In this issue:
- Next Wednesday, December 31 – the “All Singles New Year’s Eve” in Rosemont is at Cafe Zalute in Rosemont. Signups are progressing nicely.
- “It’s Christmas – Get Over It!”   
   
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All: Sign Up for the All Singles New Year’s Eve Now
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I hope that you, my treasured friends, all have a wonderful Christmas and Happy Holiday season and an even better and more prosperous New Year.

With Christmas just a day away, that also means the “All Singles New Year’s Eve” is now just a week away. The pace of signups is picking up and will get absolutely hectic after Christmas. Don’t wait until the last minute and risk getting left out. 
 
Anyone who has ever attended our “All Singles New Year’s Eve” will tell you that it is the best party for singles over 30 in the Chicago area. The best part is that while it is a well-attended party, it is not one of those “cattle call” events with bad food, bad drinks and some people who give you the shivers. 
  
Once again, this year’s “All Singles New Year’s Eve” will be at the very popular Cafe Zalute on Devon Avenue just west of River Road in Rosemont. Space is limited, so be sure to register ASAP to reserve your spot. The package is top-notch. 
 
First, you can choose from five mouth-watering  entrees — Prime Rib, Crab-crusted Sea Bass, Filet Mignon, Stuffed Chicken Breast or Shrimp Scampi — YUM! There will also be complimentary quality “Senny-selected” wines served throughout dinner and French Champagne for the midnight toast.
  
Secondly, there will again be music from Brian, one of the best DJs in the city. He will play your favorite rock and pop dance songs for 2 1/2 hours of dancing. And, best of all, your entire event will be $94 for members and $99 for guests, both of which are lower than last year’s event.
 
Again, space is limited. This event has sold out in the past, so be sure to register right away. This event is open to all singles, age approx. 34-59, regardless of past participation. Sign up right now at www.gourmetconnections.com/singlepage.html
 
Also, for any of you who are concerned about driving after the party, we have a special $89 room rate at the Hyatt Rosemont next door for anyone who attends the party. Call me at 773-929-6534 for the details.
   
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Details for the Best Singles New Year’s Eve Party Anywhere! Join Us in Rosemont
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When? – Next Wednesday, December 31, 7:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.
 
What? – Ring in 2009 at the 7th Annual All Singles New Year’s Eve Celebration at
 
Where? -

Café Zalute

9501 W. Devon Ave. (at N. River Road, West Side of Hyatt Rosemont) in Rosemont
 
Make this New Year’s Eve Celebration one to remember with an exciting, elegant and totally fun celebration for singles at the popular Café Zalute, near the Hyatt Rosemont Hotel at the corner of River Road and Devon Avenue in Rosemont. Our Seventh Annual “All Singles New Years Eve,” this is one of the most popular parties in the area for singles (age approx. 34 through 59 years).
 
Meet and mingle with single friends old and new at this exclusive dinner dance. This exciting event begins with a cocktail reception featuring a cash bar. This is followed by an elegant seated dinner with complimentary wine throughout dinner and your choice from the following sumptuous entrees:
- Crabmeat-Crusted Sea Bass with a Lobster-Cognac Sauce
- 14 oz. Roasted Prime Rib of Beef
- Sautéed Stuffed Chicken Breast, stuffed with Fresh Spinach and Ricotta Cheese
- 10 oz. Char-grilled Filet Mignon
- Shrimp Scampi – Colossal Shrimp, sautéed in Butter, Garlic and Sherry Wine 
Dinner also includes three appetizers, sides, a Deluxe Mixed Green Salad, and a Luscious Chocolate and Caramel Turtle Sundae for dessert, plus coffee or tea. Complimentary wine will also be served throughout dinner.

After dinner, you can dance the night away until 1:00 a.m. to music from our own DJ, one of the best in Chicagoland. Drinks are cash bar. Your evening also includes party favors and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight. All attendees qualify for an $89 room rate at the Hyatt Rosemont. Call Senny at 773-929-6534 for details.  
 
Your complete and memorable evening, including cocktail party, sumptuous 4-course seated dinner including wine, dancing, champagne toast and party favors, taxes and tips is $94 for members and $99 for guests. Dressy attire with black tie optional. Parking in the lot. DO NOT DELAY, as space is limited; so please register early.
 
Sign up right away at www.gourmetconnections.com/singlepage.html
 
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Singles Notebook – “Get-Real” Thoughts and Opinions from Jim “Senny” Senhauser                       

“It’s Christmas – Get Over It!”

This is going to be an especially tough Christmas for many of you, both financially and emotionally. Still, the title I chose for my article today may come as a surprise to you. Some of you may be thinking that such a sentiment is a bit negative for this holiday season. Well, I guess that depends on your interpretation of what “It” is.
 
