Today in My History

2000:  Santa Needs a New Elf
2001:  Christmas Tree Letter
2002:  Christmas Time, Around the World
2003:  15 Minutes at a Time
2004:  The Prancing and Pawing of Each Little Hoof
2005:  And They Lived Happily Ever After
2006:  Egg Nog Galas Revisited
2007:  Christmas Cookies
2008:  Visions of Sugarplums
2009:  The Christmas Miracle
2010:  Season of Miracles
2011:  Thanks, Bill
2012: Comes the Deluge

Bitter Hack
Updated: 12/14
Santaland Diaries

Books Read in 2013
 Updated: 12/20
"Fried Eggs with Chopsticks"

Most Recent on My

Magpie Journal

SUNDAY STEALING

23 December 2013

1. The Christmas song I can listen to even in June is...
Oh probably "Little Drummer Boy."  There is enough drama in that song that it works for me no matter when I hear it.

2. Hot Chocolate, Egg Nog or Mulled wine?
Yes.  :)  For tree-trimming, I like egg nog.  For adult parties, I'll have a spot of mulled wine, and for a cold winter evening, nothing beats a nice mug of hot chocolate.

3. When do you put your decorations up?
Lately, never.  Since we are gone over Christmas, don't entertain, and don't get invited out...and almost never spend any time in the living room (except for sleeping), there doesn't seem to be any point to it.  If the grandkids were coming to visit, or if we were going to be home and I could find a place for "all this crap" in the living room, I might consider a tree again.

4. What are you having for Christmas dinner?
Don't know yet.  I'm not cooking.  I assume turkey.  Last year Tom cooked it two ways, in the oven and deep fried.  Both were delicious.

5. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
It has changed over the years.  For so many years, it was the "egg nog gala" that our kids put on, a variety show with lots of variety.  But that is no more (and I miss it).  I loved waking up and waiting for the kids to come downstairs to see what Santa (or his representatives, as they got older) brought, but that is no more either.  I guess now my favorite tradition is what we did the other night--driving around town and looking at the lights on all the houses, while Christmas music plays in the background.  As the grandchildren get older, I'm sure there will develop new beloved Christmas traditions.

6. Have you ever gone Carol singing?
Yes.  I've sung with groups at convalescent homes, wandering the neighborhood (sometimes playing kazoos), and even caroled with The Lamplighters on the cable car in San Francisco, going from one end of the line to the other end, where the Buena Vista (the club that invented Irish coffee is) for an Irish coffee. Caroling with a group of professional singers is the best ever.

7. When did you learn the truth about Santa?
One Easter, as a matter of fact.  And I'm still traumatized by it.   I was noticing that my parents were pointing out places we had missed in looking for Easter eggs and, feeling very smart for figuring it out, I went to them and whispered "thank you" so that my younger sister couldn't hear me.  My father said "Well, now that you know about the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, don't spoil it for Karen."  Santa Claus TOO????

8. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
We don't any more, but when we did, almost all of the ornaments were either home made or specially bought for a certain occasion...like the gold trumpet we gave Paul the year he played Winthrop in The Music Man or the matching 49ers that we gave Tom and David, avid football fans.  There was also the ballerina we gave Jeri when she was studying ballet, and I think we gave Ned a car ornament when he learned to drive.   There are lots of ornaments like that, plus my favorites, which are the ones that the kids made.  We also have what I call the "necropsy ornaments," which consist of a ball that was the favorite of our dog Seymour, a black leather jacket with "bitch" on it (because it was the only thing in black leather I could find) which we got the year David died, and the smiley face necklace that Paul gave me one year, which became a Christmas ornament the year Paul died.

9. What's the best thing about Christmas?
Being with family.  This year it will be being with family twice, since we will have a celebration with the grandkids on Christmas day and two days later a late Christmas with my mother and Ned & Marta.  Jeri will be here for both celebrations, which is great.

10. All I want for Christmas is...
World peace and a clean house.  I've been asking for this for more than 20 years now.  Sooner or later, someone is going to listen!

PHOTO OF THE DAY

More lights from last night.

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