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Smells detonate softly in our memory like poignant landmines hidden under the weedy mass of years.
– Diane Ackerman
1. the smell of the pine-scented candle that only comes out at Christmas greeting me when I walk in the door
2. preparations for the Great Cookie Weekend of Aught-Nine
3. a good idea
What are you happy about or grateful for this week?
The bowling alley is the poor man’s country club.
– Sanford Hansell
These are the rad bowling shoes David got me for Christmas:
They were actually kind of a joke, but I love them so much! David bowls in a league (I was disappointed to discover they do not wear matching shirts), and a couple of months ago, I was with him at the pro shop when he was having some work done on his balls (hee), and they had a wall full of bowling shoes. I never knew that the bowling shoes real bowlers wear don’t look anything like the bowling shoes you rent at the bowling alley.
Anyway, they had four or five different ones like this – black with red flames, white with blue flames, black with blue flames, white with pink flames, etc – and these. I jokingly suggested to David that he get the black ones with the red flames and that I get the white ones with the purple flames, and then we could be that couple at the bowling alley with the matching bowling shoes. We laughed and that was it. Little did I know – well, actually I did figure it out – that he went and bought those shoes for me!
We bowled with his friends while we were in Michigan – every last one of them was better than me, even in my fancy new shoes. Turns out, the shoes don’t improve your game – that takes actual practice.
“I’m talking about France, my queen. Don’t you want to see the Eiffel Tower, stroll along the Champs Élysées?”
“Is it so much better than Detroit?”
– from Polish Wedding
This is it! This morning we’re headed for the Great White North. Yes, I know that’s really Canada, but you almost can’t get any closer to Canada without actually crossing the border, and have you seen the Detroit weather reports? David has been torturing me with thrice-daily weather updates for at least a week – he knows there’s nothing I hate more than to be cold, and it is hella cold up that way these days. I’ve packed every sweater I own and about 12 pairs of socks, plus boots, my big winter coat, a scarf (maybe I’ll take two!), and gloves. I’m still going to freeze, I just know it.
The purpose of our trip is to visit David’s family for the holidays. Of course, this is my first time meeting his mom, dad, step-mom, and brother, so I’m a little anxious. He assures me everything will be fine, and I believe him. I’m looking forward to meeting them, and his friends. One of our old co-workers is also from the area and will be there with his wife at the same time we are, so we hope to meet up with them, too.
This is the first Christmas I’ve ever spent away from my family. I’ve tried not to dwell on that fact, but I might be a little homesick that day. The Conductor’s birthday is on the 3rd, though, so I’ll get to see everyone pretty soon after Christmas anyway, which is good.
We’ll be back next Tuesday, probably, after a stopover in Central PA at my parents’ Monday night. Perhaps we’ll start back Sunday instead, depending on the weather forecast along our route. And, I might actually really get to Canada – David told me to bring my passport because “going through Canada on the way back only adds 30 minutes, plus Customs.” So we’re maybe going to have lunch in Niagra Falls. If we do, we should swing by my grandparents’ outside Buffalo, but that may be too much to do in one trip, we’ll see.
I’ve got Pico all set up with plenty of food and water, and my downstairs neighbors will be checking in on him. I hope he doesn’t go too crazy while I’m gone. The plants are watered, the trash is taken out, and the heat is turned down. I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but I don’t know what. It will probably come to me about the time we pick up the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Whatever it is, I hope they sell it in Michigan!
You might get one more post before my return, but I’m not making any promises. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, if you’re celebrating (and a happy early birthday to Karen, a Christmas Eve baby); may Santa bring you whatever your heart desires, and may there be peace on Earth, at least for a little while.
Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them and try to follow them.
– Louisa May Alcott
Karen and I have nothing on this lady.
Don’t even talk to Jean Scardina about all the Christmas shopping and baking you have to do. She will humble you with the hand-knitted dog sweaters she made for her daughter’s rat terriers, gingerbread houses and marzipan figurines of Santa’s workshop she makes as decorations — oh, and the 6,000 cookies she bakes as gifts.
Wow. What else can you say?
The only gift is a portion of thyself.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Buying Christmas presents stresses me out. Not for everyone – the kids are easy and fun to buy for, my sister-in-law is so laid back and genuinely appreciative of even the smallest thing, my grandparents send lists of very specific things they would like and will use, and my mom is also generally pretty easy to please. I guess what I’m getting at then, is that it comes down to the men – my brother, David, and my dad.
