Drawing: HAF Holiday House Tour tickets + Umana gift certificate
Drawing's closed! Winner's been emailed!
The Historic Albany Foundation's annual Holiday House Tour is this Sunday. More than 10 historic building will be showcased on the tour as it "moves from neighborhood to neighborhood highlighting the very best in Albany's architecture and ongoing preservation efforts."
We have a pair of tickets for the tour and we're giving them away. But wait! There's more! Along with tickets, we'll be including a $30 gift certificate for Umana Restaurant and Wine Bar - street food from around the world in Albany.
To enter the drawing, please answer this question in the comments:
What's your favorite holiday tradition?
It could be a public event like attending a tree lighting, or it could be something that you do with family or friends. We'll draw one comment at random.
HAF's Holiday House Tour is Sunday, December 8 from noon-4 pm. Here's the full event poster. Tickets are $25 / $15 students if purchased before December 4 (Wednesday), and $30 / $20 students after December 4.
Important: To be part of the drawing, you must submit your comment (that answers the question) by noon on December 4, 2013. You must include a working email address (that you check regularly). The winner will be notified by 2 pm on December 4 and must respond by 10 am on December 5.
Hi there. Comments have been closed for this item. Still have something to say? Contact us.
Comments
The eve of Thanksgiving walking through Washington Park to check out the lights.
... said Tam on Dec 3, 2013 at 11:11 AM | link
Drinking egg nog until I am ill.
... said Chris on Dec 3, 2013 at 11:26 AM | link
Grapefruit halves with a bit of candy cane stuck in the middle as part of Christmas morning breakfast. I know, I know, sounds weird and like the flavor combination wouldn't work, but it is delicious.
... said TrojanMorse on Dec 3, 2013 at 11:26 AM | link
My favorite (albeit cliche) holiday tradition has to be wine and making a fire with a few friends (well make that a few bottles of wine)
... said Alice on Dec 3, 2013 at 11:26 AM | link
dressing in costume for thanksgiving dinner
... said tammie on Dec 3, 2013 at 11:27 AM | link
My favorite holiday tradition is wrapping presents frantically before we open them in the next few days.
... said Shadi on Dec 3, 2013 at 11:27 AM | link
I personally love attending the Christmas concert at my high school and appreciating the growth and improvement of the music department year after year. Very proud of what my old school district has done.
... said Laurf on Dec 3, 2013 at 11:30 AM | link
Every year since I was 13 and my little brother was 10, we would get out of bed at 3:30 am on Christmas day and shake all the presents. It was funny back then because my mother thought we had ESP when we could guess what type of presents we were getting before we touched them. Once she caught on she started hiding noise making items (pennies, rocks) in the boxes to confuse us.
... said T on Dec 3, 2013 at 11:33 AM | link
Baking the same Christmas cookies my German grandmother baked.
For New Year's: making the traditional "lucky" food Hoppin' John. (It's a vegetarian substitute for my life long eating of the lucky German New Year's food herring.)
... said chrisck on Dec 3, 2013 at 11:40 AM | link
Christmas candy bowls.
... said Jackers on Dec 3, 2013 at 11:44 AM | link
my favorite holiday tradition is making my boyfriends 100 year old grandmothers' gingerbread cookie recipe, but using as many local ingredients to do so. we make tons of them and i love bringing them to all of our holiday events with eggnog from the local farm.
... said julie on Dec 3, 2013 at 11:47 AM | link
Cooking up a "picana de pollo para Navidad" on Christmas eve. It's a special Bolivian chicken stew and it's delicious.
Also making a bunch of Christmas cookies and/or some "pan dulce de Navidad" Bolivian sweet bread and giving them to the neighbors.
... said Amy on Dec 3, 2013 at 11:48 AM | link
The tree lighting and fireworks at the Plaza. It starts the Christmas season for me and it's so much less crowded than the 4th of July. I think I've missed only 2 in the 26 years I've lived in the area. If I win the tickets I can go straight from touring houses downtown to the Plaza!
... said Kate on Dec 3, 2013 at 11:52 AM | link
My favorite home tradition would be bagels with cream cheese and lox on Christmas morning while my boys are opening their gifts. If I think beyond my own family tradition, it would have to be Winter WonderLark. Despite the fact that one of the events involves a bunch of barely dressed folks running down Lark Street, it is surprisingly wholesome.
... said Silvia Meder Lilly on Dec 3, 2013 at 12:01 PM | link
Going for a run or walk on Christmas morning. The world is eerily quiet.
... said Jason on Dec 3, 2013 at 12:05 PM | link
I grew up in Southern California, and my parents still live there. I never have much time to take off work, so every year that I come for Xmas we make it a point to stop at In-N-Out burger on the way home from the airport -- and that whole warm weather thing requires a trip to the beach on Christmas day as well.
... said susie on Dec 3, 2013 at 12:15 PM | link
My favorite holiday tradition is decorating! The tree, the house, I love lights!
... said Rachel G on Dec 3, 2013 at 12:15 PM | link
Sharing a drink with family and catching up on everything that has happened in the last year!
