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 day at home is a long day of cooking with my boyfriend. If it’s cold – a fire in the fireplace, some type of hot, alcoholic drink to keep us amused. If it’s hot out – margaritas and bad reggae.
LikeLike
Jammies, takeout, my man, my kittens, and dvds. Then later, wine and candle time with my man. I’d prefer the weather to be gorgeously sunny and warm, or cold and snowy all day long. No in-between.
LikeLike
My perfect staycation would be a day home — alone, with no hubby or kiddos — watching movies by the fireplace.
LikeLike
perfect staycation day=cheese, wine, husband, remote control, and a no-leaving-the-couch-under-any-circumstances rule. a babysitter and a pile of cash for takeout are assumed.
LikeLike
My movie-day lineup would have to include a spattering of Woody Allen and Jane Austen.
Call me crazy.
LikeLike
My perfect staycation is a part-time babysitter, a stack of good books, a cozy couch, and awesome movies. Throw in food I don’t have to cook, and I’m golden. : )
LikeLike
My perfect staycation right now would be to be at home with my family and my happy/healthy new baby girl — she just has to get here (Due this Friday)! Nine months of waiting is long enough!
LikeLike
My staycation involves a bubble bath, reading the latest Real Simple, a glass of white merlot, and snuggling with the husband while catching up on the DVR.
LikeLike
My perfect day at home would involve a tasty glass of red wine, some luscious dark chocolate, a bubble bath and a good book. Maybe after the bath I would pop in some sappy romantic movie. During the holidays my movie of choice is Love Actually!
LikeLike
My perfect staycation would be spending the morning in my pj’s, with my husband, watching movies and eating delicious snacks someone else prepares and cleans up after. We’d get up for a leisurely afternoon walk in the woods, and end the day snuggling by our fireplace with homemade s’mores. To make this amazing day complete: our five month old daughter would magically be capable of napping for more than 30 minutes at a time.
LikeLike
Mmmm…staycation. Sleep in late, leisurely walk w/the dog, lay in bed reading. Dinner, drinks and movies with husband. Yum.
LikeLike
Making waffles in the morning with my honey, walking to Alamo Square and taking silly pictures of each other, a wine-and-cheese lunch, going to the Vogue theater for an afternoon movie, scrabble and spaghetti dinner, early bedtime.
Purrrrrr.
LikeLike
Staycation? Well, considering it’s a sweltering -10 degrees outside and I value my limbs, a staycation sounds just fabulous. If I could have it my way it would involve… pajamas, fuzzy slippers, wine, cheese/craker, chocolate cake and “Love Actually”. Oh, also add a couple girlfriends and obnoxious laughter and I’d be one happy camper.
LikeLike
Old college sweats, my husbands socks, a six pack of Pepsi, a huge bag of potato chips with accompanying onion dip and MOVIE MUSICALS – Grease, Fiddler, West Side Story, Oliver!, Meet Me In St Louis, Oklahoma…..does xbox have a karaoke game?!? That would be the only thing that would make my day even MORE perfect…
LikeLike
My perfect staycation would be comfy clothes, popcorn, hot cocoa, the house decorated, Christmas movies, and my three boys (1 hubby & 2 little ones).
LikeLike
Pj’s all day, popcorn and a reallly good book. hubby can come home in time to make dinner and do the dishes.
LikeLike
Comfy pants… a snow storm outside, so there is no reason to go out… movies on the tv, a round of video games that the whole family can play together, and then the whole family tells me to relax while they clean up the kitchen. 🙂
LikeLike
A day where there is no laundry, no cooking, no dog walking, no office work-in other words, a day that will never happen.
LikeLike
I’m thinking a LotR marathon with spicy popcorn: lots of butter and a sprinkling of cayenne and black pepper. There also needs to be a fancy but easy dinner (maybe lobster pot pies) and champagne. Yes, I think that’d do it.
LikeLike
My perfect day at home requires a nice cup of coffee, a toasted bagel with cream cheese and a great book!
LikeLike
Let’s see. My perfect day in would include making an outrageous breakfast of say, french toast stuffed with goat cheese topped with a chocolate beer sauce, because if you can’t have beer for breakfast on a staycation, I don’t want one (recipe here: http://bit.ly/3lLIDa). After gorging myself on those little beauties I would probably need a nap and some quality time with some literature, preferably of the magical realism genre. When I got my energy back, I’d do all the arts and crafts I wish I had time to do during the work week while jamming out to some too-loud music. Then I would go to my boyfriend’s house and play the new Super Mario Brothers game on his Wii and eat cheddar nut thins and wasabi-soy almonds. At night, I might venture out of the house to get a fancy drink like a Framboise Flip with a farm egg with friends.
