Well, here ya go, the big secret is revealed.
#1 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: CHRISTMAS!!!!
Duh. What did you think it would be??
Christmas was, is and will always be my favorite holiday. I loved it when I was 5 opening new toys, I love it now...still opening toys.
I love it all, there is no other holiday like it...aside from my birthday, and they aren't about to make that a national holiday. No other holiday can possibly measure up.
Christmas is a magic that goes beyond words. The great Clark Griswold said "It means something different to everybody."
It means everything I have written about in this blog. Family, friends, memories, love, friendship, egg nog. And more. It's hard to explain really and I have tried to over these many many entries over the past month.
This blog has been read and enjoyed in: United States, Russia, Germany, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Puerto Rico and France. It has reached farther than I ever imagined. To all those who have read it, thank you very much.
"A very Merry Christmas, and a happy new year."- John Lennon
Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
"Christmas Must Be Tonight."
Does it get any better than this?
#3 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Christmas Eve.
Throw back the egg nog, turn on the lights and don we now our gay apparel. CHRISTMAS EVE!!!! One of my favorite nights of the year.
I would dare say I have more fun Christmas Eve than on Christmas Day. Christmas Eve starts in full force in the morning at my house.
Christmas specials and Christmas music only. All day long.
Make sure bedrooms are in respectable order, vacuum the carpets, make sure the bathroom is decent, fresh towels (matching ones at that!), clutter free kitchen counters, living room tidied up, coats on parents. bed to make room for everyone else's, making sure Grandma and Grandpa's slippers were ready to go by the side door, make sure Christmas lights and outside lights are on.
It wouldn't be Christmas until I got my Christmas card from my 1st grade teacher and perhaps, the greatest teacher I ever had, Mrs. Marion B. Northrup. I have every card she has sent me since 1997 which list all the crazy travels and adventures she has had in the past year and what she has on tap for the new year. I should live to be in such good health, with the energy and means to live so well. A true inspiration.
Usually in the afternoon we would get our Christmas pajamas, us three kids would open our gifts for each other and hang our new Christmas ornaments on the tree.
Here we go again, haul up the large folding table and card table in kitchen from the basement and lug up the metal folding chairs (brown and coffee & cream in color) and place accordingly. Clear off the counter space to the right of the kitchen sink for our attempt at a bar, placing out the sauce of which no one drinks (Grandpa might throw a little Seagram's Whiskey in the coffee, but it doesn't get much more wild than that), next to those place the two liters of pop (we dont have soda in NY state) and the plastic cups, start oiling and cooking the sausage around 3 or 4, maybe roast some chestnuts (not over an open fire like the song suggests, that could get dangerous...especially indoors).
For a refresher on just what in the world we bought and why see the "Trip To Wegmans" Entry.
Cut the rolls for the sausage and place in basket, cut, nibble while no one is looking and put the pepperoni, salami, sopressata, provolone, olives and pickles on fancy plates, break out the mixed nuts with metal nutcrackers and place in baskets to be enjoyed later, schelp out the various condiments for the dinner and salad, place butter in dishes with knives for spreading said butter (keeping it classy for Jesus' b-day).
God bless if you are still reading because I'm not finished yet.
Grandparents arrive, give them their slippers and talk their ears off. When we were younger we would haul in garbage bags, I'm not exaggerating, of presents for everybody. Repeat process with Aunt Julie and Uncle Harry and Giavanna. Our living room was a maze of boxes. I got the pictures to prove it. Settle into a nice dinner, happily plowing through the homemade sausage, bacala as we chat and tell stories. Again as younger kids we would be wouldn't shut up until we got our presents. Not before desert, coffee, some sort of cake, Christmas cookies with enough frosting to kill a moose. This period was known as digestion. Code for "keep your pants on a minute, we aren't ready to open presents."
After "digestion" and dinner, we would change into our jammies. Grandma's logic "C'mon letsa make a them opena the presents so they shutup." But never was such a thing said with such love and care. Sometimes before, sometimes after I would read Twas The Night Before Christmas. We would all take a seat with our stash and commence opening in dignified and organized manner, wrapping paper in the garbage bags, announcing who the gifts were from and reading cards allowed...or so we tried to maintain this law and order. Though I must say our presents opening was never like it is on TV with kids just plowing through boxes, one at a time, or each of us opening one of our own gifts all together at the same time. Again in younger years it was boxes upon boxes. Clothes (how I wish for such a sensible gift now). Grandparents always came through with a box each of paper, envelopes, pens, pencils, markers, scotch tape and batteries (for some reason these were always hard to find items in our house, so we each were presented with our own stash).
Grandparents could also be counted on for one or two fun things (usually specific items that were easy to find...like a new CD or DVD that was new that wouldn't be much trouble finding). Aunt Julie could be counted on for the more amusing items that our Grandparents might not buy (keeping in mind my grandparents only got around to having a push button phone and answering machine somewhere around 1995...a VCR, video game system DVD player or computer has never seen the inside of their house). We boringly sat through the adults opening their gifts to and from each other...never suspecting that one day, I would be in their shoes, getting excited over a coffee maker (funny story...I'm not even coffee drinker, but I would be excited if I got one).
We would usually take our bounty to our rooms to make room for Santa and open up and play with anything sensible and fairly easy (again this detail varied by the year, as we got older, the toys became fewer, as one might expect). Back into the kitchen for more sweets and treats. Sometimes cocktail shrimp, sometimes pizza bread, sometimes a ChexMix of some sort, sometimes cheesecake and more cookies...in short, we continued eating.
Soon enough we would look tired and Grandma and Grandpa would call for their coats and boots and Grandpa would fire up the car, bid farewell and know we would see them again soon enough, my Aunt and Uncle would usually follow suit. We would each pick a cookie or two and pour some milk or egg nog for Santa, while making sure to leave carrots and celery for the reindeer. In later years, my sister and I would help clean up the house, which was generally speaking, a disaster area by this point before heading to bed. Put on Christmas music and fell to sleep. As a kid I remember seeing the soft glow outside, falling asleep with the vision of Santa Claus coming in my front door with our presents, polishing off the snack, unloading the goods and making it out without waking a soul.
The things I would give to have some of that magic back. Just one more time.
#3 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Christmas Eve.
Throw back the egg nog, turn on the lights and don we now our gay apparel. CHRISTMAS EVE!!!! One of my favorite nights of the year.
I would dare say I have more fun Christmas Eve than on Christmas Day. Christmas Eve starts in full force in the morning at my house.
Christmas specials and Christmas music only. All day long.
Make sure bedrooms are in respectable order, vacuum the carpets, make sure the bathroom is decent, fresh towels (matching ones at that!), clutter free kitchen counters, living room tidied up, coats on parents. bed to make room for everyone else's, making sure Grandma and Grandpa's slippers were ready to go by the side door, make sure Christmas lights and outside lights are on.
