Christina: Your Christmas sounds like a good one! I sometimes wish I had a bigger family to be around during the holidays. Mine is tiny.
Cassie: I think I know that guy you kissed onstage. And it truly is surprisingly easy for a girl to reach the age of 21 and remain undated, unkissed, unattached. Read on for blandly un-sordid details. And everyone, Monday’s boyfriend is wonderful. They are amazing together.
Alexandra: I like your story. Very matter-of-fact, but with an interestingly romantic (if slight) bent to it. Sometimes, when you know, you know. Hope you had a good honeymoon!
So I’m a bit torn when it comes to telling romantic stories. I have a whole lot of dumb, lame anecdotes involving persons entirely unsuited for me. And I have one amazing, almost-seven-month-long anecdote involving person entirely suited for me.
For the sake of humor—and Anything for Humor, right?—I will first tell you about Jerry.
Around homecoming season of my junior year of high school, my best friend at the time had just started dating a guy named Josh. He went to a different high school from us, and asked her to go to his homecoming dance with him. Of course, she could not go alone, so she dragged another friend (Heather) and me with her.
Josh had two friends who were to be our dates. Heather’s date’s name was Mike, and he was entirely nondescript and therefore shall not be mentioned further. My date’s name was Ryan, and he was touted to me as the most fun-loving, caring, enjoyable fellow. It was hinted more than once that we might be just perfect for each other. I began to get excited about the dance.
Fast-forward to the day of the dance, four hours before the doors open.
Ryan is sick.
Enter Jerry.
Have you ever seen Napoleon Dynamite? Ok, good. Imagine Kip (Napoleon’s brother), in a grey version of Napoleon’s leisure suit, with Uncle Rico’s haircut. Now make him five feet tall and incapable of functional social interaction.
That’s Jerry.
I don’t think Jerry was even still in high school. I’m pretty sure he had dropped out, even though he was our age.
We went to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant where I had contracted mononucleosis only months before. I don’t remember what I got, but I remember that Jerry got a salad. Which he did not eat.
Carlyn, attempting to make conversation: “Do you, uh, not like your salad?”
Jerry, attempting to attempt to make conversation: “… I have food allergies.”
Carlyn: “Oh.”
Jerry, attempting to attempt to attempt to make conversation: “… Do you have any food allergies?”
Carlyn: “… No.”
That’s basically the extent of the conversation we had.
I spent a good portion of the dance avoiding him in the bathroom.
My friend tracked me down and coerced me into one slow dance with him, which he took advantage of by grabbing my wrists and, I kid you not, swinging our arms wildly and hopping around in what I can only imagine to be… Never mind. I can’t fathom what in the world he thought that was. But it was better than actually slow-dancing with him.
At the end of the night, we all made our way back to my friend’s house for a bonfire. She and her new boyfriend were all aglow with post-dance endorphins, and Heather and I were avoiding our dates as best we could. We decided to make a run for it, citing work the next day.
As we said our goodbyes, Jerry seized the moment and asked me to be his girlfriend.
I was dumbfounded.
I told him I was seeing someone, which was a downright lie.
That was the last I ever saw or heard of Jerry.
I’m going to save my better romantic story for another week, as this post is already getting about as long as I write ‘em these days. I hope you have enjoyed the Story of Jerry.
Have a good New year, everyone! I’ll see you in 2012.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Tuesday is Back From her Honeymoon
Which is as relevant a segue into romance as I can make. Obviously, my romantic life is doing well, as I am married and living with my husband and I'm not sure where we can move from that. I have mentioned before that I was in a relationship with a Japanese man a few years my senior, back in high school. He is a nice guy, but we haven't talked in a long while. He's been in a bit of a rut since his brother died, hasn't talked to many people but his boyfriend.
I've never really had any other relationship, and to say my first one was conventional is certainly a stretch. Age difference, long distance. I mean, I got my firsts from the guy (and I will leave it at that), so it counts in that regard, but... it was very casual. It was a friendship with some fun, I guess. That sounds crude, perhaps, but it was just what it was, not much else to say. We broke up when he decided he'd try to settle down with Masashi, but it was on pleasant terms. I basically didn't date again for about seven or eight months, which is when I met Al.
