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GP Holiday Tales: A Glimpse into Our Team’s Seasonal Traditions

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The holidays are a time for sharing—sharing meals, laughter, and the traditions that make this season special. At Great Performances, we’re fortunate to work with an incredible team of individuals who bring their creativity and care to everything they do, both professionally and personally. This year, we asked a few of our team members to share their holiday traditions in their own words. Their stories reflect the joy, warmth, and meaning that make this time of year so magical.

Morgan Golumbuk, Senior Event Director

“This tradition came about purely by accident, which—I think—makes it all the better. Growing up, our Hanukkah gifts increased in value or size as the nights went on, but the first gift was always the same: scratch-off lottery tickets and candy bars. I knew that I had to offer these same foundational gifts to guests of my first solo-hosted Hanukkah last year, so I traipsed across the neighborhood in search of matzoh ball soup ingredients, spiked seltzers, and the gifting goodies. When I called my parents to tell them about my plans, they said that they didn’t even realize the gift-giving pattern; it was just a happy mitzvah.”

De’Enna Quinn, Inside Sales Associate

“Each year, I bring a southern tradition of a show-stopping dessert for my husband’s New Jersey family holiday gatherings. Since 2011, it’s become my personal holiday mission: no Christmas is complete without a show-stopping trifle to match the festive feast. My husband’s family has an incredible Christmas tradition—each year, they choose a different cuisine to center the holiday meal. Over the years, we’ve enjoyed homemade sushi and udon bowls, Southern fried chicken with all the fixings (a theme I proudly picked), and even a classic holiday spread.”

Ali Rea Baum, Senior Event Director

“When I was 9, my mother and I moved to California from New York. It was a very big move for me, as I was leaving most of my family (most importantly my dad). I grew up half Jewish/half Unitarian, so both Christmas and Hanukkah were big parts of my life. To ensure that we continued some of my New York family Hanukkah traditions, every Christmas Eve, my mother would make a brisket and latkes. This tradition continues to this day. Last year, I couldn’t be with my mother on Christmas Eve, so I made the brisket and latkes on my own for my husband, daughter, dad, bonus mom, and brother. It was delicious.”

Brandon Reichert, Director of Information and Technology

“Every Christmas, my apartment turns into the ultimate board game battlefield. Friends and family show up, each bringing a brand-new game, and from the moment the first dice roll hits the table, it’s game on. The stakes? Eternal bragging rights and the all-important game night lineup for the next year.

The day is pure chaos in the best way. Someone’s always dramatically flipping through the rulebook while another person insists, ‘I swear this is my first time playing!’ right before crushing everyone. Trash talk is flying, alliances are made and broken, and laughter fills the room—usually at someone’s ridiculous strategy that somehow works.

By the time dinner rolls around, the scoreboard is the center of attention. Who’s on top? Who’s the underdog? Over plates piled high with ham (because it’s not Christmas without ham), we argue about the best plays and the most epic fails. It’s all in good fun… mostly.

At the end of the night, we tally up the winners, and everyone leaves with a mix of pride, plans for revenge, and maybe a little too much ham in the belly. It’s the perfect mix of competition, laughter, and holiday cheer—and it’s the tradition I look forward to every single year.”

Linda Abbey, Executive Vice President

“Our apartment on LaSalle Street between Broadway & Amsterdam has a perfect view of the lighted tower that is Riverside, an interdenominational church modeled after the 13th-century Gothic cathedral in Chartres, France. The bells toll every Sunday at 10:15 a.m., at which time we open the windows wide to bask in the sound.

One of our holiday traditions is to attend the Christmas Eve Service of Lessons & Carols at this stunning church. Classic and modern carols are interspersed with readings, and often a harp solo here, a piano and flute solo there. The organ music is moving; the singing of the choir stirring. A pocketful of tissues is a must. To slowly meander home afterward in the quiet winter chill is to appreciate just how blessed we are to have access to the magic that is Riverside.”

Brigid Randolph, Culinary Development Coordinator

“One of my favorite holiday traditions (that my mom in particular enforces!) is that our family doesn’t listen to any Christmas music until after Thanksgiving dinner is over. Once all the dinner plates have been cleared though, Christmas music is fair game, and we’ll bust out the classics along with the pumpkin pie—usually a Johnny Mathis Christmas album or the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

 

From scratch-off tickets and brisket to carols and competition, these traditions reflect the many ways our team celebrates the season. Each story reminds us that the holidays aren’t just about the food we share or the songs we sing but the people we gather with and the memories we create together.

Here’s to embracing traditions old and new, savoring the flavors of the season, and finding joy in every laugh, every note, and every roll of the dice. Happy holidays from all of us at Great Performances!