WHAT WE ENJOYED DURING THE HOLIDAY BREAK

It seems like our holiday break was years ago. We spent the weekend returning our home to its regular (dis)order, sans Christmas tree, pinecones, and scattered nutcrackers. Upon packing up the holiday spree, I was determined to finally organize our holiday bins so we’re no longer desperately looking for our tree skirt or the polar express train remote 11 months from now.

Additionally, we completed our task of going through our closets and donating eight bags of items. While I don’t commit to New Year’s resolutions, it felt good to go through the clutter and lighten our closets and become reacquainted with some of my things that I frankly forgot existed.

Now that it’s Monday and I’m somewhat back in a routine, I’m reminiscing on our holiday break. We were surrounded by friends and family throughout New England and found quiet pockets of time to explore and/or return to some of our favorite spots in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. If you’re looking for suggestions to keep your winter months a little brighter, here are a few places we visited in December:

  • Tree House Brewery in Sandwich, MA. Don’t miss out on the incredible homemade pizza (no substitutions), hazy IPAs, all in front of unbeatable ocean front views.

  • Bar Taco at Derby Street Shops in Hingham, MA is always a fun spot for the kids. The fish taco is one of my favorites and I like the house or green margarita.

  • Red Lion Tavern in Cohasset, MA. A full review can be found at the Cohasset Anchor, but definitely try the Parisian gnocchi, frites, bolognese, and pork shank.

  • Grafik Coffee in Portsmouth, RI. This is a relatively newish coffee spot that we finally stumbled upon. The team was so friendly and had us sample all sorts of goodies. Nearly all the pastries are homemade and the breakfast sandwiches were delicious. Excellent pour over coffee, too.

  • The Boat House in Tiverton, RI. We always try to sneak away here with or without the kids when we’re visiting Will’s family. The views are unbeatable and the coastal cuisine is also a win.

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