LikeLike
My staycation would include the husband making waffles for breakfast, reading all morning while the kids watch TV and leave me alone and don’t fight, paninis for lunch, family games in the afternoon (again with the no fighting), pizza for dinner and a family movie afterwards. Yay! Lets plan it!
LikeLike
My perfect staycation would currently involve listening to funky Christmas tunes (the good stuff- none of this Little Drummer Boy crap) and setting up Christmas decorations. I’m looking forward to a day or two of putting up the tree, being warm and cozy inside and enjoying some twinkling lights. This Christmas is going to be less… materialistic… than in years past, so it’s going to be all about the little things.
LikeLike
My staycation would involve 3 days without showering/washing my hair, pajamas, a good book and great movies! Winning an Xbox would involve eternal love and endless kisses from my teenager son, check my website to see how cute he is :))
LikeLike
My perfect staycation depends on my mood and the season. Right now I’d choose a thermos of my own dark rum super rich hot chocolate and a hike along a local trail with the crunch of fresh snow under my feet. Though at other times letting myself get lost in an art or craft project with good music playing loudly fits me.
–KurtRoedeger
LikeLike
The perfect staycation would involve my wife, good movies, good books, a wide variety of takeout (available at whatever hour we wanted it) and turning off our phones so we can’t be reached at all. Copious amounts of snuggling would also be a necessity. 🙂
LikeLike
The perfect staycation day for me, at this very moment, would be lounging around baking cookies and watching movies.
LikeLike
Playing rock band and watching great movies with friends. Of course there will be wine and liquor involved, but just enough to have fun and not be too trashy.
LikeLike
Baking, reading while eating said baked goods, possibly napping, then having a lovely romantic dinner.
LikeLike
My perfect “staycation” includes wine, jammies, and movies, and pizza. MMmmmmm
LikeLike
Much like yours, my perfect staycation involves good movies, a fireplace, snowstorm outside, wine, cats, movies.
LikeLike
Today would’ve been a great day to stay at home in NH – first big snow of the year! Had I chosen that road, my perfect day home would have included several cups of strong coffee, consumed in my fuzzy bathrobe while reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle; next would come an hour or so of Food Network, while browsing magazines and cookbooks for inspiration. After that it’s time to cook or bake. Chicken soup with dumplings? Sugar cookies and royal icing? Fudge? Other homemade gifts for the holidays? Next it’s time to get out in nature, tromp around in the snow, take some pictures, look at animal tracks, see what birds are at my feeders. Going back inside to a warm house with a fire is that much more rewarding when you’re a little cold and wet. Shower, change into jeans and a sweatshirt, maybe do my nails and put on a movie! I’ve been dying to see Julie & Julia after loving Julia Childs’ My Life in France…it’s in Red Box as of yesterday…I should’ve stayed home!
Love your blog and have been lurking around here for quite some time. Thanks for the great giveaway!
LikeLike
A fire in the fireplace on a cold wintery day. A bowl of freshly popped popcorn, my husband and my dog. We can watch tv, we can read books, or we can just laugh at the dog. It’s all perfect.
LikeLike
Spend all day in my kitchen, baking and making candy, listening to an audiobook, sipping mimosas in the am and switching to red wine in the evening. Feeding yummy treats to my handsome husband throughout the afternoon, and closing the day with a comfort-food dinner and an episode or three of Seinfeld or maybe Red Dwarf.
LikeLike
Drinks, foods that other people cook for me, and no pants!
LikeLike
I would watch a Dexter + Burn Notice marathon (two shows that both my boyfriend and I enjoy) and pig out on chips, dip, and cheese popcorn. And delivery, lots of pizza.
LikeLike
Strangely, my perfect staycation already involves a (first-gen, refurbushed, p.o.s.-so-please-don’t-disqualify-me) xbox. The boyfriend and I live 2500 miles apart–our vacations are default staycations, as we prefer each other’s company to lots of travel and Best Vacation Ever pressure.
So:
* Red wine. Nothing fancy–just a plain California table wine.
* Sci-fi TV marathons. When we first started dating 100 years ago, this was Red Dward on VHS. Then Babylon 5. Since reuniting, it’s been Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who. After that, I think it may be time for him to experience Lost. This time around, it’s all about xbox live and netflix.
* Popcorn made on the stove. Salt only.
* Pizza delivery
* Long walks with a puppy
* Silly xbox games: Katamari Damacy. Geometry Wars. 1 vs. 100
* Housepants
* Naptime
* Irish coffee
LikeLike
Movie marathon for this time of year:
-National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
-Home Alone (the original)
-Muppet Christmas Carol (SUCH an underrated movie)
Husband and I would watch in bed all day snuggling with the baby dog and pizza.