And Al, well, we were hardly normal. We met in August and were engaged by November. We met when we were both out of work and out of school (at least for the time - he got a job two weeks later and I started school up around the same time), so we hung out every day often for hours on end. We did the movie and dinner thing, but we also spent hours on the couch watching movies and playing video games. We were... upfront with each other. I think we discussed every topic you're not meant to talk about on that first date. Past relationships, abortion, children, marriage, politics, religion. Neither of us could date a theist, I don't think. It's one thing to know a few, even love a few in a strictly friendly way. But to discuss a life of hard choices and maybe, who knows, child-rearing with somebody who, ultimately, has beliefs we fundamentally cannot agree with is just not a possibility for either of us.
I think, coupled with the fact that I had a terrible landlord and a worse apartment at the time, we just... we compacted the year or two's worth of dates, discussions, and dreams into about two months. And over the nine months until our wedding, with Al injured and out of work, visiting my family in New York, struggling with finances, with school, with immigration... I think we just covered it all in a year and we're young (him less so, perhaps), neither of us has a long history of relationships, but I think we're both mature enough and honest enough to know what we were getting into and nothing in the past year since I agreed to marry him has changed my opinion on that matter.
I've never really had any other relationship, and to say my first one was conventional is certainly a stretch. Age difference, long distance. I mean, I got my firsts from the guy (and I will leave it at that), so it counts in that regard, but... it was very casual. It was a friendship with some fun, I guess. That sounds crude, perhaps, but it was just what it was, not much else to say. We broke up when he decided he'd try to settle down with Masashi, but it was on pleasant terms. I basically didn't date again for about seven or eight months, which is when I met Al.
And Al, well, we were hardly normal. We met in August and were engaged by November. We met when we were both out of work and out of school (at least for the time - he got a job two weeks later and I started school up around the same time), so we hung out every day often for hours on end. We did the movie and dinner thing, but we also spent hours on the couch watching movies and playing video games. We were... upfront with each other. I think we discussed every topic you're not meant to talk about on that first date. Past relationships, abortion, children, marriage, politics, religion. Neither of us could date a theist, I don't think. It's one thing to know a few, even love a few in a strictly friendly way. But to discuss a life of hard choices and maybe, who knows, child-rearing with somebody who, ultimately, has beliefs we fundamentally cannot agree with is just not a possibility for either of us.
I think, coupled with the fact that I had a terrible landlord and a worse apartment at the time, we just... we compacted the year or two's worth of dates, discussions, and dreams into about two months. And over the nine months until our wedding, with Al injured and out of work, visiting my family in New York, struggling with finances, with school, with immigration... I think we just covered it all in a year and we're young (him less so, perhaps), neither of us has a long history of relationships, but I think we're both mature enough and honest enough to know what we were getting into and nothing in the past year since I agreed to marry him has changed my opinion on that matter.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Mondayszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .
Whoops! Sorry, girls. Fell asleep there a minute.
I don't know about any of you, but on Monday's end, it has been an exhausting holiday. A great one, but an exhausting one, and I am looking forward to finishing this post, curling up in my Christmas jammies, and heading off to sleep
Anyway, I loved reading about all of your holiday traditions, and was surprised to see how similar some of them were to my own! I hope everyone's holiday has been wonderful and relaxing and enjoyable!
On to today's topic: relationship stories.
Here's a secret: Discounting the one I'm currently in, I've never been in a romantic relationship before. I mean, I've had crushes, and I've been on things that others called dates that I certainly do not (it was supposed to be a group thing, everyone else bailed, and his mom was along. Not a date, folks. Not a date.), but I've never been in an actual relationship. I'd never been out on a date, and I'd never been kissed except for onstage encounters (most of them with the same guy . . . )
See, I went to high school with a group of peers who were vastly different than myself. My school was very much part of a farming community, and all the guys were in the FFA and liked to hunt and either played football or wanted to, and here was this weird, artsy girl who sang and liked theatre. For the most part, we didn't have much to talk about.