It wouldn't be Christmas until I got my Christmas card from my 1st grade teacher and perhaps, the greatest teacher I ever had, Mrs. Marion B. Northrup. I have every card she has sent me since 1997 which list all the crazy travels and adventures she has had in the past year and what she has on tap for the new year. I should live to be in such good health, with the energy and means to live so well. A true inspiration.
Usually in the afternoon we would get our Christmas pajamas, us three kids would open our gifts for each other and hang our new Christmas ornaments on the tree.
Here we go again, haul up the large folding table and card table in kitchen from the basement and lug up the metal folding chairs (brown and coffee & cream in color) and place accordingly. Clear off the counter space to the right of the kitchen sink for our attempt at a bar, placing out the sauce of which no one drinks (Grandpa might throw a little Seagram's Whiskey in the coffee, but it doesn't get much more wild than that), next to those place the two liters of pop (we dont have soda in NY state) and the plastic cups, start oiling and cooking the sausage around 3 or 4, maybe roast some chestnuts (not over an open fire like the song suggests, that could get dangerous...especially indoors).
For a refresher on just what in the world we bought and why see the "Trip To Wegmans" Entry.
Cut the rolls for the sausage and place in basket, cut, nibble while no one is looking and put the pepperoni, salami, sopressata, provolone, olives and pickles on fancy plates, break out the mixed nuts with metal nutcrackers and place in baskets to be enjoyed later, schelp out the various condiments for the dinner and salad, place butter in dishes with knives for spreading said butter (keeping it classy for Jesus' b-day).
God bless if you are still reading because I'm not finished yet.
Grandparents arrive, give them their slippers and talk their ears off. When we were younger we would haul in garbage bags, I'm not exaggerating, of presents for everybody. Repeat process with Aunt Julie and Uncle Harry and Giavanna. Our living room was a maze of boxes. I got the pictures to prove it. Settle into a nice dinner, happily plowing through the homemade sausage, bacala as we chat and tell stories. Again as younger kids we would be wouldn't shut up until we got our presents. Not before desert, coffee, some sort of cake, Christmas cookies with enough frosting to kill a moose. This period was known as digestion. Code for "keep your pants on a minute, we aren't ready to open presents."
After "digestion" and dinner, we would change into our jammies. Grandma's logic "C'mon letsa make a them opena the presents so they shutup." But never was such a thing said with such love and care. Sometimes before, sometimes after I would read Twas The Night Before Christmas. We would all take a seat with our stash and commence opening in dignified and organized manner, wrapping paper in the garbage bags, announcing who the gifts were from and reading cards allowed...or so we tried to maintain this law and order. Though I must say our presents opening was never like it is on TV with kids just plowing through boxes, one at a time, or each of us opening one of our own gifts all together at the same time. Again in younger years it was boxes upon boxes. Clothes (how I wish for such a sensible gift now). Grandparents always came through with a box each of paper, envelopes, pens, pencils, markers, scotch tape and batteries (for some reason these were always hard to find items in our house, so we each were presented with our own stash).
Grandparents could also be counted on for one or two fun things (usually specific items that were easy to find...like a new CD or DVD that was new that wouldn't be much trouble finding). Aunt Julie could be counted on for the more amusing items that our Grandparents might not buy (keeping in mind my grandparents only got around to having a push button phone and answering machine somewhere around 1995...a VCR, video game system DVD player or computer has never seen the inside of their house). We boringly sat through the adults opening their gifts to and from each other...never suspecting that one day, I would be in their shoes, getting excited over a coffee maker (funny story...I'm not even coffee drinker, but I would be excited if I got one).
We would usually take our bounty to our rooms to make room for Santa and open up and play with anything sensible and fairly easy (again this detail varied by the year, as we got older, the toys became fewer, as one might expect). Back into the kitchen for more sweets and treats. Sometimes cocktail shrimp, sometimes pizza bread, sometimes a ChexMix of some sort, sometimes cheesecake and more cookies...in short, we continued eating.
Soon enough we would look tired and Grandma and Grandpa would call for their coats and boots and Grandpa would fire up the car, bid farewell and know we would see them again soon enough, my Aunt and Uncle would usually follow suit. We would each pick a cookie or two and pour some milk or egg nog for Santa, while making sure to leave carrots and celery for the reindeer. In later years, my sister and I would help clean up the house, which was generally speaking, a disaster area by this point before heading to bed. Put on Christmas music and fell to sleep. As a kid I remember seeing the soft glow outside, falling asleep with the vision of Santa Claus coming in my front door with our presents, polishing off the snack, unloading the goods and making it out without waking a soul.
The things I would give to have some of that magic back. Just one more time.
"Now The Goose Is On The Table."
Not in our house it's not.
#4 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: The Centanni Family Christmas Eve Dinner.
Some have turkey with all the fixings (whatever those are). Some have...well, I don't know what other people have, but what we have...it only makes sense to us.
The headlining item of all Christmas eve...and New Year's eve...and 4th of July...and Memorial Day...Labor Day...or any occasion would be Grandpa's homemade Italian sausage. There is not a meat packing company on earth that can compete. Though there are a few little trusted shops back home that will do, it just isn't the same. This is a long and labor-intense process that has become less frequent in recent years but I do remember a few Christmases, once school was done, heading over to Grandma's to help Grandpa with the process in their completely furnished kitchen, in their fully finished, heated and plywood paneled basement, Sinatra and Tony Bennett cassettes in hand.
Told ya I was Italian.
Yes I have the recipe and no I won't give it here. I look forward to trying my hardest to make it just like he does. Yea I know I can get an attachment for our KitchenAid mixer, I want the standard sausage maker like he uses. If you're gonna do it, do it right. Those times of making and helping in the process will last a lifetime, I only wish I had the chance to do it more often.
The sausage thing seems weird to most people. It is not the most glamorous food on the planet, but it dates back to long before I was born. Tales of Christmas past come up often. Stories of everyone gathered at Grandma's upstairs and eventually downstairs, nibbling at snacks and treats all night, playing cards, playing music and waiting until midnight to fire up the sausage and eat "dinner" at a time when normal people are asleep or intoxicated. Only to come back in less than 12 hours and do it all again. These feasts included sausage then, they include them now and I will personally make sure they include them in the future. It's just an Italian thing, I guess. What we eat isn't always as important as why we eat them. Italians are known for a lot of things and among them is their natural knack of cooking and desire to do as much of it homemade as possible. It's part of our identity.
