Merry Christmas
Day One of my family's three day Christmas extravaganza is over. Christmas Eve has traditionally been the day that my immediate family celebrates together and this year, we continued most of the traditions, with a few additions and modifications.
First, there were constant threats from my parents that "Santa might not come this year" if: 1) I didn't clean my room; 2) I didn't stop swearing; 3) I didn't stop calling my mom names; and 4) I didn't stop fighting with my brother. I dutifully started behaving, as did my brother, who had received similar threats based on his actions.
In recent years, Christmas Eve dinner has been eaten at our favorite local Mexican restaurant. This year, the owners decided to close early, so we ordered take-out right before they closed and had an early dinner at home. The Fiesta Platter and garlic shrimp were just as good as ever.
After that, we stopped by the home of an elderly woman who lived next door to my dad when he was growing up. She's widowed, doesn't have children, and most of her family lives in Europe and Australia (she's originally from Germany). My dad visits her fairly often, but on Christmas Eve, our whole family stops by. She lives in a small trailer home and visiting her is always a lesson in economy. She's lived in the trailer for at least 40 years and somehow, it's not at all cluttered. The things she does have are all perfectly organized and well-preserved.
Each year she brings out German candies for us to try. About half the candy she offers is delicious, the rest is full of liqueur and marzipan (both of which are a little too exotic for our American tastes). Inevitably, the visit includes a moment where I have to pretend whatever I've just taken a bite of is the the best thing I've ever eaten instead of spitting it out. She also likes to buy whiskey for my dad and brother and wine for me and my mom. The whole thing is slightly bizarre, but fun, and I always look forward to visiting her.
After the visit, we set out for "midnight" mass. It's actually starts at 10 and we arrive super early in order to secure a pew at the back of the church. We sang each of my favorite Christmas songs tonight, so that was appreciated. What wasn't appreciated was the priest's overly political and slightly ill-informed homily and the choir's rendition of "Carol of the Bells." Although, to be fair, I hate all renditions of "Carol of the Bells," so I really can't blame that on the choir (the song is scary).
Next, we came back home and opened gifts. Everyone gave thoughtful presents and I think we were all pleased with what we got. I did notice that each of us received a bottle of alcohol (wine, Bailey's, Jagermeister, and Jack Daniels). That, along with the earlier gifts of wine and whiskey, and the fact that my parents spent last night making a huge batch of "Apple Pie" liqueur to give out as gifts makes me a bit nervous about our future rehab possibilities.
Finally, we completed a family viewing of Napoleon Dynamite. It's not a movie I'd have guessed my parents would like, but it turned out all of us loved it.
It's been a good day. Sort of quirky, sort of spontaneous, and sort of funny -- just like my family.
First, there were constant threats from my parents that "Santa might not come this year" if: 1) I didn't clean my room; 2) I didn't stop swearing; 3) I didn't stop calling my mom names; and 4) I didn't stop fighting with my brother. I dutifully started behaving, as did my brother, who had received similar threats based on his actions.
In recent years, Christmas Eve dinner has been eaten at our favorite local Mexican restaurant. This year, the owners decided to close early, so we ordered take-out right before they closed and had an early dinner at home. The Fiesta Platter and garlic shrimp were just as good as ever.
After that, we stopped by the home of an elderly woman who lived next door to my dad when he was growing up. She's widowed, doesn't have children, and most of her family lives in Europe and Australia (she's originally from Germany). My dad visits her fairly often, but on Christmas Eve, our whole family stops by. She lives in a small trailer home and visiting her is always a lesson in economy. She's lived in the trailer for at least 40 years and somehow, it's not at all cluttered. The things she does have are all perfectly organized and well-preserved.
Each year she brings out German candies for us to try. About half the candy she offers is delicious, the rest is full of liqueur and marzipan (both of which are a little too exotic for our American tastes). Inevitably, the visit includes a moment where I have to pretend whatever I've just taken a bite of is the the best thing I've ever eaten instead of spitting it out. She also likes to buy whiskey for my dad and brother and wine for me and my mom. The whole thing is slightly bizarre, but fun, and I always look forward to visiting her.
After the visit, we set out for "midnight" mass. It's actually starts at 10 and we arrive super early in order to secure a pew at the back of the church. We sang each of my favorite Christmas songs tonight, so that was appreciated. What wasn't appreciated was the priest's overly political and slightly ill-informed homily and the choir's rendition of "Carol of the Bells." Although, to be fair, I hate all renditions of "Carol of the Bells," so I really can't blame that on the choir (the song is scary).
Next, we came back home and opened gifts. Everyone gave thoughtful presents and I think we were all pleased with what we got. I did notice that each of us received a bottle of alcohol (wine, Bailey's, Jagermeister, and Jack Daniels). That, along with the earlier gifts of wine and whiskey, and the fact that my parents spent last night making a huge batch of "Apple Pie" liqueur to give out as gifts makes me a bit nervous about our future rehab possibilities.
Finally, we completed a family viewing of Napoleon Dynamite. It's not a movie I'd have guessed my parents would like, but it turned out all of us loved it.
It's been a good day. Sort of quirky, sort of spontaneous, and sort of funny -- just like my family.
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