Nate sometimes waits until the last minute to send a list of things he’d like, and I generally prefer to have my shopping done by mid-December, so that often means I’ve guessed on gifts for him, and I know he’s ended up with things I thought he’d like but that he’s never used. I hate that, especially because he and Molly are great at picking gifts for me – I always love what they choose. This year, I procrastinated on shopping so long – for various reasons – that I was able to get him gifts from his list, so I feel ok, but still worry that they’re a little impersonal. At least I know he’ll use them.
David is not really that hard to buy for, I don’t guess – he’s a gadgety, video game kind of guy – but those kinds of things don’t really seem to convey what I think a Christmas present for him should – Guitar Hero doesn’t really say “I love you more than ice cream.”
And my dad, god. The anxiety of buying for my dad far outweighs the anxiety of buying for everyone else combined, and it’s been that way for quite some time. I can’t remember when it started; maybe when I was old enough to notice when certain gifts got the obligatory once over and thank you, and then were put aside until they eventually ended up in the box for Goodwill (not just gifts from me, either). I hated feeling like I’d failed; I’d work so hard to find something he’d love (he’s a late list-maker too, if you can get him to make one at all) only to be disappointed in his reaction on Christmas morning. Last year I did great, at least on one gift, and the look on his face over such a small thing (a CD, actually) made all the fretting and anxiety worth it.
I’m the first to admit that this anxiety, particularly where my dad is concerned, stems from something deeper than just wanting to find the “perfect” gift. It comes from my need and desire to take good care of the people I love, it comes from my need for approval from others in nearly everything I do, it comes from wanting to feel like I have enough – so much, in fact, that I can share it with my family. This year that’s a very hard one for me; there’s seems to be not enough, and even though I know no one’s keeping score, I can’t help but feel a little like I’m letting people down.
And the thing is, I’m not at all critical about the gifts other people give me, I’m just grateful to be remembered. So why, when I know how I feel about receiving gifts, can I not ascribe the same feelings to people receiving gifts from me? I mean, practically, I know the people in my family are not counting presents, or calculating how much I likely spent on them, or mentally figuring out who they’re going to regift my item to, or any of that. So why is it so hard for me to just let all of that go and just relax?
Maybe that’s my problem in all of this – that my expectation of finding the perfect gift for everyone is unrealistic, or that I’m focusing on the wrong thing, that the gift doesn’t have to do all of the things I think it should – maybe I need to work on understanding that the gift is just a token, not a representation of the way I feel about the person I’m giving it to. So I’m going to work on that.
Also, I’m going to Michigan for Christmas this year – any suggestions on a gift for David’s dad and step-mom (i’m good on his mom)? I need something that says, “I hope you like me, since we’re going to be family one day, even though you don’t know it yet!”
I am still convinced that a good, simple, homemade cookie is preferable to all the store-bought cookies one can find.
– James Beard
So this:
Turned into all of this:
Six batches of cookies and two batches of fudge, and we did it all in 12 hours. I’m still exhausted, but it was a great time!
Oh, Karen’s cookies were Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies, Kissy Cookies (the peanut butter ones with the Hershey Kisses on top), and Peppermint Shortbread – I don’t know if that’s the official name of it, but it’s my favorite cookie of the six we made, and I’ll share the recipe if anyone’s interested.
If this was adulthood, the only improvement she could detect in her situation was that she could now eat dessert without eating her vegetables.
– from Kinflicks, by Lisa Alther
The great Christmas cookie weekend is upon us again. Karen is coming next weekend and we are going to bake up a storm, and maybe even make some fudge and/or peppermint bark. Last year, I had my cookie choices well in hand by this point, but not so this year. The Kris Kringle cookies were a huge hit last year, so they will be making a return appearance, but beyond that, I’m still undecided. So, I thought I’d let you know what’s on my radar and see what you all think I should make this year.
First, Death by Caramel bars. I love caramel, and this sounds so good, but I’m afraid this might be too rich, plus, it’s not really so Christmasy.
Next, Caramelized Sugar Cookies. These really appeal to me; I bet they’re chewy and buttery and yummy.
How about Chocolate Malted Cookies? I love Whoppers, and I bet that’s what these taste like, only in cookie form. Oooh, maybe I could crush up some Whoppers and add them to the batter! Yum.
Maybe Lemon Sugar Cookies? I like the idea of a little departure from traditional sugar cookies, and this would satisfy my need to use my cookie cutter collection.
Finally, what about Mint Chippers? It’s really just a twist on chocolate chip cookies, I suppose, but the mint flavor makes it a little special for the holidays, don’t you think?