Let me explain. This time of year, whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, along with New Year’s, is not always an easy time for singles. Economic pressures make it even harder. While it’s a joyous time for many families, singles often find it a very stressful couple of weeks. You and I may cherish fond memories of family Christmases we celebrated as we grew up, or those from earlier marriages or other relationships. However, these thoughts may now be tempered by breakups, divorces or deaths of loved ones over the years. In this scenario stew, blending happy and sad, it’s only natural to sometimes feel frustration, sadness, depression or regret.
 
For others of you, there may be ongoing strained relationships with certain members of the family or past friends. Perhaps you are no longer speaking. This unresolved situation brings with it a unique set of frustrations all its own.
 
For all of these formerly happy situations that have turned sad or regretful, here is my advice – GET OVER IT. Whether you like to admit it or not, you CHOOSE how to feel about the past. If tomorrow, you decide to wallow in regret or stew in anger or depression, remember that it is entirely your choice. And, if you do that, you will be telling yourself that you prefer to live in the past rather than experiencing today fully or looking to the promise of tomorrow.
 
Today I look around and financially and present-wise, this will be one of my bleakest Christmases in a long time. Still, I have my health, I have some friends and family who love me (or maybe just tolerate my idiosyncrasies), a roof over my head, enough food on the table and even a little wine in the fridge. I have faith in myself and God and hope for this country and for the future. For that, I am truly blessed.
 
So, you say you’re different and I just don’t understand. Well, you’re wrong.
 
I’ve had four of the five women I have loved in my life break up with me over the Christmas holiday. I found out my late mother had Alzheimer’s disease on Christmas in 1993. Sure, sometimes these memories hurt, but you get past it. You don’t forget, but you learn to forgive – both those who hurt you and you yourself.
 
While you are at it, you may also want to ask forgiveness from those you may have hurt. Sure, you probably didn’t ever mean to hurt them, or you might even think it was primarily their fault. Still, it was likely not ALL their fault. By reaching out, you may still bring some healing to the both of you and possibly to your relationship.
 
If any of the suggestions I have given you above seem familiar, maybe it is because I believe in the lessons taught by the Dickens’ story, A Christmas Carol. Most of you are probably best acquainted with it from the 1951 movie adaptation, starring Alastair Sim as Scrooge. Think about it; if a guy like Scrooge can learn to live Christmas in the present and with hope for the future, surely it is not beyond the capabilities, resolve and spirit of you and me to do the same.
 
So, may all of our hearts, minds and spirits be filled with the healing power and magic of Christmas and with hope for the future – this holiday season and always.
 
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Here are my Top 10 Christmas Movies that you may find a happy holiday diversion: 
 
A Christmas Carol (1951) stars Alastair Sim, Michael Hordern, Jack Warner, Mervyn Johns and Kathleen Harrison. A miser learns the lessons of Christmas from a series of visitations from the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.
 
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) stars Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore. A man going through hard economic times makes the wish that he had never been born. With the help of an aspiring angel, he learns that the value of his existence.
 
A Christmas Story (1983) stars Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon and Peter Billingsley. Ralphie, a young boy growing up in the 1940s, wants a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas. Now, if he could just convince his parents, his teacher and Santa Claus.
 
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) stars Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood, Maureen O’Hara and John Payne. A nice old man claims to be Santa Claus and gets a job at Macy’s. He is institutionalized for being insane and must prove himself “real” in court.
 
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) stars Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. The dysfunctional Griswold family tries to celebrate the season with Christmas lights, sledding and other high jinks that lead to mishaps.
 
Home Alone (1990) stars Macaulay Calkin, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. An 8-year-old is accidentally left at home alone while his family goes on vacation. He must protect his home from a couple of bumbling burglars.
 
The Santa Clause (1994) stars Tim Allen, Wendy Crewson, Judge Reinhold and Eric Lloyd. A man inadvertently kills Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. He now finds himself magically transformed into the next Santa to take his place.
 
Love Actually (2003) stars Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth and Laura Linney. Eight families, seemingly unrelated, struggle with their relationships at Christmas, while finding their true interrelatedness.
 
The Apartment (1960) stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray. A young middle manager tries to rise in his company by letting corporate executives use his apartment for romance, but ends up falling for the boss’s girlfriend.
 
Gremlins (1984) stars Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates and Keye Luke. A young bank teller inadvertently breaks three rules concerning his new pet. This creates a horde of mischievous monsters that wreak havoc on a small town.

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Enjoy the holidays and maybe the movies. We hope that you decide to join us for the “All Singles New Year’s Eve” in Rosemont. Have a Very Merry Christmas!
  

 
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Successful Single! ©2008 – Success Singles Club, Ltd. (formerly the Gourmet Advocates, Ltd.)
 
Jim Senhauser’s “Singles Notebook” column (used with permission) is ©2008 IdeaTree,
Ltd., Chicago, IL 60613. “IdeaTree” is a registered trademark of IdeaTree, Ltd.