December 28, 2006

'tis the season

I love the holidays, and this holiday season has been nothing short of extraordinary. I grew up watching all the holiday specials and parades with my family, and this year, I was lucky enough to participate in them. It was truly a dream come true. It started with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I was on the first float of the parade with Ashley, Corbin, and Lucas. We sang "We're All in This Together" from "High School Musical" to a crowd of screaming fans who were standing out there in the pouring rain. It was a great way to kick off the holiday season. The following Sunday, we were a part of the tree lighting celebration at The Grove in Los Angeles. Jesse McCartney sang to a little girl who was a part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Her wish was just to meet him, and he held her hand and sang to her in front of thousands of people. I was really touched by the whole experience. Then, Chris Warren Jr. (he played Zeke in HSM!) joined Ashley, Corbin, and me as we introduced Santa and sang "Deck the Halls." Thankfully the words were on a TelePrompter because I couldn't remember them. lol.

On Nov. 27 I left for San Diego with the crazy kids of HSM to start our 40 city concert tour. I share a bus with my girl Ashley Tisdale, and we are having a blast. So far we've done 15 shows, and each one has been unique and special. I want to say thank you soooooo much to the fans who've made it out to see us. I love you all. My favorite show was on December 22 when we performed in my home town of Columbia, South Carolina. I can't describe how amazing it was to walk out on stage and have my whole family in the crowd along with childhood friends and people I grew up with. I got to address all the people who supported me to get to where I am and personally thank my community for supporting me while I was on "Dancing with the Stars." The next night we were in Charlotte, NC, where I got to see even more of my family.

Being an actor is sometimes hard around the holidays because we don't always get to go home which is why this year is extra special. We got 2 days off from the concert for Christmas and since I was already in NC, I got to spend the holiday with family. Oh...I almost forgot the best part. I got to be in the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade. That has always been a dream of mine, and this year had performances by Beyoncé (who I love), and my friend Miley Cyrus, along with many other artists I admire.

My vacation is over now, and I'm going back to the tour. It was nice to have time off, but I look forward to seeing everyone and sharing Christmas stories.

Hope your holiday season is going well, and I'll check in with you next week to share my New Year's resolutions.

Seasons Greetings,
Monique