Then the next headlining item is the baccala. Oh sweet baby Jesus. I really don't think anyone can do it like he does. Yea I got the recipe and look forward to trying it and hoping for the best, but it may not measure up. For one, the fish is on the pricey side. Secondly, it takes days to soak and the water must be changed. Once it's fried up with just lemon juice to flavor only, heaven. This is an acquired taste and some find this fish appalling. Not me.
Other items usually include salt potatoes or seasoned potato wedges, side vegetables change from year to year, followed by salad with all the fun things that turn a salad from a healthy side dish to bad news (cheese, bacon bits, croutons...bad ideas). Plenty of genuine high-carb tasty Italian bread, including the fresh Italian sub rolls for the sausage. The antipasto....uffa! Pepperoni, sopressata, salami, 3-5 varieties of olives, provolone, and pickles (can't have a holiday without pickles). I would usually volunteer to cut and plate the pepperoni, sopressata and provolone, operating under the "3 for the plate, 1 for me" system of counting until I was found out and I was then usually relieved of my job.
Dinner itself was pretty much the same every year and that was fine with me. While certain items and side dishes changed from year to year, it was the entire act of Christmas dinner that I remember and treasure. Waiting like puppies at the front picture window for Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Julie, Uncle Harry & Giavanna to get to our house, watching the snow out the windows (messing up the drapes and fogging up the windows in the process), the blast of the frigid air when we opened the door, taking their coats and fetching our Grandparents' slippers, finishing up dinner, forming the line in the kitchen and finally settling in. Christmas had finally come. Here we were, Christmas had come again and we were all here to enjoy it. Dinner was just the first step in a two-day festival. Christmas Dinner was and is a time for stories and talking, loudly. What seems to me to be a normal talking voice seems like yelling to others.
Told ya I was Italian.
#4 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: The Centanni Family Christmas Eve Dinner.
Some have turkey with all the fixings (whatever those are). Some have...well, I don't know what other people have, but what we have...it only makes sense to us.
The headlining item of all Christmas eve...and New Year's eve...and 4th of July...and Memorial Day...Labor Day...or any occasion would be Grandpa's homemade Italian sausage. There is not a meat packing company on earth that can compete. Though there are a few little trusted shops back home that will do, it just isn't the same. This is a long and labor-intense process that has become less frequent in recent years but I do remember a few Christmases, once school was done, heading over to Grandma's to help Grandpa with the process in their completely furnished kitchen, in their fully finished, heated and plywood paneled basement, Sinatra and Tony Bennett cassettes in hand.
Told ya I was Italian.
Yes I have the recipe and no I won't give it here. I look forward to trying my hardest to make it just like he does. Yea I know I can get an attachment for our KitchenAid mixer, I want the standard sausage maker like he uses. If you're gonna do it, do it right. Those times of making and helping in the process will last a lifetime, I only wish I had the chance to do it more often.
The sausage thing seems weird to most people. It is not the most glamorous food on the planet, but it dates back to long before I was born. Tales of Christmas past come up often. Stories of everyone gathered at Grandma's upstairs and eventually downstairs, nibbling at snacks and treats all night, playing cards, playing music and waiting until midnight to fire up the sausage and eat "dinner" at a time when normal people are asleep or intoxicated. Only to come back in less than 12 hours and do it all again. These feasts included sausage then, they include them now and I will personally make sure they include them in the future. It's just an Italian thing, I guess. What we eat isn't always as important as why we eat them. Italians are known for a lot of things and among them is their natural knack of cooking and desire to do as much of it homemade as possible. It's part of our identity.
Then the next headlining item is the baccala. Oh sweet baby Jesus. I really don't think anyone can do it like he does. Yea I got the recipe and look forward to trying it and hoping for the best, but it may not measure up. For one, the fish is on the pricey side. Secondly, it takes days to soak and the water must be changed. Once it's fried up with just lemon juice to flavor only, heaven. This is an acquired taste and some find this fish appalling. Not me.
Other items usually include salt potatoes or seasoned potato wedges, side vegetables change from year to year, followed by salad with all the fun things that turn a salad from a healthy side dish to bad news (cheese, bacon bits, croutons...bad ideas). Plenty of genuine high-carb tasty Italian bread, including the fresh Italian sub rolls for the sausage. The antipasto....uffa! Pepperoni, sopressata, salami, 3-5 varieties of olives, provolone, and pickles (can't have a holiday without pickles). I would usually volunteer to cut and plate the pepperoni, sopressata and provolone, operating under the "3 for the plate, 1 for me" system of counting until I was found out and I was then usually relieved of my job.
Dinner itself was pretty much the same every year and that was fine with me. While certain items and side dishes changed from year to year, it was the entire act of Christmas dinner that I remember and treasure. Waiting like puppies at the front picture window for Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Julie, Uncle Harry & Giavanna to get to our house, watching the snow out the windows (messing up the drapes and fogging up the windows in the process), the blast of the frigid air when we opened the door, taking their coats and fetching our Grandparents' slippers, finishing up dinner, forming the line in the kitchen and finally settling in. Christmas had finally come. Here we were, Christmas had come again and we were all here to enjoy it. Dinner was just the first step in a two-day festival. Christmas Dinner was and is a time for stories and talking, loudly. What seems to me to be a normal talking voice seems like yelling to others.
Told ya I was Italian.
"Oh Bring Us A Figgy Pudding."
No thanks, a sugar cookie of a candy cane with enough frosting send my eyeballs to the back of my skull will do just fine, thank you.
#5 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Making Christmas Cookies.
What other holiday has cookies so closely associated with it? Flag Day? Hardly so.
Cookies are a huge part of the Christmas memory bank and fabric of the holiday itself. No one leaves a few slices of pizza, wings and a Coke/brewski for Santa (though you wanna talk about extra presents...try it this year and see what happens). We leave cookies for Santa and milk or egg nog to wash it down. Though now I look back and wonder, I hope he got to our house soon after we laid out his treats, the last thing he needs is warm milk that has been sitting at room temperature for several hours. Icky.
I can remember as children, both at our house and occasionally Grandma's and Aunt Julie's houses, we would make Christmas cookies. Well let me clarify that. We would generally make a mess, cut out the sugar cookies, impatiently wait for them to bake, then happily frost, ice, sprinkle them with all the fixings. We were better off shooting the sugar directly into our veins. Mom, God Bless her, we would have plates upon plates of these things...maybe it just seemed that way now, but there were no shortage of heavily frosted Christmas cookies in the house. My sister and later my brother, would pick one cookie that we each decorated to leave out for Santa. God bless our relatives who came over and knew with us, there was no way they were gonna get away with eating just one cookie.
