Advent II
Words of wisdom: If you celebrate Christmas a week early, Advent is even shorter.
[I am sure that statement is sacrilegious on oh, so many fronts!]
But… and I don’t think we are unlike many families where kids have to celebrate the holidays with two parents who are divorced and live in different places, you have to play with the cards which were dealt to you. Sorry – my younger son is learning about idioms in school, and I just had to add one in for good measure!
On odd years, the boys are with me for Christmas and then go to their dad’s the day after Christmas and for the rest of their holiday break, while on even years, they go to their dad’s as soon as they get out for holiday break. Since this is an even year, it means they will be going to visit their dad the day after they get out of school, which will be Friday the 22nd. Thus, in order to celebrate “our” Christmas, we did it THIS weekend. Strangely, if you decorate your house and follow all of your normal traditions, it “seems” like whichever day you celebrate Christmas IS actually Christmas. Until you leave your house or turn on the TV or go out into the world at large.
Truly, it SEEMED like Christmas morning this morning. The tree was all trimmed, the house all decorated, the presents wrapped and under the tree, the stockings all hung by the chimney with care, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
I about killed myself to get this far this fast. And, yes, we have not actually finished decorating the tree, but who can tell but me? Well, OK, my mother and Martha Stewart, too. The boys got all their presents, wrapped, and arranged in predetermined piles under the tree, those presents from Santa wrapped, of course, in Santa paper. The stockings were stuffed and overflowing. One poor son’s chocolate Santa had actually started to melt, from the heat of the artificial fireplace, which his grandmother had installed and turned on “for effect.” It was about sixty degrees outside today, NOT normal weather for December in this part of the world, but not all that terrible, either. Yes, I DO like a white Christmas, but if it can’t be white, then sixty and pleasant is fine with me. Because it means I can go for a long walk after I have eaten WAY too much food.
I didn’t have to turn out a holiday meal, thank God! We went to brunch with some family friends, a tradition we started several years ago and do a weekend or two before Christmas. I will have to cook Christmas dinner NEXT week, on the actual Christmas day, for some family and friends, but that will be very low key and relaxing, not frenetic and involving a giant, fricking turkey with all of the trimmings. I really LOATHE preparing a traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. It is not really all that hard to cook a turkey, but it is time-consuming to cook a turkey dinner and all of its side components. You prepare and cook all day long, people devour everything in about six and a half minutes, and then it takes you hours to clean up and put all the leftovers away. While everyone else is off watching football games or getting drunk or having family tiffs. Or all three. GAHHHH!!!
Do I really LIKE doing Christmas a week early???
No, of course not.
Do I like celebrating Christmas with my family, whether early or late?
ABSOLUTELY!
“I heard the bells on Christmas day (or the week before)
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
[I am sure that statement is sacrilegious on oh, so many fronts!]
But… and I don’t think we are unlike many families where kids have to celebrate the holidays with two parents who are divorced and live in different places, you have to play with the cards which were dealt to you. Sorry – my younger son is learning about idioms in school, and I just had to add one in for good measure!
On odd years, the boys are with me for Christmas and then go to their dad’s the day after Christmas and for the rest of their holiday break, while on even years, they go to their dad’s as soon as they get out for holiday break. Since this is an even year, it means they will be going to visit their dad the day after they get out of school, which will be Friday the 22nd. Thus, in order to celebrate “our” Christmas, we did it THIS weekend. Strangely, if you decorate your house and follow all of your normal traditions, it “seems” like whichever day you celebrate Christmas IS actually Christmas. Until you leave your house or turn on the TV or go out into the world at large.
Truly, it SEEMED like Christmas morning this morning. The tree was all trimmed, the house all decorated, the presents wrapped and under the tree, the stockings all hung by the chimney with care, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
I about killed myself to get this far this fast. And, yes, we have not actually finished decorating the tree, but who can tell but me? Well, OK, my mother and Martha Stewart, too. The boys got all their presents, wrapped, and arranged in predetermined piles under the tree, those presents from Santa wrapped, of course, in Santa paper. The stockings were stuffed and overflowing. One poor son’s chocolate Santa had actually started to melt, from the heat of the artificial fireplace, which his grandmother had installed and turned on “for effect.” It was about sixty degrees outside today, NOT normal weather for December in this part of the world, but not all that terrible, either. Yes, I DO like a white Christmas, but if it can’t be white, then sixty and pleasant is fine with me. Because it means I can go for a long walk after I have eaten WAY too much food.
I didn’t have to turn out a holiday meal, thank God! We went to brunch with some family friends, a tradition we started several years ago and do a weekend or two before Christmas. I will have to cook Christmas dinner NEXT week, on the actual Christmas day, for some family and friends, but that will be very low key and relaxing, not frenetic and involving a giant, fricking turkey with all of the trimmings. I really LOATHE preparing a traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. It is not really all that hard to cook a turkey, but it is time-consuming to cook a turkey dinner and all of its side components. You prepare and cook all day long, people devour everything in about six and a half minutes, and then it takes you hours to clean up and put all the leftovers away. While everyone else is off watching football games or getting drunk or having family tiffs. Or all three. GAHHHH!!!
Do I really LIKE doing Christmas a week early???
No, of course not.
Do I like celebrating Christmas with my family, whether early or late?
ABSOLUTELY!
“I heard the bells on Christmas day (or the week before)
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
posted by delta at 6:40 PM
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