The stereotypical hookup character on television is not usually one we can be proud of. From Woody Allen’s nebbish and neurotic to Mrs. Seinfeld’s overbearing and oblivious, the Jews might have a reputation as scholarly, but never sexy. This must be what Italians feel like watching Jersey Shore. The coolest Jew in television history was a young Henry Winkler – he could get any girl he wanted, start a jukebox by hitting it and even jump over a shark while not getting his leather jacket wet. Of course, the character he played was Italian. No one would believe all that could be done by Arthur Fonzewitz…

You probably hear over and over again that online dating is a numbers game. Perhaps you wonder, “When will it be my turn?” As singles looking for love online, you know that first impressions are everything. So without further adieu, I wish you all a very festive holiday season. Here are eight ways to enjoy the holiday. So don’t be blue and let’s get started.

I may have mentioned before that I refer to the wedding weekend as the Wedding Olympics. Instead of star athletes, there’s a star couple! There’s a lot of promotion that goes into it for months prior (the real Olympics has a theme song. Do you?) People travel to be there and set up camps in Wedding Olympics Village, otherwise known as “hotel blocks for the X wedding.” Nikes and leotards are traded in for tuxes and dresses, but there still seems to be a costume or uniform, of sorts. Oh, and the bride and groom get a prize instead of medals; they get each other! And there are so many events!

If wealth does not lead to happiness then what does? Happiness experts Elizabeth W. Dunn of the University of British Columbia, Daniel T. Gilbert from Harvard University and Timothy D. Wilson of the University of Virginia allege that experiences keep people merrier than belongings. Perhaps it’s wishful thinking but at least it’s an investment everyone can afford. Their latest paper suggests new ways of spending that will help you stay happy.

I love Thanksgiving. It is the most American of all holidays. As a Jew, I especially love the holiday. It is the only holiday where I can eat a big fancy dinner and pile into the car and go visit friends or just drive around and look at the holiday lights. I can run to the store and pick up forgotten items and I can use the internet to check out pie recipes. On hookup holidays, this would not be possible. Thanksgiving levels the playing field for Jews and makes you feel just like every other American.

I’ll admit it. As a single gal, the holiday season can feel a little lonely. Even though I’m hookup and don’t celebrate Christmas, from about mid November through New Years, I think I lack a little All American holiday spirit. Even Chanukah, the holiday of light, can feel isolating when lighting candles on my own.  The last time I hand-grated potatoes for homemade latkes? It was for my boyfriend at the time.

Making pumpkin gnocchi is simple and has a big payoff. Sophisticated and delicious, pumpkin gnocchi are the perfect appetizer, main course or side dish to a fall meal. The gnocchi can be made several days ahead of serving and can also be made pareve as a terrific side dish for poultry.

“You’re lucky if you find one true friend in an entire lifetime.” Sure sounds familiar, but does this old adage still apply? For one thing, in recent years, scientific researchers have advised us that more friends means a happier, longer life. We’ve even reached a point whereby the platforms upon which we base our social networks allow us to rack up connections as if they were frequent flyer points. Yet, in the case of friendships, does more of less equal better? And, if so, how can we come to terms when those weaker links tear us apart emotionally?

The Chair Scare: The feeling of butterflies about going up in a chair a handful of feet above the ground while holding onto a napkin, grinning with clenched teeth through the tight corset of the wedding dress during a series of bounces and hollers from the crowd.

I imagine it’s much more difficult to be a Jew on Christmas than it is to be a Christian on Hanukah. You don’t find many Hanukah specials about families getting stranded in an airport learning the true meaning of the menorah.