Hello. Would you like a free Xbox? Yes, I thought you might.
I’m partnering with Xbox to do a giveaway around the theme of “staycations.” The idea is that we should stop waiting for some distant day when we have the time and money to “get away,” and start having fun now, right where we are. By playing video games, for example. Up for grabs is two packages for two winners. It’s $500 worth of good stuff:
-An Xbox console
-Three Family Fun Games
-A Gold Subscription to Xbox for a year
For more about the rules, read the italicized bits at the bottom of this post, but the gist is this: Leave a comment about your plan for your perfect day at home, and you’ll be entered to win. Here’s mine:
Snacks and Chick Flicks that Don’t Suck
The best days are days that don’t require pants. This is why I became a writer.
My perfect day at home is all about pajamas, movies, and snacks. As a woman, I prefer movies with women in them, and I particularly enjoy it when those women have speaking roles. (Hollywood, take note! Female audiences are fickle.) If you have a free day, allow me to lay out your gluttonous movie fest:
Breakfast with a plucky Reese Witherspoon. It’s hard to resist a smart movie about high school politics where Ferris Bueller plays the teacher. This movie pairs well with bite-sized waffles.
Bacon and He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not. It’s in French, so get to it early while your synapses are still firing. Amelie aside, this is my favorite Audrey Tatou movie. I would prefer you not know anything else about it before you watch it. Please obtain a copy. And some bacon.
Make some hot cocoa with tiny marshmallows and settle in for a play. I’ll watch anything with Julianne Moore; the woman has excellent taste in scripts. (We’re all just going to pretend Safe never happened.) The Vanya on 42nd St. plot synopsis explains it all: “New York actors rehearse Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” in a rundown theater.” It is arty.
Speaking of arty, have a little olive oil popcorn with your Parker Posey. I love House of Yes for its stilted, whip-smart dialogue. Plus, Tori Spelling in surprising turn as “not bad at playing that guy’s girlfriend.”
Olive oil popcorn and Maggie Gyllenhaal in heat. If you haven’t seen it, I don’t want to ruin it — though the movie poster pretty much says it all. Let’s just say Secretary is about power dynamics.
Sundae bar with fresh whipped cream, spicy hot caramel sauce, and slivered almonds, plus Kicking and Screaming. We’ve talked about this before. Noah Baumbach? Call me.
That’s my ultimate day at home. I’m beginning to wonder why I haven’t made this happen yet. Now your turn! Outline your day in comments, or tell me what would make your movie-day lineup if you were plotting a day like mine.
But wait! This is the contest fine print. Here’s how the giveaway works: You must be 18 or over to enter and live in the U.S. I’ll pick two commenters as potential winners (to be verified by ePrize). Please include your perfect day at home in your comment, and multiple entries will be disqualified. Comments will be open until tomorrow December 9, 2009 at 9 p.m. Eastern. Winners will be chosen randomly using Random.org, and announced on Friday, December 11. Good luck! Read the official rules here
Mighty Girl 
My perfect staycation: a four-pack of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, spaghetti and meatballs made by my husband, and an Arrested Development marathon. With the occasional dog walking.
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An idea of a perfect staycation? A never-ending pot of coffee, a cozy blanket, great movies (When Harry Met Sally, Singles, and ooh! love THAT Kicking & Screaming, too) and my animals curled up around me. Bonus points if I can get my husband to watch the movies with me.
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Perfect staycation? first, my fiance and I have to have more than 2 days off together (Thanksgiving was the first time all year!), then the rest falls into place: good food, good wine/beer, movies and books to catch up on, and great weather (stormy/snowy/cold in the winter; sunny/clear/slightly breezy in the summer).
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My perfect stay in day involves pot after pot of Earl Grey tea (with milk & honey), and a book so good I can barely tear myself away long enough to pour another cup.
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My perfect staycation: lazy breakfast with tea and bacon and the newspaper. a couch and a really good book or two. a walk with the dog and some delivery food that i don’t have to make. a bath. a glass of wine on the porch with my sweetie.
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My perfect staycation is listening to jazz public radio and working a jigsaw puzzle with my fiance. We are accompanied by lovely wines and cheeses and our fluffy dog sleeping at our feet.
