Holiday Traditions

I decided to work for a school district instead of somewhere else because of the idea that I could have not one, but TWO, weeks off every winter.   Two whole weeks of no work!  No waking up at an ungodly hour!  No obnoxious phone calls!  And most importantly, no long and boring meetings! 

When I was single, I spent most of this time sleeping in and being incredibly unproductive.  Now that I am married and a parent, I don't sleep as much, but our inviolate rule of what has come to be called Winter Break(as opposed to the former "guaranteed to start a big, useless, argument" Christmas Vacation) is that we do what we feel like doing, as much as possible.  If this means hanging out in our jammies and playing video games all day long, eating junk food and ignoring our vegetables, so be it.

Oh, we don't ignore the important things, like attending services on Christmas Eve, or spending time with our families.  Although my family is not what you call "touchy-feely", we do try to spend time together.  We usually exchange gifts with my parents, my mother-in-law and my brother's family on Christmas Eve, right after church.  We also gather together at some point on Christmas day, to feast and laugh and watch some form of sports.

The three of us, however, have created our own traditions.  Kids make it impossible not to have traditions, since they demand that everything be done just like it was last year, and the year before that, and the year before that.  We want to avoid the meltdowns, so Larry and I tend to give in to our little one at this time of the year, in the name of tradition.  Besides, we like them as well.

One of our traditions over the holiday break is to watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy each year.  The extended cuts, not the silly ones that were shown in the theater are viewed, because we are hardcore about our movie watching.  This year we also included The Hobbit movies, and we wandered down to our local theater to see the last installment.  Our movie viewing is immediately followed by the "Obscure questions about Tolkien's works that only my husband can answer" portion of the evening.  My son peppers his father with questions about the characters, and my husband loves it.  I pepper Larry with questions regarding Tolkien's issues with women, and my husband doesn't love it as much, but he is at least patient. 

Another tradition?  After my son has gone to bed on Christmas Eve, Larry and I watch Die Hard together while we finish setting things up for the morning.  We share some wine as John McClane smacks some terrorists around and trades one liners with Hans Gruber.  It is a defense mechanism; by the time Christmas Eve rolls around, we are extremely tired of the whole commercialized aspect of Christmas.  We need a break, and Die Hard provides such, with explosions and bullets and bad guys getting their comeuppance. 

A third tradition is breakfast on Christmas morning.   The heavenly scent of cinnamon rolls wafts through the house at the crack of dawn, soon after we wake up.  The frenzy of opening gifts builds up an appetite, but we certainly do not want to ruin Christmas dinner by filling our bellies too early.  Cinnamon rolls seem to fit the bill, and I usually make plenty, so that there's a couple of rolls left over for snacking in between breakfast and lunch. 

What sort of holiday traditions do you and your family have?  And while I'm at it, I would like to wish you and your families a wonderful holiday filled with love and laughter and lots of goodness, whatever your traditions may be. 

Merry Christmas!!

The stocking is sitting underneath the tree, because we don't have a fireplace. 

The tree is decorated, although most of the lower two branches are bare, thanks to the cats and one determined dog.

But it's all good.  Christmas isn't about being perfect. It's about being our less than perfect selves, and loving each other in spite of it all. 

So Merry Christmas to all. I hope that everyone gets what their hearts desire!

Must Haves for Christmas

We are nontraditional Christmas types in my house.   We don't have stockings hanging by the chimney with care, for example, because we don't have a chimney.  It's too hot in these parts for a roaring fire more than once a year, and in all the mystery novels I've read, chimneys attract dead bodies. Who needs that mess?

That said, there are certain things that my family MUST have on hand to celebrate Christmas. These items are vital for infusing our house with the spirit of Christmas.  If we don't have these items, we might muddle through as a family. We're troopers.  However, we will be very cross, whiny, and complain a lot, and generally not be fit for company. 