This I remember as being a very fun afternoon or evening. Christmas music playing for sure. Nothing seemed to get us even more ready for Dec. 25 than making cookies on an ice cold December day. Aside a few store bought Christmas cookies/treats, Christmas cookies and assorted treats are best when the come from your own kitchen. They not only come from your kitchen but from your heart. My lovely wife has made some unspeakably amazing Christmas treats this year which include peppermint biscotti, egg nog fudge and snickerdoodles. You have no idea. And I know in some sugar overdosing sorta way, these are a small sign of love.
That's why the process of Christmas cookie making is such an important one. A simple pastime and expression of knowledge and love that one is never too old for. These are the things that matter most. Maybe that's what Christmas is all about in the end, an expression of love. An expression that exists in many many many different ways, making it all the more fun.
#5 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Making Christmas Cookies.
What other holiday has cookies so closely associated with it? Flag Day? Hardly so.
Cookies are a huge part of the Christmas memory bank and fabric of the holiday itself. No one leaves a few slices of pizza, wings and a Coke/brewski for Santa (though you wanna talk about extra presents...try it this year and see what happens). We leave cookies for Santa and milk or egg nog to wash it down. Though now I look back and wonder, I hope he got to our house soon after we laid out his treats, the last thing he needs is warm milk that has been sitting at room temperature for several hours. Icky.
I can remember as children, both at our house and occasionally Grandma's and Aunt Julie's houses, we would make Christmas cookies. Well let me clarify that. We would generally make a mess, cut out the sugar cookies, impatiently wait for them to bake, then happily frost, ice, sprinkle them with all the fixings. We were better off shooting the sugar directly into our veins. Mom, God Bless her, we would have plates upon plates of these things...maybe it just seemed that way now, but there were no shortage of heavily frosted Christmas cookies in the house. My sister and later my brother, would pick one cookie that we each decorated to leave out for Santa. God bless our relatives who came over and knew with us, there was no way they were gonna get away with eating just one cookie.
This I remember as being a very fun afternoon or evening. Christmas music playing for sure. Nothing seemed to get us even more ready for Dec. 25 than making cookies on an ice cold December day. Aside a few store bought Christmas cookies/treats, Christmas cookies and assorted treats are best when the come from your own kitchen. They not only come from your kitchen but from your heart. My lovely wife has made some unspeakably amazing Christmas treats this year which include peppermint biscotti, egg nog fudge and snickerdoodles. You have no idea. And I know in some sugar overdosing sorta way, these are a small sign of love.
That's why the process of Christmas cookie making is such an important one. A simple pastime and expression of knowledge and love that one is never too old for. These are the things that matter most. Maybe that's what Christmas is all about in the end, an expression of love. An expression that exists in many many many different ways, making it all the more fun.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
"Trim Up The Tree With Christmas Stuff."
Like bingle balls, and whofoo fluff.
#6 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Decorating/Putting Up The Tree.
This, is where it all begins. Decking the halls.
If there is anything I love more than looking/buying Christmas decorations, it's putting them up.
As a child this was one of my favorite nights of the year, as an adult, well, it is still one of my favorite nights of the year, though the official Charlie Brown Christmas tree doesn't take too long to put up. I look forward to a full blown decorated tree once we have the room.
This would usually be done on a Friday or Saturday night in early December. In later years my sister and I magically pushed this tradition up to Black Friday weekend. We would usually get pizza from Amico's or Pontillo's and then haul up all the decorations. Christmas cassettes (Beach Boys, Sinatra, Burl Ives, Elvis, Chipmunks, Tony Bennett) and later CDs a-blastin'. Our original tree, the one we grew up with was made by Mountain King. First the colored Christmas lights (Noma), then the silver tinsel. Our tree toppers varied throughout the years, the first one I remembered was a star, outlined in gold tinsel with different colored lights. We later moved onto a clear plastic star with the colored lights inside the star, pretty stunning.
Then the ornaments, oh holy cow, the ornaments. Boxes and boxes, we should bought stock in Hallmark years ago. Before long, we couldn't put them all on the tree. The generic bulbs and such generally would get fewer in number each year, so to make room for our ornaments that were given to us on Christmas eve. On the other hand, I wouldn't have it any other way. Our tree was a time capsule of us as kids, what we were into and what we liked. Where else can you find a Christmas tree with I Love Lucy, KISS, The Beatles, Disney Princesses, Babe Ruth and Barbie? That is what I liked best about our tree. That tree was all us. That sense of personalization is something I look forward to passing on.
My love for Christmas decorations, the tasteful and tacky, came from those early days. From the very nice nativity scene to the dancing and singing Santa dolls, I love it all. As I said, if there was an open spot in the house, it was Christmas-ed up. Even the drinking glasses for dinner were Christmas themed. We had Christmas nightlights, if I recall. No detail was spared and nothing was left without decoration. The entire process would usually take at least a full night and part of the next day. As always, wait for the sales and scoop up your treasures at sale price.
Decking the halls and trimming the tree have always been a highlight of the season for me and that will only continue to grow as time passes. Somethings you just don't outgrow.
#6 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Decorating/Putting Up The Tree.
This, is where it all begins. Decking the halls.
If there is anything I love more than looking/buying Christmas decorations, it's putting them up.
As a child this was one of my favorite nights of the year, as an adult, well, it is still one of my favorite nights of the year, though the official Charlie Brown Christmas tree doesn't take too long to put up. I look forward to a full blown decorated tree once we have the room.
This would usually be done on a Friday or Saturday night in early December. In later years my sister and I magically pushed this tradition up to Black Friday weekend. We would usually get pizza from Amico's or Pontillo's and then haul up all the decorations. Christmas cassettes (Beach Boys, Sinatra, Burl Ives, Elvis, Chipmunks, Tony Bennett) and later CDs a-blastin'. Our original tree, the one we grew up with was made by Mountain King. First the colored Christmas lights (Noma), then the silver tinsel. Our tree toppers varied throughout the years, the first one I remembered was a star, outlined in gold tinsel with different colored lights. We later moved onto a clear plastic star with the colored lights inside the star, pretty stunning.
Then the ornaments, oh holy cow, the ornaments. Boxes and boxes, we should bought stock in Hallmark years ago. Before long, we couldn't put them all on the tree. The generic bulbs and such generally would get fewer in number each year, so to make room for our ornaments that were given to us on Christmas eve. On the other hand, I wouldn't have it any other way. Our tree was a time capsule of us as kids, what we were into and what we liked. Where else can you find a Christmas tree with I Love Lucy, KISS, The Beatles, Disney Princesses, Babe Ruth and Barbie? That is what I liked best about our tree. That tree was all us. That sense of personalization is something I look forward to passing on.
My love for Christmas decorations, the tasteful and tacky, came from those early days. From the very nice nativity scene to the dancing and singing Santa dolls, I love it all. As I said, if there was an open spot in the house, it was Christmas-ed up. Even the drinking glasses for dinner were Christmas themed. We had Christmas nightlights, if I recall. No detail was spared and nothing was left without decoration. The entire process would usually take at least a full night and part of the next day. As always, wait for the sales and scoop up your treasures at sale price.