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The most perfect(est): the weather is sunny and the husband, the toddler and I do a bit of gardening out in the backyard. Then she takes a 2.5 hour nap while we drink home-brewed ale, snack on take-out sushi, and just generally enjoy the silence.
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My perfect day is spent in bed with my husband, CSI marathon and a couple of knitting projects, fueled by cookies and milk!
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My idea of a perfect staycation…snow on the ground, fire in the fireplace, a perfect ratio of sweet to salty snacks on hand, sappy movies and no telephone ringing!
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Let’s see – well, the day certainly wouldn’t start before 10am, as the perfect staycation must involve sleeping in. A long walk with the dog and the husband, perhaps ending with some soft serve ice cream. An excellent book to enjoy. A movie to laugh at, while enjoying a meal featuring pasta and copious amounts of garlic.
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ooh, my imagination is so excited by this question! Mine would start with a delicious stack of spiced pecan pumpkin pancakes with butter and warm syrup, while reading the NY Times in REAL PAPER FORM (instead of racing through it on my laptop at work)! Then I’d pull out my giant basket of unfinished needlepoint projects and pick one to finish that day – right now, it would probably be the tiny stocking ornaments in bright silk and gold thread I really want to give to all my friends this year. To keep me company, I’d watch my favorite old movies – “Designing Women” with Lauren Bacall and Gregory Peck, and “Adam’s Rib” with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy (don’t worry about the black and white, the dialogue alone is enough to fascinate you!). For lunch, I’d order in from the adorable locavore soup-and-sandwich place around the corner that I never get to go to because it’s only open when I’m at work, and invite over my best friend to chat over doorstop-size turkey-and-cheddar sandwiches and cajun corn chowder soup. After lunch, I’d finally read “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell,” which has been staring balefully from my bookshelf for over a year, when I so excitedly bought it and then never had time to commit to an 800-page novel, as cool as all the witchcraft and wizardry therein promised to be! I’d curl up in my squashy leather armchair under a sunny window, with a fuzzy blanket and my flannel PJs and a cup of real hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows, and read ’til dinner, when my lovely boyfriend would come home bearing takeout from our favorite Italian restaurant. After dinner, we’d engage in a friendly-but-intense Rock-Band competition until we were too worn out to follow the note-paths, then collapse on the couch under down blankets with hot buttered rums to watch a Christmas movie. 🙂
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I often take staycations, as I’ve recently moved and am just getting into a new job. My boyfriend bought me a subscription to WoW; he and I often play the game together while watching movies. It’s not romantic, but it’s saved lots of going-out money and we both appreciate the time together.
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The maid comes and does all the laundry and dishes, the cook comes and makes something healthful and delicious.
I watch movies, finish fun projects, and take a nap.
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My ultimate staycation would be me, my husband, and the entire Criminal Minds series.
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Actually, my perfect staycation is almost part of my daily life:
Spend time with husband and baby at home–maybe eat some Thai take-out; chat about our days, our futures, our ideas; read a good (probably fantasy) book. Play with the dog, and take her to the dog park for fun ‘n games.
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Hmmm… My perfect at home day would be sleeping in while curled up with my dog, a 75 degree sunny day with a light breeze, and a couple of good romance novels to read in my hammock.
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My staycation would revolve around me, my husband, my puppy, movies, and ice cream. Throw in a nap, the dog park, a california cheesesteak for dinner, and I’m set!
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My perfect staycation: leave the kid with grandma, lunch out and a movie with the hubbie, pizza for dinner, souffles for dessert, and going to bed early… but not to sleep!
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Sleeping in till at least 8; drinking coffee & cream leisurely. Huevos rancheros for breakfast or by that time, brunch. Putting something in the crockpot so the house smells good all day. Getting a massage at our local hot springs and that always makes me hungry–coming home to that smell and a bottle of wine; watching food network and hgtv; staying up later than usual because I can sleep in again!
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My perfect day at home involves baking something delicious and delicious-smelling (pumpkin bread), lounging around in something soft and warm (down slippers), and watching fun and silly TV shows (18 kids and pregnant again!). 🙂
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Great movie choices – especially She Loves Me/Loves Me Not.
My perfect staycation day is sleeping in a little (8, maybe 8:30), a nice easy run on a coolish day, which then requires a long hot shower. Put on some comfy sweats, grab a couple of books (one new one, one old favorite) and some soup in a mug, and call me done.