So the pool of potential dates dwindled to the guys I did theatre with a town away, and I don't know what you've heard about theatre guys, but a lot of the stereotypes are true -- meaning, a decent percentage of them are gay. I had the hugest crush on my best friend for a year and a half -- took him to my senior prom and everything -- before he came out of the closet. I think a part of me always knew, but I was still crushed.
So, I came to college, and I was just too busy, you know? And the one time I did manage to develop a major crush on a guy I was in a show with, I practically threw myself at him and he remained oblivious. After that, most of my friends focused down to the members of my fraternity, who were almost all either gay (theatre fraternity) or already taken, and I decided it just wasn't worth it. After all, I was a strong, independent woman. I was in college to get a degree, not a boyfriend, and I didn't need a man in my life to define me.
So how easily can a girl reach the age of 21 and remain undated, unkissed, unattached? Turns out, surprisingly easily.
Enter the Pledge Class of 2010.
The story of how my boyfriend and I met is not particularly interesting, largely because I honestly don't remember, and neither does he. It was certainly not an "eyes meet across a crowded room and all sound of the conversation around us dwindles as the orchestra swells to indicate that this, this is a significant moment." I'd seen him in a couple shows without really remembering, and when we'd voted in the class, he was one of the three names I had to check photos on to be sure I had the right person in my head. Our first real conversation was during pledge interviews, where the pledges of Theta have to interview so many members as part of their process. His was one of several that happened one night at the pizza parlor after our meeting. It was slightly unusual because we went off on a half-hour tangential conversation geeking out about Harry Potter and Firefly. Then he left and moved on to his next member, and I thought, "He was pretty cool. Who's next."
Terribly romantic, huh?
Probably the most interesting thing about the start of our relationship was that his jaw was broken at the time. Shortly after the night of the interview, he was mugged on his way home from a party. I remember getting the email from the fraternity president and thinking, "Oh, no, and such a nice guy, too!" I remember declining the invitation to visit in the hospital because I thought it would be weird, since we didn't know each other very well. I remember admiring his stamina and determination when he went through the next pledge event on low pain meds with a broken jaw and fractured vertebra, determined to complete the process even if he had to be stoned out of his mind at the time.
We started really talking at Theta's weekly study tables. And that's when the spark really began. He started asking each week if I'd be there the next. I started hanging by the door, waiting for him to walk in. We both made sure to arrange the walk at the end of study tables so that we would end up walking next to each other over to the meetings. Then there were the eye-catching moments across the room during the meetings, the goodbye or congratulatory hugs that lasted just a little too long, and finally, the invitation to coffee that I couldn't accept because I was going out of town for a week, followed by walking me home after some event and the first kiss goodnight.
Not a whirlwind romance, to be sure. Not a wild, crazy, sweep you off your feet losing of heads and minds. Not the gooey, gushy, crazy fairy tale romantic stuff I always thought I'd be in for when I pictured such things. But honestly, having been in this relationship for almost two years, and knowing with utter certainty that it will be lasting for many, many more, I can look back and say that this was really perfect for the two of us. There is love and trust and friendship, and it's been steady and sure from day one, which may make for a less exciting love story, but I think, in many ways, a truer one.
And now that I've waxed poetic, I'm going to wrap this up, say Happy Holidays to you all, and I'll see you again in the new year!
I don't know about any of you, but on Monday's end, it has been an exhausting holiday. A great one, but an exhausting one, and I am looking forward to finishing this post, curling up in my Christmas jammies, and heading off to sleep
Anyway, I loved reading about all of your holiday traditions, and was surprised to see how similar some of them were to my own! I hope everyone's holiday has been wonderful and relaxing and enjoyable!
On to today's topic: relationship stories.
