Leonidas Phillips - Owner, Leonidas Design Studio
My favorite memories are always Christmas in New York City. One year my sister came to visit from Bermuda with my nephew, and the whole family went down to Rockefeller Center. It was so much fun. We went ice skating and drank hot cocoa. We walked down Fifth Avenue to look at the Christmas windows – still one of my favorite things today. I just became a grandma and I'm going back this Christmas with my best friend and my daughter to recapture that memory. It strikes a chord when you're doing something you did throughout your entire childhood. There are things you take for granted until you look back on it.
Betsy Gardner Eckbert - President/CEO, Winter Park Chamber of Commerce
The Winter Park Christmas Parade has always been special to me. I marched in the parade while in the Glenridge Junior High School Band. My daughter, Lucy, made her way down Park Avenue as a Daisy Scout while a Park Maitland kindergartner. And my mother, Lydia Gardner, annually smiled her inimitable smile from the back of a convertible as Orange County Clerk of Court. Growing up here, the parade was always a glorious way to kick off the holidays. So, riding in the parade with Lucy – now a college sophomore – and my Cockapoo, Axel, as the President/CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce will always be a cherished memory. Now, as producer of the parade, I get to give back to a community that nurtured me and has given me a lifetime of memories.
Dawn Aiello - Owner & Photographer, Dawn Aiello Photography
My only sister is pregnant with her first child and I don’t have any of my own, so for almost two decades it’s just been adults at home for Christmas. We’ve always had our traditions of watching family movie favorites – Elf and The Santa Clause – and we always bake cookies for my parents’ neighbors. But one of my favorite holiday memories is our annual attempt at building gingerbread houses. My mom always picks out a kit for my sister and me to work on and without fail, it’s a complete disaster. We honestly try to do our best, but it’s always toppling over and looks like a 3-year-old decorated it! It’s almost always the funniest part of my trip home for the holidays!
Dr. John Sinclair - Artistic Director & Conductor, Bach Festival Society
When I have an opportunity to perform music for the holiday season, it feels like we’re creating a direct link to people’s cumulative emotions and souls. This music doesn’t necessarily go to the brain and ears before it goes to the heart. My favorite holiday memory is always the program I’m doing that day. It’s satisfying to be a part of people’s traditions and a community that appreciates them. I’ve enjoyed so many traditions of candle lights that keep the customs of the season alive – over 40 years of Christmas in the Park, 35 years with Messiah Choral Society, and so many Christmas Vespers candlelit services. And I hope every one of them creates a lasting memory for others.
Dr. Jessica Mitchell - Owner, Foundation Wellness
Growing up in a large Southern family, we have many amazing traditions which have created a plethora of wonderful memories. A few years ago, though, we changed it up and celebrated an old-fashioned Christmas with just our immediate family in the majestic Smoky Mountains. We cut down our own tree and collected nature’s decorations in the woods, then gathered around the fire sipping apple cider while making popcorn and cranberry strings and decorating the tree. My mom and sisters and I cooked in the kitchen while my dad and brother kept the fire going and entertained us. It was a peaceful and perfect respite from the normal hustle and bustle of Christmas.