I seem to have misplaced my Christmas spirit. Until about three years ago, I was so amped for Christmas that people had to tell me to calm my shit down, because it was just embarrassing in a grown woman, and I would tell those people to stuff it, because I had some Christmas cookies and eggnog to devour. Then I would waddle myself over to the TV and watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” under the explosion of Christmas lights and decorations.
Christmas is always nice (last year I spent it in Rome, which was awesome), but I haven’t felt that giddy excitement in awhile. Maybe it’s because global warming has fixed it so that New York hasn’t even seen snowfall yet. More likely it’s because so many of my Christmas memories have centered around tradition — making Italian cookies that take all day to make, even with three people; decorating the tree; making highly alcoholic eggnog punch; mom telling me not to put so much booze in the eggnog punch; mom begging me to open one of my presents early, because she liked giving them even more than I liked getting them.
When I mentioned that I wanted to start creating some traditions of our own, Devon pointed out that those things tend to evolve naturally. Not sure I agree with that, since traditions happen because people make them happen. At any rate, we don’t tend to do the same thing twice, which makes it hard to create traditions, so I’ve decided to create some of my own. I was too wiped to do cards or decorations this year, but I’m going to do one festive thing if I have to kill people to make it happen.
What do you guys do for Christmas that has meaning for you? (If you don’t celebrate Christmas, let me hear your other holiday traditions. I’m a fan of yule.)
Devon is flat out wrong. Modern humans have so much in the way of variety and distractions that it is almost impossible to have organic traditions. Amy and I read an article a few years about about taking the time to create traditions in your family, more for the sake of the munchkins, but Devon isn’t all that tall either, so it should still work.
Oh, snap!
Pick a couple of things that are fun, and do them for a few years in a row, and see if they stick. Sometimes the ceremony of life is annoying, and sometimes it’s the best part. Nude Christmas tree decorating might be a good one to warm up with.
To be followed by nude caroling.
Dan and I have gotten a new star ornament for each year we have been celebrating Xmas together. Each year we try to go shopping for one, (not necessarily together, sometimes we just assign the task to one or the other of us). A couple of years ago Dan sneakily got his brother to make a stained glass star for me, and gave it to me on Xmas. Very cool!
Usually we put up all the decorations together while swilling egg nog with booze, we load up Manheim Steamroller on the stereo and have a great time.
Anyway, yeah I have to agree with Morgan. Traditions are all invented by someone. You might as well invent yours!
We celebrate Chanukah at our home. Actually the First night is on this coming Friday. We generally light a candle on each of the eight nights, it’s a minor Holiday but commercially over done.
We eat hot greasy Latkas covered in sour cream and apple sauce, and listen to Klezmer Music, while watching the candles slowly melt down. Pretty tame stuff.
We try to keep our clothes on due to the open flame and hot dripping wax…HMMMM. I’ll have to get back to you one that last thought.
Talk to you later.A.J