Decking the halls and trimming the tree have always been a highlight of the season for me and that will only continue to grow as time passes. Somethings you just don't outgrow.
Monday, December 19, 2011
"Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly."
Or Deck The Halls with an animated Santa Claus doll that plays "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."
#7 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Browsing/buying Christmas Decorations.
Yes, I even have fun just looking at stuff I'm not gonna buy.
For as long as I can remember, Christmas decor wasn't just about a tree and some lights on the house. It is a full on bombastic display of yuletide glory. Stuff on the mantle, the end tables, the coffee tables, the floors, the kitchen, all the doors, in the window. Our house was a mini-Macy's. Just looking at them in the stores brings joy, Christmas is on its' way and it's time to decorate. I used to bring stuff just to decorate my dorm room in college for those few weeks in December. My decorations probably take up 6-8 boxes and I usually pick up one or two items each year and I look forward to bring out everything and putting it all up each and every year. Sometimes before the sunsets on Black Friday, everything is decorated.
Doesn't matter if it's tacky or traditional. A timeless keepsake nativity scene that can be passed down to the next generation or a nativity scene featuring the characters of the Peanuts comic strip (don't laugh, I want one terribly). Tacky and tasteless is best in my book. Anyone who roomed with me in college and now my wife, knows this.
Drugstores are always the best bet for Christmas decorations. Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid are packed floor to ceiling with decorations of all kinds. From simple lights and tinsel to a 2o-inch replica of The Old Man's Major Award ("A major award? Shucks, I wouldn't of known that, it looks like a lamp."). Ornaments of all kinds and tons of treasures with two of my favorite phrases "Press Button" or "Press To Play." Oh how I love musical Christmas toys and god knows I will try out every single one of them. There is something hilarious about Santa Claus in a bathtub that sings Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash". A Nutcracker is tasteful. A pair of Elvis Vegas style Nutcrackers, not so much.
Our old pals, Kmart & Big Lots take tacky to a higher level not to be outdone. Kmart has a $119 model of Elvis' Graceland that lights up in blue lights and plays Elvis' Christmas songs. I want. Walmart's selection varies in quality from year to year and Target generally stick to the more tasteful decorations.
The majority of my collection has been bought on sale after Christmas. It is hardly necessary, unless of course it is some major find, to pay full price for any Christmas stuff. A electronic countdown to Christmas clock (calibrated by the second) I got it for about $5 instead of $20. The stores sometimes slash prices to 75% off in the days after Christmas, making it important to hit the stores on Dec. 26 to make sure you have a chance at prime bargains.
Decorating is and always will be, one of my favorite things about Christmas.
#7 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Browsing/buying Christmas Decorations.
Yes, I even have fun just looking at stuff I'm not gonna buy.
For as long as I can remember, Christmas decor wasn't just about a tree and some lights on the house. It is a full on bombastic display of yuletide glory. Stuff on the mantle, the end tables, the coffee tables, the floors, the kitchen, all the doors, in the window. Our house was a mini-Macy's. Just looking at them in the stores brings joy, Christmas is on its' way and it's time to decorate. I used to bring stuff just to decorate my dorm room in college for those few weeks in December. My decorations probably take up 6-8 boxes and I usually pick up one or two items each year and I look forward to bring out everything and putting it all up each and every year. Sometimes before the sunsets on Black Friday, everything is decorated.
Doesn't matter if it's tacky or traditional. A timeless keepsake nativity scene that can be passed down to the next generation or a nativity scene featuring the characters of the Peanuts comic strip (don't laugh, I want one terribly). Tacky and tasteless is best in my book. Anyone who roomed with me in college and now my wife, knows this.
Drugstores are always the best bet for Christmas decorations. Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid are packed floor to ceiling with decorations of all kinds. From simple lights and tinsel to a 2o-inch replica of The Old Man's Major Award ("A major award? Shucks, I wouldn't of known that, it looks like a lamp."). Ornaments of all kinds and tons of treasures with two of my favorite phrases "Press Button" or "Press To Play." Oh how I love musical Christmas toys and god knows I will try out every single one of them. There is something hilarious about Santa Claus in a bathtub that sings Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash". A Nutcracker is tasteful. A pair of Elvis Vegas style Nutcrackers, not so much.
Our old pals, Kmart & Big Lots take tacky to a higher level not to be outdone. Kmart has a $119 model of Elvis' Graceland that lights up in blue lights and plays Elvis' Christmas songs. I want. Walmart's selection varies in quality from year to year and Target generally stick to the more tasteful decorations.
The majority of my collection has been bought on sale after Christmas. It is hardly necessary, unless of course it is some major find, to pay full price for any Christmas stuff. A electronic countdown to Christmas clock (calibrated by the second) I got it for about $5 instead of $20. The stores sometimes slash prices to 75% off in the days after Christmas, making it important to hit the stores on Dec. 26 to make sure you have a chance at prime bargains.
Decorating is and always will be, one of my favorite things about Christmas.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
"And I'll Never Outgrow The Thrill Of Christmas Day."
This is what it all comes down to. This is the grand explanation for this entire blog.
#8 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Christmas Lets Us Stay Kids Forever.
Or at least for 24 hours.
I think deep down, this is the huge draw to Christmas, the deep down emotional attachment to all this Christmas. Christmas is a huge piece of childhood for me. Not so much about the presents, as I never asked for the big headlining items of the day that all the kids asked for. While I can remember what I got most years or look at something and know when I got it, but the magic of it. When you are a child and you believe, the entire season revolves around magic. To have the innocence of youth to truly believe in the whole story is magic that can never be duplicated. Why some people seem bent on taking that away from children is something I will never understand. It's not just the mean older kids on the bus, it is grown adults who want their 6 year-old child to have a firm grip on reality and not believe in silly fairy tales. They got the next 80-90 years to deal with reality. Leave 'em alone.
Christmas awakens all these memories and emotions each and every years. Christmas specials, music, trees, decorations, treats, houses lit up with Christmas lights, egg nog...it all fits together. It brings this deep warm happy feeling not only for all the joy in past years, but for all the joy their is and all the joy there will be in years to follow. My family always made a huge deal out of Christmas and all it brings and I know that had a huge influence on me. I deeply look forward to passing that on to our own children one day. Tradition, creating memories and keeping strong links to the past have been hard-wired into to me, whether I like it or not.
