young children. They will be enjoying their Thanksgiving holiday surrounded by family and food, with a little football mixed in.

May all your Holidays be Bright!

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Beth Besen, Executive Editor

Ahhhh, December. From fa la las to latkes and snow angels to Nutcracker soldiers, the sounds and sights of the holiday season are upon us. Our kids are counting down the days to their holiday vacations. And, let’s be honest, we’re excited too! Whether we’re anticipating a lengthy break or just looking forward to a long weekend amongst loved ones, the very fact that everything actually slows down and then stops for one full calendar day is truly wonderful!

Maybe you’re hosting friends and family this year? Make sure to take them into town and show off this pretty place we call home. After all, Chappaqua always looks especially lovely for the holidays, trimmed in twinkling lights, inviting shoppers and diners while beckoning neighbors and visitors to linger just a bit longer.

One magical event worth mentioning–the annual tree lighting, which took place this year on December 6th. Hope you got to town early; not just for the best view, but for the noteworthy special addition to the evening! Either way, be sure to enjoy our story about The Chappaqua Orchestra; we’re sure it’ll strike a chord of pleasure.

Indeed, our picture-perfect setting sets a tone of warmth and good cheer. But it’s not all showy surfaces. Another reason to be proud of our town is the safety we feel here. When our middle school students roam the town on Fridays, we worry and fret, but we also know that they are inherently safe. Our crossing guards do their best and, we, in the true spirit of community, do the rest! Eyes and ears keep kindly track of everyone and everything from kids and pets to coyotes and any other threats. And though we’ve had our share of severe winters (and been humbled by a handful of extreme storms), our infrastructure is stronger and sounder than ever. Local emergency response teams use systems like Code Red and Nixle to keep us informed and help us feel protected, connected and safe. We are the very definition of the Village that “it takes.” Read more about our town’s preparation for winter in Ready Set Winter.

Who are the neighbors we rub elbows with in town? Some, of course, we know well. Others are friendly faces we see so regularly that we develop a patterned acquaintanceship-relationship; we grab the same coffees, catch the same trains, join carpool lanes and walk pets on similar schedules. We know, and perhaps wonder about that which we don’t know. Sound like the start of a good mystery novel or thriller? I’m not the one to write it, but I know (or, case in point, know of) a couple of local guys who very well could! Yes, spoiler alert, there are authors among us. And, as books are presents we open again and again, I suggest you flip to A Literary Taste of Chappaqua for a couple of really great gift ideas.

Speaking of gifts, we’ve got a few more thoughtful suggestions inside, and they’re not necessarily the usual suspects. We know that you know that “all that glitters is not gold”, that “good things come in small packages”, that, as the infamous Grinch pondered, “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store.” Still, we’ve asked some readers to share their favorite “unconventional” gifts, and added a few ideas of our own. We encourage you to use The Gift of Time as a point of departure to think outside the everyday gift box!

Even as we celebrate the many joyous moments the holiday season brings, it’s equally important to recognize that stress and tension often come along for the ride. Perfect family get-togethers are the hallmark, of, well, Hallmark. Movies, that is. Real life comes with ups and downs. For most of us, mood swings are managed and turbulence is tolerated. But, for others, life is exponentially harder. Mental illness, like its physical counterpart, can hurt. Intensely. Directly. And indirectly too. The holidays can be particularly hard. Visions of sugarplums simply don’t dance for everyone at this time of year. December days darken early, but the truth is, mental illness can darken any month and any family. To help shed some light and offer first-person insights, we bring you Time To Talk and When It’s Personal. Do make and take some time to read and enjoy these critically important articles.

A year ago, I wrote my first guest editorial for Inside Chappaqua. The theme was one of Healthy Holidays, and it was a labor of appreciation and pay-it-forward love. As is often the case, paying something forward comes back to you in kind. Since that holiday issue, I’ve had the good fortune to become acquainted with many new faces and places, explore issues known and new, and work with some truly inspiring, bright, funny and talented people. What a wonderful gift! Thank you, Grace; thank you, sponsors; thank you, readers!

Wishing everyone the very best this holiday and in the year ahead,

Beth Besen

Attention Holiday Shoppers…

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GiftBagsC0911_L_300_C_YBy Dan Levitz

As I stood in Rite Aid contemplating the pumpkin shaped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Halloween candy, I was experiencing decidedly mixed emotions. I found myself silently cursing the ad men of Madison Avenue for having the audacity to push out holiday candy earlier and earlier every year. This was the first week of September and I had just begun to accept that my daughter and I would taking no more weekend jaunts to Jones Beach in 2014. How presumptuous of them to think that, in shorts and a t-shirt, I’d be unable to resist a traditional corduroy pants and sweater treat. Yet simultaneously, like a good Pavlovian canine, I felt a rush of wonderful anticipation picturing myself biting that pumpkin in half and tasting the singular melding of milk chocolate with that slightly salty and delicious peanut butter. I’m not sure if I actually salivated but let’s just say the feeling of desire for this, the Cadillac of counter candy, was strong. They got me. Again.

One of the nice things about holidays is that they come around each year no matter what. There is a stability that’s inherent to these inevitable and theoretically pleasant annual occasions. And, even if a certain holiday ends up being a bummer this year, there’s a chance for a better one next year. I don’t need those amazing chocolate covered marshmallow turkeys that hastily appear on November 1st to inform me that Thanksgiving is approaching. At that point I’m still buying the massively reduced Halloween candy. Similarly, like the sun rising in the east I know that there will be 27 varieties of candy canes at Walgreen’s before I’ve even had my first left-over turkey omelet that Friday morning after Thanksgiving. You see, the themed candy coming out earlier every year just emphasizes how crazed many of us have become just rushing through various elements of our lives.