Hooray
LikeLike
Day would start with a sleep in, followed by a greasy brunch out. Way back when, we used to have a pullout sofa in our living room, so my ideal day would involve pulling a sofa out and watching TV all day while laying down (and NOT in bed) – heaven. Since my job as an academic is a brain intensive job, my key requirement for what’s on the TV is that it does NOT require thinking. Comedy, action/adventure, romance – okay, so long as no thinking is involved. I would also require lots of Diet Coke during the morning/afternoon, followed by good delivery and lots of wine to offset the effects of the Diet Coke.
LikeLike
Perfect Staycation:
Sleep in and then have oatmeal for breakfast [for me] and bacon and eggs [for the husband] and bagels [for the daughter]. Watch a Daily Show / Colbert Report on the DVR and read the NYT to get caught up with the news.
Play a board game [Scrabble/Cranium/Clue] and eat lots of snacks – popcorn, apples and cheese, barbque chips.
Have of salad and any bacon left from breakfast.
Start the Star Wars trilogy [no, not the new ones] and read magazines and books.
Dinner of grilled beef, grilled asparagus, brown rice.
Magically have someone else do the day’s dishes.
Watch a fun, age appropriate movie or maybe not and watch a sort of scary one instead – like Sean of the Dead.
Eat lots of ice cream.
Play Rock Band.
The end!
LikeLike
Today is a snow day so I can live my stay at home vacation dreams (just can’t bring myself to use that bastardized word!). Having a good time at home necessarily requires reading good books in a warm bed while it snows outside, brisk walks with the dogs, hot chocolate, possibly baking or painting, cooking up something delicious for dinner, and then more bed and books.
LikeLike
Maggie, my day is exactly like yours, minus olive oil on popcorn (Reese’s pieces mixed in instead) and several of the movies: Walking and Talking with Catherine Keener at her BEST!!!!!! And for my Parker Posey fix, Broken English.
Le Sigh.
LikeLike
My perfect day would include sleeping until 10, taking my dogs to the park for the day, and meeting up with friends in the evening for wine and cozy good times.
LikeLike
Perfect staycation (echh, sorry i just gagged a little):
me, on the couch
children getting along swimmingly, playing at my feet
husband bringing me a glass of wine
movies you love to hate on the television (possibly with head phones so the children won’t be permanently scarred)
two pints of haagen dazs (sticky toffe-please bring it back, and chocolate chocolate chip)
yum
LikeLike
My perfect day? My husband gets up with our boy and lets me sleep in til 9. Then we put on endless hours of old/good Woody Allen movies:
Hannah and her Sisters
Take the Money and Run
Alice
Manhattan
While snacking on Totino’s Party Pizza and turkey franks rolled up Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. SODIUM, anyone?
Later, we wrap ourselves in blankets and play backgammon.
Lovely.
LikeLike
Sleeping in, snuggling with the dog, having someone else do my hair, makeup, and wardrobe, and maybe cleaning my house while they’re at it. Definitely finding new restaurants with delivery would be AWESOME (in MN hardly anything delivers), and since we’re all about food & movies let’s throw in a DQ Banana Royale and Season 2 of True Blood (not yet released). And then a lottery win and lots of online shopping.
LikeLike
My perfect day: Hit the Highland Cafe for a late breakfast, including homemade pierogi, find the perfect parking place and check out the boutiques on Grand Avenue. Hit Mai Village for a fantastic Vietnamese lunch. Take the kids to the Children’s Discovery Museum then out to an early dinner of sushi at Origami in DT Minneapolis, drop the kids off with a baby sitter, and go to a late movie with my husband.
LikeLike
My perfect staycation would involve a bottle of good wine, my bed and freshly dried sheets (you know, with the yummy fresh-out-of-the-dryer smell), and a marathon of True Blood episodes. Relaxation. No phone calls. No need to get out of bed except for more snacks & wine!
🙂
LikeLike
My perfect staycation is being at home snuggling with my guys (hubby and son) and of course some ice cream!
LikeLike
My perfect day at home means that it’s a snow day, so they’ve cancelled work (happens once in a blue moon, but it adds the je ne sais quoi to it all). It involves pancakes and coffee for breakfast, a walk with the dog when the snow stops falling and the sun comes out. It involves a marathon of some television show that I love, which just happens to coincide with the snow day–like The Closer or Damages, for instance. Or an entire slew of the best seasons of The Gilmore Girls. I would bake bread and make soup. My kids would call, but it would be between episodes of the show. Oh, and I would have a stock of good potato chips and lots of good fruit and somehow a BLT would magically appear right around lunchtime.
LikeLike