Here's a secret: Discounting the one I'm currently in, I've never been in a romantic relationship before. I mean, I've had crushes, and I've been on things that others called dates that I certainly do not (it was supposed to be a group thing, everyone else bailed, and his mom was along. Not a date, folks. Not a date.), but I've never been in an actual relationship. I'd never been out on a date, and I'd never been kissed except for onstage encounters (most of them with the same guy . . . )
See, I went to high school with a group of peers who were vastly different than myself. My school was very much part of a farming community, and all the guys were in the FFA and liked to hunt and either played football or wanted to, and here was this weird, artsy girl who sang and liked theatre. For the most part, we didn't have much to talk about.
So the pool of potential dates dwindled to the guys I did theatre with a town away, and I don't know what you've heard about theatre guys, but a lot of the stereotypes are true -- meaning, a decent percentage of them are gay. I had the hugest crush on my best friend for a year and a half -- took him to my senior prom and everything -- before he came out of the closet. I think a part of me always knew, but I was still crushed.
So, I came to college, and I was just too busy, you know? And the one time I did manage to develop a major crush on a guy I was in a show with, I practically threw myself at him and he remained oblivious. After that, most of my friends focused down to the members of my fraternity, who were almost all either gay (theatre fraternity) or already taken, and I decided it just wasn't worth it. After all, I was a strong, independent woman. I was in college to get a degree, not a boyfriend, and I didn't need a man in my life to define me.
So how easily can a girl reach the age of 21 and remain undated, unkissed, unattached? Turns out, surprisingly easily.
Enter the Pledge Class of 2010.
The story of how my boyfriend and I met is not particularly interesting, largely because I honestly don't remember, and neither does he. It was certainly not an "eyes meet across a crowded room and all sound of the conversation around us dwindles as the orchestra swells to indicate that this, this is a significant moment." I'd seen him in a couple shows without really remembering, and when we'd voted in the class, he was one of the three names I had to check photos on to be sure I had the right person in my head. Our first real conversation was during pledge interviews, where the pledges of Theta have to interview so many members as part of their process. His was one of several that happened one night at the pizza parlor after our meeting. It was slightly unusual because we went off on a half-hour tangential conversation geeking out about Harry Potter and Firefly. Then he left and moved on to his next member, and I thought, "He was pretty cool. Who's next."
Terribly romantic, huh?
Probably the most interesting thing about the start of our relationship was that his jaw was broken at the time. Shortly after the night of the interview, he was mugged on his way home from a party. I remember getting the email from the fraternity president and thinking, "Oh, no, and such a nice guy, too!" I remember declining the invitation to visit in the hospital because I thought it would be weird, since we didn't know each other very well. I remember admiring his stamina and determination when he went through the next pledge event on low pain meds with a broken jaw and fractured vertebra, determined to complete the process even if he had to be stoned out of his mind at the time.
We started really talking at Theta's weekly study tables. And that's when the spark really began. He started asking each week if I'd be there the next. I started hanging by the door, waiting for him to walk in. We both made sure to arrange the walk at the end of study tables so that we would end up walking next to each other over to the meetings. Then there were the eye-catching moments across the room during the meetings, the goodbye or congratulatory hugs that lasted just a little too long, and finally, the invitation to coffee that I couldn't accept because I was going out of town for a week, followed by walking me home after some event and the first kiss goodnight.
Not a whirlwind romance, to be sure. Not a wild, crazy, sweep you off your feet losing of heads and minds. Not the gooey, gushy, crazy fairy tale romantic stuff I always thought I'd be in for when I pictured such things. But honestly, having been in this relationship for almost two years, and knowing with utter certainty that it will be lasting for many, many more, I can look back and say that this was really perfect for the two of us. There is love and trust and friendship, and it's been steady and sure from day one, which may make for a less exciting love story, but I think, in many ways, a truer one.
And now that I've waxed poetic, I'm going to wrap this up, say Happy Holidays to you all, and I'll see you again in the new year!
Week 42: Romance is in the air
Sorry. Christmas fail at posting topic. Here 'tis.
Romantic relationships- any good stories from the past (horror or otherwise)?
Look for me later today!
Romantic relationships- any good stories from the past (horror or otherwise)?
Look for me later today!