I’ve chosen to use the candy thing as a gentle reminder to not rush the holidays and, more importantly, to remember not to hurry through those wonderful experiences in our lives that truly are fleeting and won’t come around year after year. Some things do have a finality. For example, my son, now a senior at Greeley, is fully engaged in many a “for the last time” experience, be it varsity soccer or an acapella concert. Like most of his peers, he’s also focused on college applications. It is easy to obsess over the details, and not just embrace this year long moment. On a recent college visit upstate, he and I were talking about spiritual matters and I was quite impressed with his perspective. I realized that college is not just the next thing, but the perfect venue for him to continue to evolve. Notably, this moment felt like a respite from the college application mania that is so pervasive. Of course, the moment faded back to crazed fervor when I realized he hadn’t brought a button down shirt for his admissions interview, and we’d have to find a Kohl’s and pick one up. Sigh.

With the winter holidays approaching, it occurs to me that despite all the noise–whether constant holiday advertising, music, office parties and even something as simple as green & red M&M’s (which are awesome) – I’m going to take a Zen approach and try to just be in the moment. I will try to focus on presence rather than presents this time and not let the all-consuming, if well-intentioned, madness engulf me. 
At least that’s the plan.

I’m not a particularly sentimental person and I grew up without much focus on the winter holidays. In college, however, I had a girlfriend for whom Christmas was by far the most wonderful day of the year. Yet every single Christmas I spent with her, she ended up crying; and those were not tears of joy. At the time, I just tried (and often failed) to not make things worse. In retrospect, I think she was innocently guilty of buying into the pre-holiday hysteria and building the day into an unachievable ideal. And, those were the days when chocolate snowmen didn’t come out until December 1st. I can only imagine how she gets through it now.

I suppose that a truly spiritual being would be able to keep things in perspective throughout their life and have the clarity to be constantly present in their own existence. That ability does not come to me naturally. However, I am at a stage in my life where I do have moments of reflection and recognition, and, if I’m lucky enough to embrace them, that will be a fine accomplishment this holiday season and year ahead. At least I’ll try. Don’t get me wrong, I will be buying and eating holiday-themed chocolate all the way to Valentine’s Day and through Easter. And don’t get me started on those Cadbury Cream Eggs.

Dan Levitz has lived in Chappaqua for ten years and is an art dealer and writer with a blog on The Huffington Post.

Winning the Winter Weight Gain Battle

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Eve Fogler

By Eve Fogler

We look forward to Holidays as a joyful time to enjoy celebrating family traditions and spend time with friends and loved ones. Though they are festive times, holidays can take a toll on our bodies. It’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy of last minute shopping, cooking, entertaining and partying. Whether you are traveling to celebrate or hosting, there is stress. There is the pressure of coordinating schedules, getting along with relatives, and trying not to overeat. Overeating can be a band-aid for stress, anxiety, or depression. The stress of the holidays can bring emotional issues to the surface. In fact, the Holiday Season is known to be the most stressful time of the year. All that pressure causes surges in cortisol, the stress hormone. What seems cruel is that increases in cortisol cause fat storage, in particular around your middle! Cortisol wreaks havoc with your metabolism and is one of the reasons why you can diet and exercise…and still gain weight. Most of us relax over the holidays by sitting. We sit to watch TV, sit to watch movies, sit to eat holiday meals, and sit in a car or plane and travel to where we sit with friends and family. Have you ever noticed that when you sit for a few hours it becomes increasingly difficult to get up? You may even begin to feel depleted, not rested. Why is that? When you sit for an extended period of time, your heart slows down, decreasing your circulation, and you get less oxygen to your brain. Worse, your metabolism slows down.

So, what can you do?

Well, we all know the key to maintaining weight and avoiding weight gain over the holidays is to: (drumroll please) eat less and move more. I know, it’s MAGIC.

Move

If you get up frequently to move about, you’ll feel a lot better. If you plan ahead how you will fit exercise into your holiday schedule, you’ll have a much greater chance that you’ll actually do it. Go for family walks, call a workout buddy to meet at yoga or walk your dogs together–just move.

Enjoy your Food

When you eat with awareness you’re much more likely to eat what you really want (rather than just what’s around) and to stop when you’ve had enough (rather than when the there’s no food left). Eat with relish and gusto, ’tis the season to be jolly, after all! Take your time, instead of eating while standing up or while doing something else. Enjoy flavors, textures and the experiences.

Extra tips

•Studies show that people who eat breakfast eat less for the rest of the day than those who skip breakfast.

•Be sure to drink enough water. Many times we think we’re hungry but we’re really just thirsty. Stock up on sparkling waters and delicious teas.

Limit the Calories you Drink

You may not realize how many calories you are drinking during the holidays. Liquids don’t nourish or fill you up. These empty calories easily lead to extra pounds of fat on your body. Most cocktails have around 150 calories, but sips here and there can pack a whopping 300 calories, 20 grams of sugar…and more! To reduce calories, choose non-sweet cocktails and “cut” wine or fruit juices with sparkling mineral water. Drink one glass of water for every cocktail or glass of wine. This will save a lot of calories…and possibly rescue you from a nasty hangover as well.

How do you want to remember your holiday? You might not want to look back with regret about wasted time, worry, stress and any overeating. Anna Quindlan wrote a beautiful editorial about how she saw an old picture of herself and her young children and regretted that she didn’t recall being there. Make your gift to yourself to be entirely present during the holidays. Being in the moment makes it that much easier to enjoy your food…and the conversation. Try it, and you’ll notice how much more satisfying your holidays feel.

Eve Fogler is a NY State licensed Health Coach specializing in Eating Psychology and Weight Loss, and Co-President of Well Beyond Cravings, LLC, an online and in-person Weight Loss Coaching Program. Go to WellBeyondCravings.com to find out more.