My mom to this day, could go Christmas or birthday shopping for me and hit a home run with each gift. Or just a gift for no reason. I always said you could go Christmas shopping for me in a gas station. More or less, I haven't changed from since I was a kid in terms of personality and soul. It was never about the grandness of the gift, it was what it was and why I got it that mattered the most. I never owned a video game system as a kid (got a GameBoy when I was 8 as a 1st Communion Gift from my aunt and got 3 games Tetris, Bases Loaded and Madden '95...never spent a dime on it) and GASP! Never, in my life, have I had a TV to call my own and I don't feel cheated. I do however, have a Paul Stanley (KISS) Mr. Potato Head.
Christmas is happy. Christmas is the embodiment of happiness. It's kinda what I always say about the Grateful Dead (Dave Matthews Band also applies to this statement): If you could hear happiness, it would sound like the Grateful Dead. When people ask me to describe their sound, I can only respond with "happy." Christmas is happy.
Yea. I just managed to connect Christmas and the Grateful Dead.
#8 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Christmas Lets Us Stay Kids Forever.
Or at least for 24 hours.
I think deep down, this is the huge draw to Christmas, the deep down emotional attachment to all this Christmas. Christmas is a huge piece of childhood for me. Not so much about the presents, as I never asked for the big headlining items of the day that all the kids asked for. While I can remember what I got most years or look at something and know when I got it, but the magic of it. When you are a child and you believe, the entire season revolves around magic. To have the innocence of youth to truly believe in the whole story is magic that can never be duplicated. Why some people seem bent on taking that away from children is something I will never understand. It's not just the mean older kids on the bus, it is grown adults who want their 6 year-old child to have a firm grip on reality and not believe in silly fairy tales. They got the next 80-90 years to deal with reality. Leave 'em alone.
Christmas awakens all these memories and emotions each and every years. Christmas specials, music, trees, decorations, treats, houses lit up with Christmas lights, egg nog...it all fits together. It brings this deep warm happy feeling not only for all the joy in past years, but for all the joy their is and all the joy there will be in years to follow. My family always made a huge deal out of Christmas and all it brings and I know that had a huge influence on me. I deeply look forward to passing that on to our own children one day. Tradition, creating memories and keeping strong links to the past have been hard-wired into to me, whether I like it or not.
My mom to this day, could go Christmas or birthday shopping for me and hit a home run with each gift. Or just a gift for no reason. I always said you could go Christmas shopping for me in a gas station. More or less, I haven't changed from since I was a kid in terms of personality and soul. It was never about the grandness of the gift, it was what it was and why I got it that mattered the most. I never owned a video game system as a kid (got a GameBoy when I was 8 as a 1st Communion Gift from my aunt and got 3 games Tetris, Bases Loaded and Madden '95...never spent a dime on it) and GASP! Never, in my life, have I had a TV to call my own and I don't feel cheated. I do however, have a Paul Stanley (KISS) Mr. Potato Head.
Christmas is happy. Christmas is the embodiment of happiness. It's kinda what I always say about the Grateful Dead (Dave Matthews Band also applies to this statement): If you could hear happiness, it would sound like the Grateful Dead. When people ask me to describe their sound, I can only respond with "happy." Christmas is happy.
Yea. I just managed to connect Christmas and the Grateful Dead.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
"Even A Miracle Needs A Hand."
I love the obscure and rare and Christmas specials are no different.
#12 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Obscure Christmas Specials.
This entry won’t talk about the merits of Rudolph, Frosty, Charlie Brown, The Grinch or any of the other heavy hitters. This will however, mention the specials you may have not seen or thought about since you were a kid, or ones you may never seen at all. These specials, both the classics and obscure, are just one more way to keep the passion and love for Christmas alive
These specials weren’t obscure to me because my parents compiled a tape of them when I was about 3 or 4 years old. The market wasn’t flooded with Christmas specials as it is now (yes, there is too much of a good thing and some of the modern specials are downright stupid looking) and these were fairly popular specials at the time. Through the magic of DVDs and that almost anything ever made can be found on an official release or bootlegged online, all of these treasures are out there waiting. There are many classics, everyone knows those, there are many that get forgotten about.
Each year, many Christmas cartoons are made, many of them suck.
Here come a list of those which do not suck.
Winnie The Pooh & Christmas Too (it's on YouTube)
Twas The Night Before Christmas
A Flintstone’s Christmas Carol
Cricket On The Hearth
Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus
Nestor The Long-Earred Christmas Donkey
Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol
The Year Without A Santa Claus
That's not even all of them, either. Those are just my favorites of the lesser known Christmas Treats. That’s not counting all of the classic TV Christmas themed episodes. Nick at Nite and TV Land, long before their programming took a drastic trip down the toilet, would air all Christmas sitcom classics all Christmas eve and day. I was such a classic TV geek I asked for and got the Nick At Night Board game, Christmas '96. CBS did a pretty good job gathering up a dozen or so spread out over 2 DVDs and there are countless others. Then there is the great Saturday Night Live Christmas collection DVD, which I remember watching on TV every year. The Simpsons have 2 Christmas DVD sets as well. Chances are if there is a classic TV series you love, there was at least one Christmas themed episode during the series run. There are tons and tons of Christmas DVDs and specials out thereThe one of course, which might not be suitable for family viewing is “The Draft Dodger” (airdate 12/25/76) of CBS’ “All In The Family” which was without a doubt, one of the greatest television shows of all time, which no network would ever dare taking a chance on in 2011. If you have no idea what I’m talking about and are at all interested in American TV history, watch. Carroll O’Connor delivers the performance of a lifetime.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
"With Candy Canes And Silver Lanes Aglow."
The ultimate Christmas treat.
#13 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Candy Canes.
The real ones. Bob's or Spangler's. Accept no substitutes. I'm old school and candy canes are no exception. The only other candy canes that are acceptable for my money are the wintergreen ones (where the ribbons are green, the cane itself is still white). There are Smarties, Life Savers, Starburst, Jelly Belly, Spree, Sweet Tarts and Now & Later candy canes. No no no. Unacceptable.
Candy canes are a bit of an acquired taste. As a kid they can be kinda powerful and your little teeth are too tiny to chomp off a bit and suck on sections of the candy cane, so I didn't come to really love these until much later. Then again, those little kid-friendly mini candy canes are just as grand. There aren't really many signature candies associated with Christmas. Easter has jellybeans and Peeps, Halloween has candy corn. Aside from the minty and Christmas-y variations of M&Ms, Hershey's Kisses and such, there really isn't a candy so exclusively associated with Christmas than the candy cane. Aside from Cherry Cordials (those are really an acquired taste and with so many cheap imitations out there, ya gotta be careful...and yea, I love them too).
I got about a 2/3's of a box of Bob's on the counter as we speak. I will bring many of them along for the car ride home and despite my previous hardline rule against no egg nog or Christmas music after 12/25, candy canes are the exception. I usually make a point of tucking away a few in the fridge whenever I need a little Christmas.