Friday, December 23, 2011
A Traditional Friday
Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, and all other holidays!
My mom is Christian and my dad is Jewish, so we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah in my little family. Really, we've celebrated Christmas my whole life, but it wasn't until I was around five (I think) and learned about Hanukkah that we started celebrating that too (my dad isn't a practicing Jew, so it was at my insistence). The main holiday is still Christmas though.
As I write this post I am partaking in my family's biggest Christmas tradition- we're staying with my aunt and uncle in Massachusetts. All of my mom's and dad's families live in Massachusetts and Connecticut, so we always come out here for Christmas (and Hanukkah, though we're not always out here during the actual eight days, since they don't always fall during the same time as vacation). This year, however, we are here for Hanukkah (right now) and we'll be seeing my dad's family for a Hanukkah dinner too! I don't get to go to many authentic Jewish holidays with my family, so I enjoy it when I can. Anyway, I'm digressing. So, my parents and I come out to New England for Christmas every year. I enjoy it out here. Two of my aunts (the ones we stay with when we're out here in the winter and summer) live in rural, Western Massachusetts. It's a bit middle-of-nowhere, but in a way that I like. When I was younger I dreaded losing cellphone service while out here, but now I don't mind- it's nice to have a break from my phone.
Really, my family is a bit boring in that we don't have any real traditions except getting together at my aunt's house for Christmas (it's been the same aunt for as long as I can remember, except for one year when we gathered at another aunt's house since the former was doing renovations). Oh, we also do a gift exchange among the adults instead of having everyone get everyone else a gift. The children get gifts from everyone until they're 18 and then they have the choice of joining the exchange or not. I'm doing it this year and got paired with one of my aunts, which is lucky because I've found it hard to get a good present in previous years when I got paired with one of my uncles!
Hmm... other traditions... I suppose it's traditional by now that everyone arrives about two hours later than they said they would. It seems like we open presents later and later each year, though that also probably has something to do with the fact that all the children are college-age or graduates now (save one or two grandchildren who are sometimes here) and therefore aren't as much-open-presents-now excited.
Of course there's the food too, generally everyone chips in and makes a little something. This year I'm making carrot cake as one of the desserts (there are multiple, of course). I actually made it tonight so that the kitchen will be less crowded on the actual day. It smells so good though, I need to just ignore its existence for the next two days.
Well, that's it for now because I am falling asleep as I type. Goodnight and Merry Christmas Eve Eve!
My mom is Christian and my dad is Jewish, so we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah in my little family. Really, we've celebrated Christmas my whole life, but it wasn't until I was around five (I think) and learned about Hanukkah that we started celebrating that too (my dad isn't a practicing Jew, so it was at my insistence). The main holiday is still Christmas though.
As I write this post I am partaking in my family's biggest Christmas tradition- we're staying with my aunt and uncle in Massachusetts. All of my mom's and dad's families live in Massachusetts and Connecticut, so we always come out here for Christmas (and Hanukkah, though we're not always out here during the actual eight days, since they don't always fall during the same time as vacation). This year, however, we are here for Hanukkah (right now) and we'll be seeing my dad's family for a Hanukkah dinner too! I don't get to go to many authentic Jewish holidays with my family, so I enjoy it when I can. Anyway, I'm digressing. So, my parents and I come out to New England for Christmas every year. I enjoy it out here. Two of my aunts (the ones we stay with when we're out here in the winter and summer) live in rural, Western Massachusetts. It's a bit middle-of-nowhere, but in a way that I like. When I was younger I dreaded losing cellphone service while out here, but now I don't mind- it's nice to have a break from my phone.
Really, my family is a bit boring in that we don't have any real traditions except getting together at my aunt's house for Christmas (it's been the same aunt for as long as I can remember, except for one year when we gathered at another aunt's house since the former was doing renovations). Oh, we also do a gift exchange among the adults instead of having everyone get everyone else a gift. The children get gifts from everyone until they're 18 and then they have the choice of joining the exchange or not. I'm doing it this year and got paired with one of my aunts, which is lucky because I've found it hard to get a good present in previous years when I got paired with one of my uncles!