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pajamas until noon, burritos for lunch, and a fresh book to crack open for a day of indulgent reading!
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My Staycation would involve telling everyone that I am gone on vacation so I will not receive knocks on doors or phone calls. A good book, maybe Top Chef marathon, wine, cheese, etc… Oh and playing video games would be lots of fun for a vacation at home!
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snuggling at home on the couch with my hubs. of course we’ll have to alternate, action with chick flick. but we’re both good sports about both. (shhh, just don’t tell anyone my husband actually likes musicals).
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A perfect day at home:
Cold weather outside, fire in the fireplace. Lots of tasty snacks, maybe a meal or two (cooked by someone else). Coffee in the morning, hot chocolate in the afternoon, wine in the evening. A really good book to read, with another waiting in the wings. Some quality time to play with my son, and then Grandma babysitting so I can have some quality time alone with my husband. A movie I haven’t seen before, but which is good enough to become a new favorite.
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Perfect staycation starts with sleeping in ’till late. Coffee just the way I like it, with perfect banana pancakes made by my husband, a leisurely walk around the neighborhood, and then lots of relaxing, snuggling time at home with good books, a Dexter marathon, a batch of warm, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and burritos from our favorite taqueria for dinner! Yes, please!
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a perfect day at home would involve someone else taking care of the baby while i catch up on my stack of newspapers without interruption. heaven.
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Baking in my pull-on pants with Hit’s from the ’70s playing.
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A Perfect Staycation involves a fully stocked pantry and a bunch of old cookbooks so I can try lots of new recipes for decadent (more than likely all chocolate!) desserts! And of course I’ll need a lot of sparkling wine to go with it. And of course I want my lovely partner to join me!
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My perfect staycation – sleep in, stroll to the corner coffee shop for a nice foamy latte with the bf, stroll around and people watch whilst drinking said latte, then back home for some comfy time on the couch with lots of blankets, pillow, a cowl neck sweater, and warm comfy socks. The comfy time will inevitably include dvd – most likely arrested development and the Alfred Hitchcock collection. And more coffee and food… ahhh
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My perfect day at home would involve: watching snow fall outside with no fear of having to shovel out my car, homecooked breakfast with girlfriends, puzzle/reading time with tea in the afternoon and popcorn and a movie in the evening.
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Ooh, great movie choices! They are all ones I have wanted to see but haven’t yet. Now I have a list. Ok, my perfect staycation day would start off sleeping late, waking up and reading for awhile, getting sleepy and going back to sleep. Watching great movies for awhile, and then, around lunchtime, playing video games with my daughters, and puttering around the house with my husband. Meals would magically cook themselves, Fresh fruit salad would magically appear in my fridge. That would really be the perfect day!
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Perfect staycation: Wake up at nine, but don’t actually get out of bed till 11 (after I’ve finished reading the news & all my favorite blogs). Then mini dance party with the dog to a random iTunes DJ list, followed by homemade breakfast burritos for lunch while reading a great book, then a little Karaoke, and lastly, doing something crafty while I wait for my roast chicken to cook. All of this completed in pajamas, of course.
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First of all – I’m so glad that someone else has seen and loved “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not.” That was a recent Netflix score for us and it was such a great movie!
My ideal day at home involves sleeping late, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and an afternoon of “The Fabulous Life Of _____” accented by a stack of the most recent gossip magazines.
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P.S. Don’t hate on SAFE. I love watching that super campy, creepy movie when I want to scare myself.
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my perfect staycation: watching some streaming netflix movies snuggled up on the couch, a good bottle of wine, and my happy cat snoozing on my lap 🙂
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Perfect day at home – it should be really terrible outside, just so I can truly justify staying in. I would make french toast and various breakfast meats, and eat that while catching up on backlogged TV. I would then throw something in the slowcooker for dinner, and take a break from TV to play some video games, maybe read a bit, take a nap. Once dinner is ready, it is time for a mini movie marathon!
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Sleep in until 8am (what? I have a toddler and a preschooler — 8am IS sleeping in around here), but not actually get out of bed. Have all my favorite magazines around me, husband brings cup after cup of tea, breakfast in bed, and then the laptop, where I’d watch a mumblecore marathon via Netflix. Occasional visits from the kids and husband, some cuddles, then more movies. Talk on the phone with my best friend. Dinner date with my husband followed by a nice long drive along the water.