REINDEER.  Last year my son insisted that we HAD to have a reindeer in the front yard.  Had to.  In the front yard.  We explained to our child that reindeer lived at the North Pole with Santa, and that it was very cold at the North Pole. We explained  about climate and discussed the whole 'fiery sun shining down 360 days out of the year' angle.  None of those silly facts made a difference; the boy demanded a reindeer.  In the front yard.  So we went to a store and bought him one of those wire reindeer that have lights all over them and set it up. In the front yard. And plugged it in. And all was right with the world.  We don't put up any outdoor decorations, just the reindeer.  In the front yard.  It's sort of become a badge of honor.

COOKIES.  Santa MUST have his cookies and milk.  Not just any cookies, either.  These delectable treats for Saint Nick must be "homemade" chocolate chip cookies, fresh from the oven.  There have been years when I just did not feel like making cookies, but I am soundly chastised for my lack of Christmas spirit.  If Santa doesn't have the "good" cookies, we will get rotten presents, is my son's logic.  Who am I to argue with that?  So he and I make chocolate chip cookies on Christmas Eve and leave out a couple for Santa.  Then we stuff our faces with the rest, because fresh chocolate chip cookies?  That is heaven to our taste buds!

A CHRISTMAS STORY.  This movie came out when I was in high school, and it is the only Christmas movie allowed in my house.  It MUST be viewed at least once in its entirety during the 24hrs of Christmas.  We MUST cackle over the Bumpus' dogs.  We MUST giggle over the major prize, and the Chinese turkey.  (I have a friend who goes with her family to a Chinese restaurant on Christmas day just because of that movie, and we'd do that too, if our collective families wouldn't have a fit.)  It's not Christmas if A Christmas Story isn't on the blu-ray player.

OBNOXIOUS NOISY DECORATION.  Every year, my son wants us to get out this Christmas tree that has a train in it.  The train  travels round and round the tree while Christmas music plays.  Yes it is cute.  The first 40 times or so.  After that, it becomes just an obnoxious noise that must be silenced.  I confess that I've removed the batteries on occasion, just to get some peace.  But the boy loves it, and sits in front of it for hours, watching the train go around and around.  It's not the same if we don't get that tree out, so I put up with it for the month of December.

DIE HARD.  Yep, this one is for the grownups!  I love this movie, from back when Bruce Willis had hair.  My husband and I watch this movie every year after Zane is in bed.  We will pour ourselves a glass or two of wine, and sit back and watch the yippee-ki-yay to our hearts content.  Unless my husband has some complicated toy to put together before the boy wakes up.  Then he works on that while I kick my feet up and enjoy Bruce pummeling Alexander Gudonov and other assorted baddies.

How about you?  What are YOUR Christmas must haves?





4.) Christmas Must Haves (could even be a list created by a child)

Meanwhile, At My House

This weekend we're asking you to write 33 words that will make us laugh or smile.  Even a chuckle will do.  We look forward to the communal spirit lifting. Good luck!




Hidden in the branches of the Christmas tree,

Tail twitching,

My cat remembers last year,

When Santa drank the last bit of milk.

He was supposed to share.

Tonight, she will have revenge.

It's Christmas Already

optional prompt: Christmas Time is Here Again


My son is all about the Christmas.  He made us put up all the trees last week, and he keeps them plugged in whenever he is at home.  He keeps telling us that we need to put up some outside decorations.  He bugs us about driving through the neighborhoods looking at the lights.  My husband is kind of the same way, so the two of them have been in cahoots, discussing prospective Christmas presents and what Santa might bring them.   Zane is very excited about this time of year, and is positively giddy now that he has learned to sing Christmas carols.  It is nice to see them cheerful and happy.  We have about three weeks of school left before Christmas break, and then we are all 'off' until next year.  

I'm a little more ambivalent.  This is the time of year when I get pretty depressed.  Part of it is seasonal, I think.  I've always been more somber during December than at any other time of the year.  It may be that because I was a June baby, when the sun is closest to the earth, I feel the distance of the sun when it moves the furthest away.  I don't know.  There are other reasons that I get down at this time of the year, but I really don't want to go into them right now. I am on a mission.

However, I am trying very hard to get as into the spirit this year.  When Zane asked about putting up the trees, I didn't say no, but went upstairs to look for decorations.  When he has asked about plugging in the tress, I've said yes.  I've only asked him to please stop singing "Jingle Bells" twice, even though he only knows the chorus.  I hope that the extra effort pays off.  