Hmm... other traditions... I suppose it's traditional by now that everyone arrives about two hours later than they said they would. It seems like we open presents later and later each year, though that also probably has something to do with the fact that all the children are college-age or graduates now (save one or two grandchildren who are sometimes here) and therefore aren't as much-open-presents-now excited.
Of course there's the food too, generally everyone chips in and makes a little something. This year I'm making carrot cake as one of the desserts (there are multiple, of course). I actually made it tonight so that the kitchen will be less crowded on the actual day. It smells so good though, I need to just ignore its existence for the next two days.
Well, that's it for now because I am falling asleep as I type. Goodnight and Merry Christmas Eve Eve!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Wednesday does things a little differently these days
Christina: Welcome back! I’m glad you have traveled safely and hope you continue to do so.
Cassie: Boy oh BOY does your family make candy…
Alexandra: Your Christmas sounds like it is going to be wonderful! Enjoy your travels. I vote Tardiness Amnesty : )
My family is a dynamic creature, and so are our holiday traditions. For Christmas, when I was young, we would all hop in the car about two weeks before Christmas and go pick out a tree. We would then take it home and decorate it with family-favorite ornaments to a soundtrack of A Charlie Brown Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, my mom’s parents would make the two-hour drive from Mom’s hometown to join us for Christmas Eve church service and Christmas the next day. That night, my sister and I would stay up late plotting a scheme that would get us to our presents without waking up Grandma and Papa, who slept in the room where the tree stood. We would have a hard time falling asleep and then wake up at quarter-till-too-damn-early in the morning, crawl around the house to our stockings, sneak back to open them in one or the other of our bedrooms, re-pack them, sneak back to the fireplace, and put our stockings back, to pretend we hadn’t opened them at all.
We would wait as long as we could possibly force ourselves to wait and then ever so gently awaken our parents by sneaking into their room and whispering, “Mom! Dad!” until we annoyed them enough to make them awake. Then we all went to where Grandma and Papa were waking up and opened presents. We had dinner at around noon, which was always (as per Papa’s insistence) a deli tray—a food variety that no self-respecting child should ever enjoy. Then we spent the rest of the day enjoying our presents and doing a whole lot of nothing.
We do things quite a bit differently these days. For one, we no longer put up a tree. Several years ago, we decided that it would be easier and just as fulfilling of Christmas tradition obligations just to cut a tree shape out of foamboard and decorate it with construction-paper replicas of favorite ornaments. It’s the best tree ever; we unfold it afresh every year and prop it up against the wall, no watering or pine-needle-stepping-on required. This year, we made a new construction paper replica of our advent calendar.
My family has liberalized quite a bit in recent years, not a little bit due to our lessened (for many of us, eliminated) religious inclinations. We no longer go to Christmas Eve church (or church at all). It is quite a relief to be part of a family that doesn’t guilt its members into going (though Grandma might, if she had her way).
My sister and I no longer connive over Christmas-morning-goings-on. We stay up late watching TV and sleep in, getting to presents when we’re good and ready to be awake. Most years, Mom and Dad are awake before one or both of us.
Dinner now happens at normal dinner time, 5 pm or later. And it consists of lasagna and garlic bread instead of a nasty deli tray (everything on those stupid things tastes like pickles anyway) and all our favorite accoutrements and desserts.
The only thing that really remains the same is that we spend the rest of the day enjoying our presents and each other, only it’s a whole lot better than it was when I was growing up.
So that’s my family Christmas “tradition.” A very Merry Christmas to you all!