At best, I think I can make three kinds of cookies, since Karen will choose several as well, and we want to make fudge or peppermint bark (speaking of which, does anyone have a good recipe for bark?), so which two of those five possibilities do you think sound best?
Thanks for your input!
The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.
– Burton Hillis
Merry Christmas to those of you celebrating the holiday today (and Happy Tuesday to those of you who are not!)! I am in Richmond, staying with my brother and his family. We will open presents shortly, then get ready for my parents and grandparents to arrive from parts north. After what will surely be too much food and not enough time, I’ll head back to NoVa tonight. I was going to be off tomorrow, but I’m going to Western New York this weekend, so I switched tomorrow’s day off til Friday. I’ll drive to my mom’s in PA Thursday night, then make the 4-hour trip from there to just outside Buffalo Friday morning in anticipation of a mini family reunion that night.
I’m planning to come back Sunday, even though plans for New Year’s Eve aren’t set yet. I bet you anything I end up drinking champagne straight from the bottle (try it, if you never have – it’s kind of awesome), alone in my apartment, watching sappy movies. Honestly, I can think of worse ways to ring in the new year.
Ok, since I missed last week’s list, here’s a double shot of things to be happy about over the holidays:
1. giving lots of little gifts instead of one big one
2. Christmas lists – not what you want, but who to shop for
3. going to church on Christmas Eve [I don't think I ever feel a greater sense of community than at that time]
4. the feeling of Christmas in the air
5. Christmas carols [and going caroling]
6. Santa Claus
7. Papa Noel – the “Spanish” Santa Claus
8. setting the official time for opening gifts on Christmas Day [when we were kids, this was inevitably super-early; as we got older and learned the value of sleep, it gradually got later]
9. the first snow
10. when the snow sticks
11. turning off all the lights and watching the Christmas tree glowing in the darkness [this is my absolute favorite thing to do on Christmas Eve]
12. driving through the Maryland countryside after dark, seeing the farm houses lit up with Christmas lights from a distance
13. homemade Christmas gifts
14. a cookie baking marathon extravaganza with a good friend
15. the downtown Richmond skyline at night during the holidays, with all the big buildings outlined in white Christmas lights
Edited to add (12/26/07):
16. the way my almost two-year-old nephew says “Ho ho ho” when you ask him what Santa Claus says
17. decorating cookies and making pinecone “favors” with my three-and-a-half-year-old niece
I hope you all have a wonderful day, however you’re spending it!
Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.
– Jane Austen
Sorry I didn’t return to regular programming – I got busy dealing with the body shop, the insurance adjustor, a lying student loan company supervisor (Oh, you’ll call me back in 48 hours, max? Really? I think someone’s pants are on fire.), and crappy apartment maintenance people (Oh, you can’t come today like you said you would, but you’ll be here first thing in the morning? Really? Oh, you’re sorry you couldn’t make it this morning, but it’s after hours now and a dishwasher is not an emergency but you promise you’ll be here tomorrow? Really? Oh, you couldn’t make it again today, but this time you super-duper promise you’ll make it tomorrow? Really? Suck on it. If I get West Nile virus from the nasty, standing water in the bottom of my dishwasher, I may go all Lawyer on you.) – and frankly, was not in the mood for Things to Be Happy About. But don’t you worry, I have a bang-up Christmas edition all ready to go for you – it will be like an extra present for you to open Christmas morning!
So the car: remember how I said how thankful I was that the damage wasn’t extensive? Either I know nothing about cars, the body shop and insurance adjustor are ripping me off, or I jinxed myself. I think it’s the first one, but I’m not positive. We’re up to $2200 and they haven’t even put the car on the lift yet. Awesome. Thank god I wasn’t one of those people who said ”Oh, I never get in accidents, so I can handle a $1500 deductible.” I know myself better than that, and went for $500. That hurts, especially at the holidays, but it could be worse.
Remember also how I said how great my boss is? He gave us Christmas presents yesterday, which I was not expecting at all (we already did our “annual round robin gift exchange,” you know). Two words: Coach wristlet. If you know anything about me, you know I do not care about labels and I would never buy myself Coach anything, but I was amazed at his generosity. It’s beautiful and classic – plain black leather – but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it. Does anyone use one of these? I’m stumped in the face of such a thing.
Speaking of gifts, I am officially done, and everything is wrapped, as of last night. Actually, that’s a lie. I left one thing for my brother unwrapped because I may have to exchange it after I get to his house tonight and see if he already has it. He won’t be there til Sunday night – he’s on an out-of-town job – so it will be safe.
And speaking of my brother, welcome him to the blogosphere, won’t you? He’s not a great speller, but I love him anyway.
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