I recently watched an episode of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ in which each character offered their own personal seal-of-approval over various day to day things.

As they bickered over the actual reputation of each others’ seals, each character kept throwing out their opinions regardless of what the others thought. So here you go, regardless of outside opinion: the Sean Gundersen seal-of-approval (winter edition).

It’s starting to get a tid bit nippy outside so be sure to always dress warm. Personally, I love bundling up and taking a brisk walk around my neighborhood or down on Main Street at night, and speaking of Main Street, the annual Christmas Traditions festival is once more up and running every weekend until the new year.

The first Sean Gundersen seal-of-approval (SGSA) goes to the Christmas Traditions and the great fun it brings every year. I’m good friends with some of the usual characters, so I’m a bit biased, but be sure to check out Jack Frost (because it’s his final year before he goes to work at Disneyland!), the chestnut roasters, and the flower girls! The Christmas atmosphere mixed with a steaming cup of hot chocolate, shared with friends or that special someone, always makes for a memorable experience.

If you’re a Scrooge and you hate the cold weather then I highly recommend spending a few nights (open mic or not) at the St. Charles Coffee House with their gourmet hot chocolate and seasonal hot apple caramel cider. This is a must-see venue, especially in the winter, and that’s why it receives the second SGSA.

A couple blogs back, I talked about the first of a set of singles released by My Chemical Romance. Well, the second string of songs was released on Black Friday, and they brought an entirely new batch of twists for the band. The two songs ‘AMBULANCE’ and ‘Gun,’ bring the glam rock of “Welcome to the Black Parade” back onto the scene in a refreshing way, but are certainly unique from the previous releases, and that’s why it receives a tentative SGSA, as I await the next few releases to see if the band can pull each of the songs into a cohesive album.

And lastly, the 2011 film ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’ recieves a SGSA for passing those glorious snow days. This visionary film follows the 85-year-old sushi chef, Jiro Oni, whom is highly regarded as one of the best chefs across the world. The honesty and depth really speaks to the viewer as they get a glimpse inside Jiro’s 10-seat restaurant and his incredibly admirable and continuous quest for perfection. And the best part is, it was just added to Netflix, so you’re covered!

Thanks for reading, I hope I was able to spark some wintry plans and if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or want for more SGSA approved things (most likely not, I’d assume), you can contact me at [email protected] or tweet @thehippestcat.