Candy Cane Oreos. Candy Cane Blizzard. If it's candy cane flavor, sign me up.
These are a glorious Christmas treat and they always assure fresh breath, nor are they nearly as evil and gloriously terrible for you as other Christmas treats, as say, egg nog...or cherry cordials.
#13 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Candy Canes.
The real ones. Bob's or Spangler's. Accept no substitutes. I'm old school and candy canes are no exception. The only other candy canes that are acceptable for my money are the wintergreen ones (where the ribbons are green, the cane itself is still white). There are Smarties, Life Savers, Starburst, Jelly Belly, Spree, Sweet Tarts and Now & Later candy canes. No no no. Unacceptable.
Candy canes are a bit of an acquired taste. As a kid they can be kinda powerful and your little teeth are too tiny to chomp off a bit and suck on sections of the candy cane, so I didn't come to really love these until much later. Then again, those little kid-friendly mini candy canes are just as grand. There aren't really many signature candies associated with Christmas. Easter has jellybeans and Peeps, Halloween has candy corn. Aside from the minty and Christmas-y variations of M&Ms, Hershey's Kisses and such, there really isn't a candy so exclusively associated with Christmas than the candy cane. Aside from Cherry Cordials (those are really an acquired taste and with so many cheap imitations out there, ya gotta be careful...and yea, I love them too).
I got about a 2/3's of a box of Bob's on the counter as we speak. I will bring many of them along for the car ride home and despite my previous hardline rule against no egg nog or Christmas music after 12/25, candy canes are the exception. I usually make a point of tucking away a few in the fridge whenever I need a little Christmas.
Candy Cane Oreos. Candy Cane Blizzard. If it's candy cane flavor, sign me up.
These are a glorious Christmas treat and they always assure fresh breath, nor are they nearly as evil and gloriously terrible for you as other Christmas treats, as say, egg nog...or cherry cordials.
"I Don't Know If There'll Be Snow, But Have A Cup Of Cheer."
You are either on one side of the fence or the other on this one. Either you shoot it directly into your veins for a Christmas high or you would rather drink used bath water.
#14 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Egg Nog
I just took a shot directly out of the carton before writing this. For inspiration's sake.
From Black Friday through Christmas night, I probably have at least a small juice glass amount of Christmas in a cup. No egg nog is consumed after the Christmas night. The magic is gone after Christmas. This has always been a hard line rule and the same applies to apple cider and candy corn and Halloween. November 1st, it's all over. Egg nog is similar to another favorite poison of mine, Slim Jims, don't ask too many questions about what actually egg nog is. Just shut up and drink.
Like all good things in life, nog, licorice, the Grateful Dead. Either you love it or hate it. Some of us love all three.
My beloved Sara could take it or leave it, I on the other hand, was responsible for polishing off, nearly single-handedly about 5 quarts of the goodness last year and spend the next 11 months working it off.
I was first introduced to the magic in the early 90s, it was now defunct brand Sealtest, (their milk, ice cream and dairy products were a fixture in Western NY). I remember it tasted kinda weird, but oh so good. Paired with Christmas cookies? fuhgeddaboutit. (that's one word in NY). Later on it was Upstate Farms that was our nog of choice. Now in NC, it's pretty much whatever half-decent brew I can get my paws on.
I can't even describe the taste really. It's like drinking a sweet sweet milky ice cream, kinda sorta. I love the stuff, and I couldn't even describe it accurately to someone who just arrived on our planet and didn't know about such things. I couldn't even tell you why I like it. I just swished a little around in my mouth like a yuletide mouthwash, trying to describe it accurately, still coming up empty and half ashamed of what I just did.
I know the stuff is terrible for you, but comes Christmas time, it feels oh so right.
#14 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: Egg Nog
I just took a shot directly out of the carton before writing this. For inspiration's sake.
From Black Friday through Christmas night, I probably have at least a small juice glass amount of Christmas in a cup. No egg nog is consumed after the Christmas night. The magic is gone after Christmas. This has always been a hard line rule and the same applies to apple cider and candy corn and Halloween. November 1st, it's all over. Egg nog is similar to another favorite poison of mine, Slim Jims, don't ask too many questions about what actually egg nog is. Just shut up and drink.
Like all good things in life, nog, licorice, the Grateful Dead. Either you love it or hate it. Some of us love all three.
My beloved Sara could take it or leave it, I on the other hand, was responsible for polishing off, nearly single-handedly about 5 quarts of the goodness last year and spend the next 11 months working it off.
I was first introduced to the magic in the early 90s, it was now defunct brand Sealtest, (their milk, ice cream and dairy products were a fixture in Western NY). I remember it tasted kinda weird, but oh so good. Paired with Christmas cookies? fuhgeddaboutit. (that's one word in NY). Later on it was Upstate Farms that was our nog of choice. Now in NC, it's pretty much whatever half-decent brew I can get my paws on.
I can't even describe the taste really. It's like drinking a sweet sweet milky ice cream, kinda sorta. I love the stuff, and I couldn't even describe it accurately to someone who just arrived on our planet and didn't know about such things. I couldn't even tell you why I like it. I just swished a little around in my mouth like a yuletide mouthwash, trying to describe it accurately, still coming up empty and half ashamed of what I just did.
I know the stuff is terrible for you, but comes Christmas time, it feels oh so right.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
"Lights Please."
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Linus Van Pelt (Luke 2:8-14)
That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown
#15 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: A Charlie Brown Christmas.
That speech has got to be, bar none, my favorite moment of any Christmas special. Maybe even. The Greatest Christmas Special Of All Time.
CBS first aired the special on 12/9/65 (the 2nd longest running Christmas special, only behind Rudolph, according to my quick consideration) and it has been a fixture on network TV ever since. This was the 1st televised Peanuts special. Grand. Slam.
This special always has a warm and cozy feel to it. There is a timeless magic in this special that only grows deeper as the Christmas pass. Like many of the great cartoons, the kids laugh and enjoy what they see, the adults laugh and enjoy because of what they here and it is only once you are old enough to understand the message that it all begins to fit.
The soundtrack to said special is mandatory listening on Christmas eve. I look over to my right and look at our official Charlie Brown Christmas tree, only missing the blue blanket, my Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Linus, Woodstock and Snoopy stuffed dolls, and consider the Charlie Brown Nativity Scene I would like to pick up after the post Christmas sales. This special has struck a deep nerve with me and folks all around the globe.