Cassie: Boy oh BOY does your family make candy…
Alexandra: Your Christmas sounds like it is going to be wonderful! Enjoy your travels. I vote Tardiness Amnesty : )
My family is a dynamic creature, and so are our holiday traditions. For Christmas, when I was young, we would all hop in the car about two weeks before Christmas and go pick out a tree. We would then take it home and decorate it with family-favorite ornaments to a soundtrack of A Charlie Brown Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, my mom’s parents would make the two-hour drive from Mom’s hometown to join us for Christmas Eve church service and Christmas the next day. That night, my sister and I would stay up late plotting a scheme that would get us to our presents without waking up Grandma and Papa, who slept in the room where the tree stood. We would have a hard time falling asleep and then wake up at quarter-till-too-damn-early in the morning, crawl around the house to our stockings, sneak back to open them in one or the other of our bedrooms, re-pack them, sneak back to the fireplace, and put our stockings back, to pretend we hadn’t opened them at all.
We would wait as long as we could possibly force ourselves to wait and then ever so gently awaken our parents by sneaking into their room and whispering, “Mom! Dad!” until we annoyed them enough to make them awake. Then we all went to where Grandma and Papa were waking up and opened presents. We had dinner at around noon, which was always (as per Papa’s insistence) a deli tray—a food variety that no self-respecting child should ever enjoy. Then we spent the rest of the day enjoying our presents and doing a whole lot of nothing.
We do things quite a bit differently these days. For one, we no longer put up a tree. Several years ago, we decided that it would be easier and just as fulfilling of Christmas tradition obligations just to cut a tree shape out of foamboard and decorate it with construction-paper replicas of favorite ornaments. It’s the best tree ever; we unfold it afresh every year and prop it up against the wall, no watering or pine-needle-stepping-on required. This year, we made a new construction paper replica of our advent calendar.
My family has liberalized quite a bit in recent years, not a little bit due to our lessened (for many of us, eliminated) religious inclinations. We no longer go to Christmas Eve church (or church at all). It is quite a relief to be part of a family that doesn’t guilt its members into going (though Grandma might, if she had her way).
My sister and I no longer connive over Christmas-morning-goings-on. We stay up late watching TV and sleep in, getting to presents when we’re good and ready to be awake. Most years, Mom and Dad are awake before one or both of us.
Dinner now happens at normal dinner time, 5 pm or later. And it consists of lasagna and garlic bread instead of a nasty deli tray (everything on those stupid things tastes like pickles anyway) and all our favorite accoutrements and desserts.
The only thing that really remains the same is that we spend the rest of the day enjoying our presents and each other, only it’s a whole lot better than it was when I was growing up.
So that’s my family Christmas “tradition.” A very Merry Christmas to you all!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tuesday is Festive
As a child, holidays were primarily celebrated by not attending school. My family was, back a couple of generations, atheistic - we didn't even acknowledge Easter, and Christmas was - as it is for many Americans - a chance to exchange gifts. I didn't like the music, the decor was mostly annoying (we had to move the dining table into the living room to make room for the tree), and I was mostly content to just have my birthday for the gifts (though, hey, a Wii? I'll take it).
As an adult, maybe even just in the past couple of years, I have grown to like the atmosphere. I like the decor, I like the feelings, I like the carols - sans the ones sung by Justin Bieber - and I like Christmas. Of course, as an adult, I don't really exchange presents. My parents might send me a check, and my mother-in-law took me out to get a pedicure and we went clothes shopping together, but really, we don't have so much as a wreath and no physical gifts have been purchased. The only gift I've given was Skyrim, for Carina (my BGSU friend).
Of course, this year, I am going to Disney World. Specifically, in fact, I'll be at Universal for Christmas. Harry Potter World for Christmas - talk about magical. :)
Regarding the other holidays... well, there really is nothing to say. I never liked Thanksgiving, because aside from the pumpkin pie, the food doesn't really appeal to me. I'm not one to keep from the spices and cheese, and turkey roasts get a baste at much, the stuffing is too gritty to eat, and everything else is just buttered vegetables and the highly questionable 'cranberry sauce'. Until I moved up here, Thanksgiving was an excuse to see my grandpa, which... wasn't much. My grandma came over, too, but she came over no less than twice a month, sometimes twice a week, so it didn't really matter. These days, Thanksgiving is (a) on Columbus Day, and (b) a torturous event in which I need to hang out with a bunch of in-laws, some of whom are tolerable, maybe two of whom I like, and at least one of whom I loathe passionately (and she was pregnant this year, so she was infinitely less tolerable).
