Colleen Kerr

you know i love sibs on Top Eight! this week's guest has her phone set to black and white which is something i might try in the new year.

1. Christmas music - I love Christmas. I love Christmas so much that the other day I was gazing up at a Christmas tree in my neighborhood and tumbled backwards over a boulder I didn’t see. Embarrassing. Anyway, there’s nothing like Christmas music to put me in a good mood. This compilation of  Motown Christmas hits is my current favorite.  

2. Cornichons - Crunchy, vinegary, the perfect food. I usually have a jar of them in my fridge, and if I’m at a party with a charcuterie board, there’s a 100% chance I’m standing next to it eating all the cornichons. Picture Tom Hanks scooping up all the caviar garnish in You’ve Got Mail. But it’s me, taking all the tiny pickles.

3. Ginger molasses cookies - These are the perfect soft, chewy, spiced cookie; I make them every year at Christmas time and they’re always a hit. The recipe has an absurd amount of baking soda but somehow it works. For a fun activity, try using a kitchen scale to weigh out balls of dough so the cookies all turn out exactly the same size. 

4. Bedtime showers - Have you ever been about to wash your face and brush your teeth before bed and thought how much better it would be to do that standing under a nice, hot shower? That’s me pretty much every night, and I’m officially a 2+ showers per day girl now. Sure, it dries out your skin, but nothing a little lotion can’t fix. 

5. Lassen and Hennigs - I go to this bakery/deli around the corner from my apartment twice a week at minimum. It’s been open since 1949 and is such a perfect neighborhood market I’m shocked it doesn’t show up in every other romcom set in NYC. They truly have everything you need - especially if the things you need are cheap coffee, deli sandwiches, tallboy spindrifts, or fancy chocolate. What more could you want? 

6. Listening to podcasts - Yes, this is the most generic top 8 item possible but I’m just being honest. I love to be entertained, love to learn, and most of all love to not sit with my own thoughts. Podcasts are great for all of that, and I pretty much always have one on. Some old and new favorite episodes are a history of Pizza Rat, 24 hours in a Chicago diner, this insane market for eggs, and a deep dive on the diamond industry.

7. Coffee - Not sure what there is to say about coffee that hasn’t been said. I’m not a coffee snob; I’ll drink any black coffee that’s available, the stronger the better.  (Ok, I may also have a serious caffeine addiction and get a raging headache if I don’t have coffee by 11am. C’est la vie.)

8. Instagram dot com - just like the instagram app, but much worse because it’s the website. The incredible lack of functionality is what makes it great; no I can’t post, but they also can’t show me a bunch of random reels. You will absolutely not get sucked into this website - just a quick daily visit to check what the pals are up to. 

falling while looking at a Christmas tree is very Hallmark movie and something we should all strive for.