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Santa's Dilemma

Note: After yesterday's complete downer, I'm posting something more lighthearted, because I really am trying to be more positive and cheerful. Really. It's not just a rumor! Again, apologies if I upset anyone yesterday. Also, I received a very lovely award from my friend Andrea and I will talk about that soon, I promise!

I've previously spoken of my need to get the "perfect" gift, and that need applies to making sure that my son has a wonderful time on Christmas morning. Zane is old enough that he can speak about what he likes, or does not like. He is very emphatic about it, at least for that moment. My husband and I were foolish enough to believe that this would make our Christmas shopping easier. Zane would tell us what he wanted, and mysteriously--without a chimney in sight--Santa would have that magical gift underneath the tree on Christmas morning.

Did I mention that I am learning this parenting thing as I go?

"What presents would you like for Santa to bring you, Zane?" I asked my son two weeks ago as we were driving home from daycare. He's not old enough to "make a list", so we had to drag it out of him between statements regarding which kid passed gas that day.

"All of them." Yep--That was a verbatim quote.

That was no help. We can't just arrive at the Toys'R'Us and tell the cashier that we want "All" of the toys. Where would we put them, especially since we'd have to sell the house to pay for them all? My husband and I agreed to try later a couple of days later, thinking that perhaps the idea needed to germinate a bit.

"Zane, what would you like for a Christmas present?" I asked him at lunch with the entire family. I thought that the presence of the grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins might be an inspiration.

"A reindeer," the boy announced. There was a collective "huh?" on all of our faces.

"A reindeer? Where are you going to put it?" my mother asked him.

"In the backyard."

Never mind the logistics of actually getting a reindeer; I am pretty sure that it is too darn hot here for that particular species. Plus, hunters are drawn like flies toward anything they can possibly shoot and eat. So no reindeer.

I tried again the next day.

"Zane, what would you like for Christmas?" I even clarified. "What would you like for Santa to bring to you as a present?"

"I don't want anything." Zane told me. "I have too many toys."

"Who are you and what have you done with my child?" I felt his forehead for signs of fever, and then Zane felt MY forehead to see if I had a fever. I may have hallucinated the entire exchange, after all. As much as I would love to applaud the altruism my child expressed, we all know what would happen if I took him at his word and there were no presents Christmas morning. Hell hath no fury like a child denied Christmas presents.

My husband and I have taken turns every single day to get some kind of consistent answer, since the deadline is looming. He's still interested in the reindeer, and he mentioned that he wanted a steam train...and dinosaurs, specifically a T-Rex...and Batman...and Legos...and a Christmas tree.

Anybody know how much it costs to ship a reindeer?

RemembeRED: Christmas Eve 2007

Prompt: Some say a photograph steals the soul. This week, show us yours: take us into the moment that photograph was taken. Show us who you were then and what the photograph means–in 300 words.



It was the first time that Zane had left the house for something other than a doctor visit since his birth, and since he had come home from the NICU. It was also the first time the three of us ever went anywhere not doctor-related as a family. It was Christmas Eve, and we went to my brother's house to celebrate and open presents.

Everyone was just itching to greet the newest member of our clan, and I was doing okay with allowing people to hold Zane without the use of gloves, masks, and hazmat suits. I had a beer and mingled. I was happy to be with my husband and son. I was happy to be out of the house. And yet...

Even though I had every reason in the world not to be depressed on this particular Christmas Eve, I was in a dark place. In my heart each December it is forty below. I am in a frozen cavern beneath a glacier, where everything is encased in ice and the only sound is the ice cracking as the glacier moves. My mental world each winter is a white wilderness, uninhabitable. I tried to fake it that year, and the result was tinged with a bit of hysteria.

I'm sure that no one noticed but me.

Traditions--All About Family

This was the very first year that my husband and Zane and I finally got to have Christmas together, just us. So I wanted to start some traditions that Zane could grow up with and carry on to his own family one day.

We had the Christmas stockings, a tradition started by Larry. I added to this tradition by incorporating the treats from Germany that I used to get for Dec. 6th, St. Nicklaus day, and putting those into Zane's stocking.