Valentine's? I never really had a boyfriend - I had a long distance one, but we didn't exchange gifts... because of the distance. And my husband and I were already engaged by the time our first Valentine's came around. Further, my husband's birthday is a week later, so I don't feel obliged to get him anything. He got me a Chocobo plushie and I made a nice big dinner, but we sometimes just do things like that, so it wasn't really special. Just an excuse to do something fun, really.
Halloween - I marathon a couple of horror movies and make treats. This year I made a jack o' lantern rice krispie treat, some cinnamon popcorn, and some 'worms in a cup' chocolate amalgamations, plus some apple cider and a bowl of candy. Most years this is how it goes. First year of college, Matthew and I watched a bunch of old Halloween-themed Disney cartoons, Nightmare Before Christmas, etc. and ate candy, and as a kid, my mom and I would watch horror movies and eat candy. It's a reliable pattern, if nothing else.
I don't so much as acknowledge any other holidays, so... yeah. And, on a final note, my flight back from Disney World is... next Tuesday. And I'll be on a plane for nine hours of that. Statistical odds of me making a post rely entirely on me arriving home and not being dead tired, or there being free Wi-Fi in the Chicago Airport during our layover. Think up a punishment or something now, everyone, and I'll see you when I get back. :)
As an adult, maybe even just in the past couple of years, I have grown to like the atmosphere. I like the decor, I like the feelings, I like the carols - sans the ones sung by Justin Bieber - and I like Christmas. Of course, as an adult, I don't really exchange presents. My parents might send me a check, and my mother-in-law took me out to get a pedicure and we went clothes shopping together, but really, we don't have so much as a wreath and no physical gifts have been purchased. The only gift I've given was Skyrim, for Carina (my BGSU friend).
Of course, this year, I am going to Disney World. Specifically, in fact, I'll be at Universal for Christmas. Harry Potter World for Christmas - talk about magical. :)
Regarding the other holidays... well, there really is nothing to say. I never liked Thanksgiving, because aside from the pumpkin pie, the food doesn't really appeal to me. I'm not one to keep from the spices and cheese, and turkey roasts get a baste at much, the stuffing is too gritty to eat, and everything else is just buttered vegetables and the highly questionable 'cranberry sauce'. Until I moved up here, Thanksgiving was an excuse to see my grandpa, which... wasn't much. My grandma came over, too, but she came over no less than twice a month, sometimes twice a week, so it didn't really matter. These days, Thanksgiving is (a) on Columbus Day, and (b) a torturous event in which I need to hang out with a bunch of in-laws, some of whom are tolerable, maybe two of whom I like, and at least one of whom I loathe passionately (and she was pregnant this year, so she was infinitely less tolerable).
Valentine's? I never really had a boyfriend - I had a long distance one, but we didn't exchange gifts... because of the distance. And my husband and I were already engaged by the time our first Valentine's came around. Further, my husband's birthday is a week later, so I don't feel obliged to get him anything. He got me a Chocobo plushie and I made a nice big dinner, but we sometimes just do things like that, so it wasn't really special. Just an excuse to do something fun, really.
Halloween - I marathon a couple of horror movies and make treats. This year I made a jack o' lantern rice krispie treat, some cinnamon popcorn, and some 'worms in a cup' chocolate amalgamations, plus some apple cider and a bowl of candy. Most years this is how it goes. First year of college, Matthew and I watched a bunch of old Halloween-themed Disney cartoons, Nightmare Before Christmas, etc. and ate candy, and as a kid, my mom and I would watch horror movies and eat candy. It's a reliable pattern, if nothing else.
I don't so much as acknowledge any other holidays, so... yeah. And, on a final note, my flight back from Disney World is... next Tuesday. And I'll be on a plane for nine hours of that. Statistical odds of me making a post rely entirely on me arriving home and not being dead tired, or there being free Wi-Fi in the Chicago Airport during our layover. Think up a punishment or something now, everyone, and I'll see you when I get back. :)
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