Names: Brooke Camarda & Caroline Gervais
Class: 2019
Major/Minor:
Brooke: IDCC with a Law minor
Caroline: IDCC with Management & Politics minors
Hometown:
Brooke: Long Island, NY
Caroline: Durham, CT
Favorite Christmas Movie?
Brooke Camarda: Close toss up between Home Alone 2, Elf, and The Year Without a Santa Claus—there’s no way to only pick one, so those three are my final answer.
Caroline Gervais: Okay first of all there’s no way I can choose just one…but top 3 are White Christmas, Elf, and The Santa Claus.
When is it socially acceptable to start listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies?
BC: November 1st, 12:00 AM—as soon as the clock strikes midnight on Halloween.
CG: The better question is when isn’t it…? It can be great study music tbh…
Favorite Christmas Song?
BC: I’d say my top three are Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas,” Stevie Wonder’s “Someday at Christmas,” and Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.”
CG: Okay I have several playlists dedicated to solely Christmas songs, so this isn’t an easy choice…but I think I have to go with the classic, “White Christmas.”
Favorite Christmas TV special?
BC: I can’t get enough of Gossip Girl Season 1, “Roman Holiday,” as well as The Office Season 6, “Secret Santa”…though the middle school me would say Glee Season 2, “A Very Glee Christmas”
CG: I have to agree with Brooke about Glee’s “A Very Glee Christmas,” but I also love Friends – “The Holiday Armadillo” and How I Met Your Mother – “How Lily Stole Christmas.”
Favorite Christmas cookie?
BC: As a kid my absolute favorite cereal was Fruity Pebbles, so every Christmas to this day my Uncle Chaz makes me his famous Fruity Pebble sugar cookies—they’re divine.
CG: Sugar cookies!! My mom and I have a tradition of making cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. I like mine with extra sprinkles!
What’s your holiday drink order?
BC: I don’t really have a go-to holiday drink, but this time of year I do enjoy putting a dash of cinnamon in my tea.
CG: I’m a Coffee-o-holic, soooo…a Gingerbread Latte from Starbucks or a Sugar Cookie Coffee from Dunkin’ (@Dunkin why did you get rid of it????)
Favorite Christmas decorating staple?
BC: I love this little angel ornament that my grandma made entirely out of different kinds of pastas. My family also has a Dickens Christmas Village that we assemble in our living room every year, which I love arranging and decorating!
CG: My parents own a toy store so I do a LOT of Christmas decorating between the store, our home, and my apartment. While we have a huge selection of everything from fluffy garlands to oversized ornaments to purple stockings, I feel that no holiday display is complete without a nice strand of Christmas lights! If you’re ever curious about how to decorate a toy store for Christmas, hmu—I have LOTS of pictures.
BC: You should see her apartment on North…
Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
BC: Christmas Eve!
CG: Christmas Day
Favorite reindeer?
BC: Clarice…technically she’s not a part of the lineup in the song, but I’m a big fan of her work in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
CG: Comet, hands down. I wish he was my reindeer tbh, he seems like a great listener!
Favorite Christmas tradition?
BC: Amidst the decorations, music, movies, and spirit of the season, I ultimately think the best part about Christmas every year is getting to spend so much time with my family—I love being with my cousins and brother, just goofing around and playing cards until all hours of the night on Christmas Eve.
CG: At the toy store, we go all-out with everything Christmas starting November 1st—so it’s hard to choose. I think my favorite thing is actually our annual holiday party at the store. Our family holiday celebrations are typically very small, and since I’m the youngest, they’re not always the most entertaining…but when we get together at the store it is SO much fun. Last year we all dressed up, had a catered dinner, and watched the SNL Christmas Special DVD. Then we had a huge gift exchange and hung out talking. We’re just one big happy Christmas-loving family!
Favorite Christmas memory?
BC: Christmas Eve of 2014, my cousin Nicole asked me and my cousin Angela to be her bridesmaids; I don’t think anything will ever replicate my overwhelming excitement in that moment.
CG: Traditionally, every year on the first Wednesday of December, my parents and I would go into NYC and see the Rockette’s Christmas Spectacular! Afterwards we would get lunch at our favorite restaurant, and then we would walk around 5th Avenue looking at the holiday windows. Sometimes we would wander over to Central Park, especially if it had just snowed. We would end the visit with a trip to Macy’s and then Rockefeller Center to see the skaters. One year I saw a couple get engaged on the ice…it was SO romantic (#goals).
Funniest Christmas memory?
BC: When I was four years old, I walked downstairs on Christmas morning to see all of the presents wrapped under the tree—and proceeded to inform my parents that “It’s okay that Santa didn’t put a bow on some of these, it’s fine.”
CG: On Christmas Eve at my parents’ store, we answer the phone, “Buddy the elf, what’s your favorite color?” instead of “Hello, Amato’s Middletown!” and people’s responses are SO funny. We usually keep track of which color people say. Some people don’t have favorite colors which is odd…And others didn’t know get the reference, which was VERY concerning.
Favorite scene from a Christmas movie?
BC: Honestly I love the Miser Brothers’ musical numbers in The Year Without a Santa Claus. As kids (read: about a year ago), my brother and I would each sing the part of either Heat Miser or Snow Miser while watching it on ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas (@Brad, sorry if this is incriminating…)
CG: Okay I have two. First, the ending from White Christmas where it starts snowing as they’re singing in their beautiful Christmas outfits—the icing on the cake (or star on the tree) is definitely when the sleigh goes by through the snow. Secondly, the decorating scene from Elf because it’s VERY similar to how things work at my parents store…if you’re ever in CT during the holiday’s, stop by Amato’s Toy & Hobby in Middletown because you gotta see it to believe it (or check out our Facebook)!
Favorite line from a Christmas movie?
BC: “First, I traveled through the seven levels of the Candy Cane Forest, past the Sea of Twirly-Swirly Gumdrops, and then, I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel.”
CG: “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings!” (This is from the movie my family watches every Christmas Eve…if you don’t get the reference, we can’t be friends #bye)
Best Christmas gift from your childhood?
BC: Christmas of 2004, I wanted a Polaroid camera more than anything so I could be like Kevin in Home Alone 2; having watched old home movies of it ensuing, I can attest that my eyes completely illuminated as I opened it up and realized what it was. (…a couple years later I also got this INSANE science kit that I adored with every fiber of my being.)
CG: I’m not sure what year it was, but I had been secretly wishing for this huge golden retriever stuffed animal that we had at the store and when I went downstairs on Christmas morning, there he was sitting in front of the tree with a big bow on his neck. I got SO excited, it was almost as good as getting a real puppy for Christmas. Now he’s all decked out for Christmas and he’s sitting in my common area under the “fireplace,” aka the TV.
What is in your Christmas starter pack?
BC: A sequined Santa hat, the Michael Buble Christmas record, green and red Papermate Flair pens, and a string of Christmas lights
CG: Light up reindeer antlers, my Christmas Favorites playlist, a string of Christmas lights, some sparkly garland, and a gingerbread latte.
Describe your Christmas self via a gif:
BC:
CG: