Look Who's Talking

With the official beginning of winter in sight, we asked the physician and research community to talk about some of their favorite traditions this time of year.

 What is your favorite holiday or winter tradition?

Gary Chase

Gary Chase
Nurses' Health Studies

My wife and I will be taking our two kids and her 99-year-old father for a holiday cruise on the Queen Mary 2. We'll drive to New York, and the ship will go round-trip to the Caribbean and get us back on Jan. 3. We did this same cruise two years ago. Even though it's weird to be in a tropical environment for the holidays, when hundreds of passengers get together in the main atrium to sing Christmas carols, the special holiday feeling is infectious (in a good way)! 

Leana Wen, MD, MSc

Leana Wen, MD, MSc
Resident, Division of Emergency Medicine

When I was eight, my parents and I immigrated to America. It was just before Christmas, and we had no family here and no home. Our new neighbors, total strangers to us, took us in and invited us to spend Christmas with them. From then on, every Christmas, we've played host to new immigrants who are away from their homes and families.     

Aaron S. Kesselheim,  MD, JD, MPH

Aaron S. Kesselheim, MD, JD, MPH
Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics

My favorite winter traditions are celebrating the holidays with family, complaining about the weather, breaking out the ice skates and sleds when it snows, complaining about the weather, hot chocolate, and complaining about the weather.

Adam Landman, MD

Adam Landman, MD
Department of Emergency Medicine

The holidays are always a fun time of year. This season I'm hoping we receive some snow. I look forward to skiing in New England with friends and family and relaxing by the fire with warm drinks after a long day on the slopes.

Martha E. Shenton, PhD

Martha E. Shenton, PhD
Department of Psychiatry and Radiology

When I was younger, my favorite winter tradition was to be the first to ski down the slope early in the morning before any other tracks were visible. Now I would say my tastes have changed and my favorite winter tradition is to walk the streets of Boston on a winter evening when all the lights are glowing and there is snow on the ground and in the trees, and people are walking briskly because of the cold but there is a sense of being a part of the scenery, and I am reminded of how much I love living in Boston.

Michael Murphy, ED

Michael Murphy, ED
Division of Emergency Medicine

Our Christmas and holiday activities are always comprised of preparation and family togetherness. Our family traditions include the challenges of finding the perfect tree to decorate and selecting the "right" picture of our boys for the Christmas card. Grandma usually comes from Albany to help bake holiday cookies, while I face the challenges of hanging the wreathes  upon the windows.  Christmas eve is spent with my wife and sons at our church on Beacon Hill. The boys bring stuffed animals to the crèche, which are given to homeless children in the Boston area. Practicing emergency medicine frequently involves spending alternate years with my health care families and our patients in the Emergency Department. Our holiday wishes are for health and happiness for all.