Next year we will have the Advent Calendar, to help Zane count the days until Christmas. Nothing helps your counting skills like chocolate.

We did the Christmas lights drive-bys, a tradition started by Zane this year so he could see the lights, and a tradition we will continue at least until Zane is a surly teenager. Then we will still do it just to bug him.

We did the Santa visit, because we wanted blackmail photos for Zane's dating years.

We did watch A Christmas Story at least twice, which is MY tradition, because that is the very best Christmas movie ever.

We also watched Die Hard for the first time after Zane was asleep, and this will be a new tradition. Die Hard is the second very best Christmas movie ever, especially if you like a few explosions with your glass of wine. (And we do!)

The presents from Santa are never wrapped because Santa is a busy man and paper is too expensive for the North Pole to foot the costs. There's no trees up there, and importing isn't cheap!

Mom is automatically the person who picks up all the wrapping paper, according to Zane. Dad is automatically the guy who has to film every second, according to Mom.

And apparently Zane is the only one allowed to open all the presents in the house, no matter what name is on the label.

Merry Christmas to all. And if you don't celebrate Christmas, Happy Holidays, whatever they are. No matter the name of the day, or the name of your religion, it's all about family, traditions, and most especially, love.

Christmas Game Planning

My husband, who is Mr."We Must Go Overboard On Everything Related to Christmas", spends a lot of time planning the events of Christmas morning so as to achieve maximum impact. In fact, he has been planning the presentation of Christmas for the last month. He's driving me just plain batshit crazy.

"Maybe we should move the couch over there so we can arrange Zane's presents more in a semicircle?"

"Do you think that we should have the presents wrapped and under the tree now, or should we wait until Christmas day?"

"What if we move the tree over to that side, so when Zane comes downstairs the first thing he sees are the presents?"

"We are going to have to go out and buy some more presents. The arrangement is lopsided."

"Where do you think we could find some foam board, so I can make some life-sized pictures?"

"Should we have the presents from Santa wrapped? If so, we are going to need a really big boz."

And so it goes. On Christmas Eve, Larry will stay up late, fussing, arranging the presents just so, posing everything to optimal effect, so that when Zane comes down the stairs on Christmas morning, he will have the 3 year old equivalent of an OMG moment.

And I love him for that. Even though he's driving me nuts. I'm not kidding about that part.

Everything Looks A Lot Like Christmas

Zane's first Christmas was spent quietly at home with as little fanfare as possible. He'd only been home for a month, and we had essentially been told that he should have as little contact with others as possible during the winter months due his preemie status. Plus he was only three months old and completely oblivious to just about everything except eating and pooping.

Zane's second Christmas, he was a bit more aware that SOMETHING was up, but still not clear on the concept. Christmas last year was better. Zane was excited on Christmas morning when he came downstairs and beheld the tower of toys that was comprised his "loot". (Yes, we went overboard.)

But THIS Christmas, Zane is not only aware that something is up, he actually understands that it is Christmas(which equals "PEZ-ENTS"). He is so excited that the very air he breathes seems to vibrate. Which is cool, even to a bah-humbugger like me. Christmas was made for the child in all of us, after all.

However, Zane is of the opinion that it is HIS Christmas. So the lights and the decorations so painstakingly put up on houses all over our neighborhood? Those are Zane's, he will tell you. Our Christmas tree is his, but so is the tree at his daycare center and the tree at his grandparent's house. Your tree, which you probably spent hours setting up with gorgeous ornaments in the front window of your house? Yeah, Zane will tell you that's his. He reminds me of the kid in the movie A Christmas Story(THE very best Christmas movie EVER) who was looking at the presents under the tree and yelling "That's mine!" about all of them.

But it's not just a Christmas tree to Zane--it's his Christmas. The physical representation of Christmas itself is the tree. And that's kind of awesome, since the Christmas tree does represent symbolically the hopes and desires of the family who puts up a tree, even if we tend to forget that small fact amongst all the materialistic stuff. But Zane doesn't know all that yet--he just knows that lights are bright, and the half of the tree that hasn't been demolished by Zena the Destroyer(our kitten) is very pretty.

It's HIS Christmas, after all.