I　Will　Always　Love　You

Cecily　Von　Ziegesar

Love　is　like　war：　easy　to　begin　but　very　hard　to　stop。

—H。　L。　Mencken

hey　people！

ho；　ho；　ho！

’Tis　the　season　to　be　jolly。　Fa　la　la　la　la；　la　la　la　la。　Don　we　now　our　gay　apparel…　which　just　so　happens　to　have　been　made　for　us　by　the　little　elves　at　Givenchy　or　YSL　or　Oscar　de　la　Renta。　Who　are　we；　you　ask？　The　residents　of　Manhattan’s　Golden　Mile；　of　course—that　glorious　stretch　of　doorman　buildings　above　Fifty…ninth　Street　and　below　Eighty…sixth。　It’s　Christmastime；　time　to　deck　our　sprawling　Upper　East　Side　penthouses　with　silver　and　gold　baubles；　twinkly　lights；　velvet　bows；　and　chocolates　imported　from　belle　Paris。　Here　the　holidays　are　always　a　little　more　sparkly；　a　little　brighter；　a　little　better。　It’s　so；　so　good　to　be　back。

While　I’m　not　about　to　tell　you　where　I’ve　been　for　the　past　few　months；　I　will　tell　you　that　there　is　life　after　high　school。　Yes；　it　finally　happened：　We　went　to　college。　During　the　past　semester　we　encountered　people　who　haven’t　seen　us　naked　（yet）；　and　who　don’t　know　our　SAT　scores；　who　don’t　remember　that　time　we　wet　our　pants　in　kindergarten；　or　when　we　got　our　ears　pierced。　We’ve　learned　a　few　new　things；　made　a　few　new　friends；　and　have　even　maybe　met　the　loves　our　lives。　We’ve　changed—hopefully　for　the　better。　And　we’re　just　as　fabulous　as　always。

Take　B；　for　instance。　She’s　spending　a　perfect　holiday　with　her　perfect　Yale　boyfriend　and　his　perfect　family　at　their　idyllic　Vermont　pound。　That　girl　always　had　her　eye　on　the　prize。　Speaking　of　prizes；　what’s　S　up　to　these　days？　No　longer　hounded　by　overeager；　fashion…conscious　Constance　Billard　girls；　she’s　now　trailed　by　the　paparazzi　and　a　posse　of　wannabe　movie　starlets　while　she