... said morg on Dec 3, 2013 at 12:17 PM | link
St. Nicholas Day. Candy and presents in your wooden shoes.
... said Alison on Dec 3, 2013 at 12:18 PM | link
baking for friends and family! (and myself!)
... said linz on Dec 3, 2013 at 12:18 PM | link
I love having holiday drinks with friends at either Olde English or Wolff's -- love their decorations and lights!
... said Alison on Dec 3, 2013 at 12:42 PM | link
I love having holiday drinks with friends at either Wolff's or the Olde English; their decorations and lights are so inviting!
... said Alison M on Dec 3, 2013 at 12:42 PM | link
Devouring Christmas ham with potatoes after a long day of gifts and family.
... said KGB on Dec 3, 2013 at 12:52 PM | link
Throwing silver coins through the front door threshold upon the first stroke of the New Year - (just like Dad did).
... said andrew on Dec 3, 2013 at 12:54 PM | link
The annual "It's a Wonderful Life" screening at the Palace theater.
... said bb on Dec 3, 2013 at 1:02 PM | link
Sneaking through the lights in the park with my dog, when it is just getting dark. There is the archway with rows of white lights and to walk through that when all of Albany is super quiet makes you appreciate the beauty this time of year.
... said HM on Dec 3, 2013 at 1:11 PM | link
Using leftover xmas tree branches from other people's trash to make a holiday door decoration!
... said Tara on Dec 3, 2013 at 1:17 PM | link
Since I celebrate Hanukkah, a favoritetradition was always going out to catch the latest release at the (relatively empty) movie theatre after a delicious, over-indulgent dinner at my favorite Chinese food restaurant.
Now that I'm with someone who celebrates Christmas, my favorite Christmas tradition is on Christmas Eve where I get to open the personalized Christmas ornament (my boyfriend gets us one every year) and finding the perfect spot to hang it on the tree!
... said Nicole on Dec 3, 2013 at 1:17 PM | link
It started when I was a kid and had continued on now that I have a kid...baking chocolate chip cookies for Santa and watching Christmas Eve on Sesame Street.
... said Selena on Dec 3, 2013 at 1:30 PM | link
Watching Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas with friends and family (even if I'm the only one who actually likes and appreciates it).
... said Sean on Dec 3, 2013 at 1:47 PM | link
Every year growing up my brother, mom and I would all have chocolate Santas in our stocking. After we opened stocking gifts we would have a Santa head biting race to see who could eat the head off of Santa first.
... said Alex on Dec 3, 2013 at 1:54 PM | link
Putting up the family's traditional "yum-yum tree" a small ornamental Christmas tree decorated entirely with edible ornaments, the best!
... said Kate on Dec 3, 2013 at 2:01 PM | link
My husband's lasagna on Christmas Eve, followed up with chocolate stout while watching Bad Santa and wrapping presents.
... said Kim on Dec 3, 2013 at 2:06 PM | link
Spiking some hot chocolate and walking through the Washington Park lights with neighborhood friends.
... said Allison on Dec 3, 2013 at 2:20 PM | link
lights in the park. i wish they would do a christmas story at cap rep again......or id say that =)
... said mark on Dec 3, 2013 at 2:23 PM | link
Santa Speedo!!!!
This is simply the happiest event I have ever encountered.
And it is to raise $ for such a good cause. if you are willing to drop trou in freezing weather for charity, I will be there to cheer you on!
... said Tess Lecuyer on Dec 3, 2013 at 3:33 PM | link
My family spends Christmas Even watching It's a Wonderful Life, drinking eggnog, and then everyone has the chance to open one present before, well, you know, Santa comes with the rest. (Christmas tends to be a rush of extended family and food, so it's nice to have a quiet night.)
... said Liz on Dec 3, 2013 at 3:48 PM | link
Getting together with friends for our annual secret santa gift exchange, and decorating the tree with my honey and a glass of wine!
... said Jessica on Dec 3, 2013 at 3:48 PM | link
Christmas eve party at my mother's followed by a viewing of The Santa Clause before bed!
... said Andrea on Dec 3, 2013 at 5:15 PM | link
Christmas Eve movie with the other fellow Jews.
... said Jon on Dec 3, 2013 at 6:12 PM | link
Watching the classiv tv shows....Grinch, Charlie Brown and Rudolph!!!!
... said Laura on Dec 3, 2013 at 9:00 PM | link
Troy's Victorian stroll
... said Jenna on Dec 4, 2013 at 12:53 AM | link
Sausage and eggs on Christmas morning with my family.
... said Maeve on Dec 4, 2013 at 9:26 AM | link
My family always makes a birthday cake for Jesus and we sing happy birthday to him! We definitely celebrate with presents, stockings, the carols, family and delicious food; however I always loved this because it brings me back to my roots and the basis of my beliefs, even if it is something as small and wonderful as a birthday cake.
... said Alicia on Dec 4, 2013 at 10:32 AM | link
Christmas eve with family
... said Tom on Dec 4, 2013 at 11:18 AM | link
Decorating the tree with family
... said Paula on Dec 4, 2013 at 11:33 AM | link