Much as I love my guy, I couldn’t live without my sisters. I’m lucky to have three (all older than me, ha ha!). They were my mentors, my friends, my cheerleaders, my confidants. Thankfully, never my rivals. I still turn to them when I need a quick boost. No one else understands me like they do. And vice versa. It amazes me how we sometimes have the sensibility of twins. I once bought a new bathroom ensemble – shower curtain, window curtain, rugs. Imagine my surprise when I visited my next-oldest sister Claudia’s house only to find the very same ensemble! We live nearly three hours away, so I had no idea she’d been shopping. Our tastes are deeply ingrained in our DNA apparently.

Because we used to help each other practice our French, we still sometimes lapse into silly routines from years ago. I’ve long forgotten the meaning of the phrases, but when prompted, still respond in a lilting tone, “Oui, qui a ta la pareya” (spelling verification needed!). Our humor tends to run toward black, so

I’m lucky to have several good friends whom I count as sisters as well. We’ve known each other since grade school, and our lives have shot off on trajectories we’d never imagined as kids. But as soon as we’re together, it’s like coming home. We talk and laugh as if we’d never been separated.

Cheesy as it is, the Hanes Sisters in White Christmas captured the essence of sisterhood. My sisters and I actually sing it to each other.

So today, I raise a cheer for sisterhood. My sisters knew how housebound I’d been this winter, so for my birthday surprised me with tickets to a Broadway play. I can’t wait! We’re going to see A Behanding in Spokane, which is advertised as “explosively funny” – just what I need. Christopher Walken is such a wide-ranging actor, who “finds the sunny side in the spookiest of souls,” as the New York Times wrote. His SNL skits kill me. But I love that he wanted to play a regular, nice guy – with a wife, house and dog. Okay, so he happens to be a creepy character too.

After the play, we’re going to eat at the fantastic Carmine’s,  “NYC’s Legendary Family Style Italian Restaurant.” Oh you haven’t tasted tiramisu until you’ve tasted Carmine’s. Bellisimo! And their margaritas are great too.

So look out, New York – my sisters and I will be on the loose in your city for a Girls Day Out. But now for the all-important question: What to wear??