Holiday Cheers!

Tonight was the Trump Girls' holiday dinner. Given the various work and social commitments between the five of us, Monday, December 14th was the best we could do for a date that all of us could get together for dinner before the holidays. We will all be at a birthday party on Saturday together but tonight was just the five of us, doing what we do best: drinking, eating, talking and celebrating our friendship.

The Trump Girls are the best thing that happened to me during 2009. Girls who are unwaveringly supportive, diverse in their professional lives but similar in their upbringing and senses of humor. We've had so many great times over the course of the past year. In every life a little rain must fall but that never stopped us. After a rain delay, we kayaked the Chicago River. Despite torrential rain, we've attended the Chicago Magazine's Singles party honoring one of our own. Also in the pouring rain, we attended Glamorama and Fashion Focus Chicago organized by one of our own. In better weather, we had the Air and Water Show, brunch before the farmer's market, galas, happy hours, and, of course, where it all began, the gym.

We had dinner at Bistro 110 where just by virtue of being local -- rather than the normal tourists found on Michigan Ave -- we received an amuse from the chef (mushroom ravioli), an extra glass of wine, when my glass was the only empty but we didn't want to order another bottle, and free, delicious desserts. The conversation was wide-ranging, from an upcoming book, to holiday plans, to personal life updates, to Tiger. (What is a get-together these days without an analysis of Tiger? Holiday topic 2009, without a doubt.)

It was a wonderful dinner. And now, to assuage my yuppie guilt, the Greater Chicago Food Depository will get a donation. The Greater Chicago Food Depository is one of a handful of charities that I make an effort to support, given the good work they do to feed the hungry in the Chicago area. Whenever I go out for any sort of indulgent dinner, I make a donation at least equal to my portion of the bill. Having a delicious dinner and delightful time with my companions always feels even better when I know I've donated to allow others to have a meal they wouldn't otherwise.

Cheers to the holidays, good friends and good times in 2010!