Oh it’s going to be a holly jolly Christmas this year! FINALLY, Christmas is getting a Snow
Day.
I don’t mean
the morning flurries that optimistic meteorologists are predicting for tomorrow.
(Don’t bother charging your digital camera for the White Panorama:
the weather-people just want attention. )
No, this ‘snow day’ means that our Christmas is
‘delayed.’ By two days. Woo HOO!
I am SOOO behind on cooking, shopping, wrapping. Don’t even have the tree up.
Because, as an early Christmas gift, our three sons gave us
a reprieve by spending Christmas Day AND the day after with their fiancées and
families -- in entirely different zip codes, one in Sunny Canadia!
I hate to sound all Pollyanna, making lemons out of lemonade,
because deep down I’m a shameless opportunist. But I could not be happier.
An extra two days means I can BLOG Christmas Eve morning,
which, as you can see I am doing right now in my Ralphie Christmas Boxers and
black wife beater.
I even took time today to read and respond to a newsy email
from a friend who – get this – is also not with her kiddos on Actual Christmas
Day, so she invited us to her place for tomorrow, late morning!
I, for one, have nothing to do right now, so let me share my
e-response with you:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Dearest R,
“I am DELIGHTED you
took yourself, solo, to see the film, Lincoln!
Sounds like an historical epic! What a coincidence, because I almost did this on the same afternoon! I left the house at 2, hit the dump, then
the liquor store for a bottle of SUPER On-Sale white-cake vodka for Abby (nothing
says 'I love you' at Christmas like half-off
her favorite flavor), then OFF to the mall.
“It was 7:50 when I loaded the last Christmas
bundle into the Blazer. I was seeing double by then, so I drove straight
home. Next time you wanna go to a movie alone, call me. We’ll do it together.
“Another coincidence, when you mentioned your son’s college applications,
I remembered I just blogged about it.
You and your son can review it here:
“We’ll try and swing by tomorrow,
late morning. But I have to tell you:
I spent some of my ‘NEW free time’ today laying out unwrapped gifts for
everyone, to discover -- before we unwrap them this year – which child I forgot
to shop for.
“It was stunning. Might have to pop
out later today.
“Meanwhile, last night was so
relaxing. Jonathan, Abby and I
were reveling in the cooking I wasn’t
doing 48 hours before the holiday. Abby – ever thoughtful – piggy-backed on the
revelry by ordering pizza for dinner, then suggested we not trim the tree.
“’Won’t it be fun,” she posited, “’to
lounge in the living
room tonight slurping pizza and watching movies, knowing
we’re trimming the tree CHRISTMAS
MORNING? We can do
it to Christmas Carols!’”
“We danced in the
kitchen at the prospect of this new tradition. I just hope the kids continue to not come on Christmas Day.
“Another Christmas miracle a la Abby
took place. For the FIRST time ever (light a candle in the window, sing the
Gloria Patria) she wants to make Christmas cookies with me. And
I quote: ‘You know the ones you buy in a tube?’
"’Of course I do. I just blogged about it in EAT
IT RAW
raw.html ‘
"’Mama, stop self-promoting.’
"’Sorry.’
"’I believe your FAVE Christmas cookie, Mommy, is
sugar-
cookie raw dough, right? You said it reminds you of
white
cake with white frosting that you like so much.’
"’No, honey, that’s YOU. It's why you like
cake-flavored
vodka.’
"’I hate that shit. It’s YOU that like it and where was I?
You keep interrupting. Oh, so we can get out a
cookbook
and figure out how to make raw tube dough, from
scratch.’
"’Cookbooks, yes yes, we have some. I even blogged about
them at
"’STOP THAT.’
"’Honey, my point is that cookbooks make me
nervous.’
"’Well, I can go to Dave's Liquor Store now and
get you
some white-cake vodka. I think it’s on sale! We'll sip
on
it Christmas morning, with some take-out breakfast.’
"’Forget Dave’s. I might be able to rustle up a bottle
somewhere.’
"’YES, Mother, I KNOWWW … you blogg'd about
holiday
binge-drinking at
"’You memorized the link! --sniff--
...thank you,
sweetie!’
"’Anyway, we'll sip our cocktails, have some
breakfast, and
make sugar cookies together! Do you know where
the
rolling pin and cookie cutters are?’
—pause—
"’Abigail Lindley-Geneva! How do you even
know about -
those!?’
“’The streets, Ma. I'm 22.’
I
felt dizzy.
"’I hope you 'take precautions.'
"’Your kitchen-fires have taught me much,
Mama, my flat-
mates and I use pot holders.’
“So as you can see, my dearest
friend, while we may very WELL be able to swing by your lovely place before
2:30, we might also be dousing flames and electrocuting ourselves with Christmas
lights dangling in tree-stand water.
“Our schedule is like the Lottery.
Except I hope we win. Against all odds, we hope to
see you tomorrow! HO HO HO!
XOXO, Carolyn”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Before I go off to start a new Christmas List (I know now
which kid I forgot), I wish you all a joyous holiday. And thank GAWD no one is
coming til the 27th.
Everything’s on mega-sale the 26th.
No comments:
Post a Comment