Christmas is fast approaching . . . only two paychecks left, for those of you who plan these things out like I do. With all the wreathes and lights and greenery around town, I find myself almost perpetually in the holiday spirit. I am looking forward to many things as the season wears on, the best of which have made it to my Top Five list this year.
1. The cold, well, colder weather. As a very proud Ohio girl, Texas heat is something that I’ve never gotten used to. When I stepped out of the airport the day my family and I moved here in July of 1995, I felt as though the oxygen had been sucked from the air. ‘What’s humidiy?’ I was shocked. ‘People can’t possibly live like this, can they?’ I thought. ‘But, how could Dad bring me to a place that will surely suffocate me?’ I was eleven, asthsmatic and totally betrayed. It took about three months for me to accept that I would not be returning to Cleveland . . . home of the Indians, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the best stadium mustard known to ever grace a street-side hotdog. When the temperature drops, I can almost pretend I’m home again. That is until three minutes go by and somehow it’s 85 and rainy.
2. Decorating. Tonight I will hold my first annual decorating party with my son and fiance. We have many family members to see on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and rarely have time to spend with just each other for the holidays. So, last week I decided to make decorating the apartment a family event that we can all enjoy together. There will be upbeat Christmas music, egg nog, cookies and tiny hor d’oeurves while we put out decorations that my Mother used to hang when I was a little girl. Though we have a few new ones of our own, the ones I can remember hanging on the walls of our house on 140th Street are still my favorite. When we’re done, Chris and I will dish out a warm meal on china given to me by his late grandmother, and we will have our own version of Christmas dinner. A classic holiday movie, the title of which is thus far undetermined though I’m really pulling for Roudolph, will close the night along with hot chocolate and snuggeling. I am hopeful that this will be one tradition we hold on to.
3. Redirection. Christmas and all it entails offers your mind something else worthy of attention aside from everyday life. I welcome the distraction and am truly thankful for the ability to think about something other than Barack Obama, my job, the laundry, our finances or the ongoing cold war between myself and our tredmill. (Only feet away, every night that evil silver beast taunts me as I watch House from our oh-so-comfy-couch.) I am all too happy to replace these thoughts with others, like, where to put the Christmas tree this year or how to make sure my son doesn’t find his stash of presants. Hiding things from an adventurous 4-year-old is next to impossible. This year, I have eploited his inbility to get to the top of my closet and hidden his Wall-E and superhero loot up there, underneath a My Little Pony blanket. My fingers are crossed he will be too put off by the pink and purple ponies to bother.
4. Redemption. Thanksgiving did not go one hundred percent as planned. Though I had every intention of dispelling the far-too-prevelant belief that held by my family that I do not wash the dishes or clean the kitchen, or generally help at all during family get-togethers, I failed miserably. In my defense, circumstances always work against me. I woke up that Thursday morning and decided that there must be a way to overcome this terrible reputation and that I would make this right. I wanted more than ever to show my family the considerate, helpful, upbeat person I really am. This did not happen. The day started off well enough, toast and happy conversation with Mom . . . but without me noticing, all of a sudden I was behind. Relitives arrived while I was still in pajamas and by the time I got upstairs to get dressed and ready for the day, I realized that my pants were downstairs in the dryer. This is what I got for trying to be wrinkle free. The day continued this way and in truth, I did not wash a single dish. I did not cook anything, I did not serve anything, I was behind the eight ball. The one thing I did accomplish was to set the table. This backfired on me, since after all ten of us sat down and said grace, my father looked down and said, “Where’s the knives?” All eighteen eyes found my beet red face and I said, “Oh . . . sorry!” Everyone laughed, my dad shook his head and chuckeled, and I sauntered back to the kitchen in defeat. ‘Christmas,’ I told myself, ‘will be different.’ I will be the master of table-setting and a champion potato masher. They won’t see that last one coming.
5. Alastair Sim. For as long as I can remember my parents, my sister and I have watched Alastair Sim’s A Christmas Carol (1951) together on Christmas Eve with all the lights out and the fire blazing. I love to watch my father’s face as old Mr. Scrooge dances around as giddy as a school girl–the genuine enjoyment in his eyes is why I come home for Christmas. Even though Dani and I have moved out of the house, we both are sure to make it home by Christmas Eve to spend this time with our parents. After the movie ends and one of us nudges Mom awake, we sit beneath the glowing tree and open one gift. For my sister and I, this is always the new ornament that my mother has carefully chosen for each of us. It’s the nicest, calmest, most beautiful night of the year for me. I hope that my attempt to start my own family traditions with our decorating party this year ends up meaning as much to my children as Alastair Sim means to me.
So – looking back – how were the Top 5 of 2008? I will say this – you came through like a champ in the kitchen & beyond, I would have been lost without you
Love – mom