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My idea of the perfect day in involves a delicious breakfast (after sleeping in), a post-breakfast nap (perhaps in front of Friends on DVD), lots of time to lounge on the sofa in comfy clothes with my husband and puppies watching movies and more TV on DVD, chocolate cupcakes, and delivery (perhaps Thai for lunch and pizza for dinner)… A lazy day sounds so nice… Sigh.
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my perfect staycation day would envolve cuddling on the couch with the husband watching weeds! then some seafood, starbucks and a nice glass of wine!
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My perfect day at home starts with a leisurely breakfast (bacon, french toast and strong coffee). I’d spend a little time online looking at pretty things on Etsy, catching up on my favorite blogs, and finally answering some long overdue e-mails. The afternoon would consist of a cup of hot chocolate, a big bowl of popcorn (extra butter) and a marathon of my favorite movies. Dinner out (no cleaning up for me!) would be the perfect conclusion to a wonderful day.
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My perfect staycation is a How I Met Your Mother marathing, chocolate and almond popcorn, and my kitty cat curled up in my lap on a rainy day.
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A day in jammies snuggled on the couch with popcorn. I’d mix it up with chick flix and action movies – maybe The Thomas Crown Affair, The Fifth Element, When Harry Met Sally, Twilight… Fun!
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My perfect staycation would involve resting on the couch with hubby and kiddos, and someone else cooking the whole time. We would snuggle and watch movies and have gourmet food catered in. 🙂 I cook every meal, every day, and i need a break. otherwise, just spending time with family is the best part.
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My perfect day at home would be a slow, tasty breakfast (cooked by someone else), a long hot bath, then hanging out on the couch to read and lounge throughout the day. If I throw movies into the mix, I think something somewhat fluffy but with a girl power message might fit the bill, like Legally Blonde.
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My perfect staycation would be to sleep in, wake up next to my honey. Make coffee, bacon and pancakes and watch movies. If I’m feeling up to it and the weather is nice, maybe head into the city and grab some food in our favorite neighborhood.
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In keeping with your movie/food theme…
Breakfast – The Neverending Story – Steel cut oats in apple cider and cinnamon, good nourishment while keeping The Nothing at bay.
Lunch – – Endless Sunshine of a the Spotless Mind – Herbed cream cheese/onion/sprouts/tomato/avocado sandwich on whole wheat. And a Clementine…
Dinner – Contact – Spaghetti and interplanetary meatballs.
Late Night – Love Actually – hot mulled wine and ginger snaps. ‘Tis the season!
wow, can this be tomorrow?
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My perfect staycation starts off with a spoonful of Nutella. So far it’s not very different than any other day. But then rather than going right to my computer to get connected with the rest of the world and kick off my working day, I’ll go to my television and play some videogames (right now I’m midway through replaying Kingdom Hearts 2, oh Disney and RPGs how I love you!). Eventually I would stop for food and find out if our favorite Thai restaurant delivers so I wouldn’t even have to leave the house. Then maybe watch a movie or two on the couch with my hubby – he hasn’t seen The Notebook yet and I am betting five dollars he will cry.
Ahhh, beautiful staycation… No hope for actually doing anything like this until the holidays are over.
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I guess the perfect staycation would first involve sending the kids away to their own vacation(do we spell that vaycation now?) with grandparents or something. Then my man and I could hunker down like in the “olden days” and watch kung fu movies and eat take out chinese food and drink Maker’s Mark. And then, maybe even sleep on the couch. But we’ll have to get a new couch first since those Klippan sofas are impossible to sleep on. Then we’d have coffee and the sunday newspaper in bed. The End.
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First, I sleep in until I can’t sleep any more (my husband has gotten up at 6 to feed the ravening hordes, I mean pets). Then I get up and have something tasty for brunch, plus a mimosa. Then I lounge around watching TV and there is a fantastic backlog of new shows on my DVR. I might knit a little. I probably drink some champagne and snuggle with the cats, when they aren’t performing hilarious antics for my entertainment. And then I cook a leisurely and elaborate dinner, which my husband cleans up.
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