There are scenes that elicit the same laughs and smiles this special gave me as a kid. Scenes that have become the stuff of legend. This, like all the great specials of the past, look simple and dated now. But therein lies the charm. Poor Chuck watches everyone around him get sucked in by the commercial beast Christmas has become, and he struggles to celebrate Christmas in a way that seems right to him and he then asks in a fit of desperation "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"
Insert Linus' speech of a lifetime. In 2011, that scene would have NEVER made it onto network TV. I'm waiting for the networks to cut this speech out. Just waiting for it....
After that, it all comes together. Chuck comes to grip with what Christmas has become, but is still able to keep the deep spirit of how it used to be alive.
That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.
That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown
#15 of 31 Things I Love About Christmas: A Charlie Brown Christmas.
That speech has got to be, bar none, my favorite moment of any Christmas special. Maybe even. The Greatest Christmas Special Of All Time.
CBS first aired the special on 12/9/65 (the 2nd longest running Christmas special, only behind Rudolph, according to my quick consideration) and it has been a fixture on network TV ever since. This was the 1st televised Peanuts special. Grand. Slam.
This special always has a warm and cozy feel to it. There is a timeless magic in this special that only grows deeper as the Christmas pass. Like many of the great cartoons, the kids laugh and enjoy what they see, the adults laugh and enjoy because of what they here and it is only once you are old enough to understand the message that it all begins to fit.
The soundtrack to said special is mandatory listening on Christmas eve. I look over to my right and look at our official Charlie Brown Christmas tree, only missing the blue blanket, my Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Linus, Woodstock and Snoopy stuffed dolls, and consider the Charlie Brown Nativity Scene I would like to pick up after the post Christmas sales. This special has struck a deep nerve with me and folks all around the globe.
There are scenes that elicit the same laughs and smiles this special gave me as a kid. Scenes that have become the stuff of legend. This, like all the great specials of the past, look simple and dated now. But therein lies the charm. Poor Chuck watches everyone around him get sucked in by the commercial beast Christmas has become, and he struggles to celebrate Christmas in a way that seems right to him and he then asks in a fit of desperation "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"
Insert Linus' speech of a lifetime. In 2011, that scene would have NEVER made it onto network TV. I'm waiting for the networks to cut this speech out. Just waiting for it....
After that, it all comes together. Chuck comes to grip with what Christmas has become, but is still able to keep the deep spirit of how it used to be alive.
That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
“And Mom And Dad Can Hardly Wait For School To Start Again.”
“WELL WE CAN’T SALUTE YA! CAN’T FIND A FLAG! IF THAT DON’T SUIT YA, THAT’S A DRAG” –Alice Cooper.
#23 of the 31 Things I Love About Christmas: The Last Day of School.
I don’t know if there is a more wonderful day in the school year, aside from the last day of school, than the last day of school before Christmas break. Apologies to my wife, who by chance, happens to be a teacher.
Not like kids go on Christmas vacation anymore. Now they embark on a "winter recess." Weeeeeee.
No I will not entertain the argument about why Christmas is a bad word according to some. I won’t do it. The G-rating for this blog would go out the window fast.
Now then, we wasted so much time in school when we were kids. I still think we were better off. School was fun in those early years. I can still see the old, delightfully tacky illuminated Santa Claus hanging out on the left side of the front foyer of Ivan Green School (1992-95). The tree in the front hall, ribbons and decorations abound. There was so much Christmas spirit around, people were pissing pure egg nog until Valentine’s Day.
There goes that G-rating.
We had classroom parties that lasted from lunch until the end of the day. Teachers tried to maintain some picture of law and order, but the most exciting lesson plans in the world can’t compete with the fact that Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town. Usually they didn’t fight it. We got through the bare necessities and that was about it. Onto lunch and then party time. Che bella festa! Christmas cookies, candy and treats all over the joint. In Mrs. Northrup’s 1st grade class I got a checkers set (the most useful gift I ever got at one of these shindigs). In Mrs. McEllerhan’s 2nd grade class, I think we did a book exchange, can’t say for sure though. In Mrs. Meyer’s 3rd grade class I got a monster truck (what am I supposed to do with that)? I remember the mortifying shame of having gotten a girl’s name out of the hat. Most embarrassing thing in the world. ONTO THE DOLLAR STORE!!! That might make me a terrible person, you decide (I got her a frilly little box to put…..girls things in and some sort of hair accessory I think, had to enlist Mom’s help for this one, I would have gotten her a puck and a Slim Jim and said "Buon Natale" if I had my way).
Once we got to Durand we would fool around and waste time until it was time for the school wide assembly, featuring the 6th grade chorus. Mrs. Albano always went all out on these productions. The teachers would usually get up and sing, perform ridiculous skits and it was back to the classroom to pack it up and head home. Where some sort of goodness would be had for dinner. usually pizza. Ma che bella pizz' from either Amico’s, Pontillo’s, Schaller’s (a burger joint on Eastridge Rd. Unless you are from Rochester, you can't possibly understand)or any other local delicacy we enjoyed. The smell of fresh hot pizza on cold winter’s night, teasing us from the trunk of the car, takes me right back to being in my kitchen as a kid, especially around Christmastime. Weird. I know.
I would try my best to get any homework done ASAP, so I had the rest of the break to enjoy. It seems like it lasts forever. There were 4 distinct stages of Christmas vacation for me:
Stage 1: Last day of school. YAY CHRISTMAS VACATION IS HERE!!!
Stage 2: Santa Claus has come. CHRISTMAS IS HERE!!!
Stage 3: My sister, Rosalia's birthday on 12/27...ah boy, it's almost all over, but not quite.
Stage 4: New Year's Day/back to the grind. Wahhhhhh.
Though I gotta say one thing that does brutally suck about kids, school and Christmas is the unavoidable “Is Santa real?” conversation. I think I would rather have The Birds and The Bees talk with a bunch of 12 year olds than tell a 9 year old. Nope, it’s all a lie. And their pals The Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy….
I think that has to be, one of the most heartbreaking moments as a parent. After they find out Santa isn’t real, life pretty much rolls downhill in a hurry. It is the last little slice of innocence and wonder kids have left, growing up much, much too fast than ever before. From birth to about 3 or 4, the kids have no real idea of what is going on. They see boxes and toys. You can really screw with the little guy if you buy a 10-pack of socks or underwear and wrap up each pair individually. So if you’re lucky you get from ages 5-8 as Christmases they actually remember, are excited for and know what is going on. I’m sure there is some poor kindergartener who just found out from some brainless schmuck on the bus that Santa isn’t real. I would see and hear kids doing that to each other and my heart would break even then.
I kinda was suspicious around 2nd grade and probably knew by Christmas ’95. 8 years old. Though I knew it was coming, it was still kinda weird. But it is because my parents made such big doings about Christmas, that my love for it is what it is today. They explained that Christmas was really a spirit all along. Santa and the entire season were based around a spirit that people take upon themselves to continue and carry on. That is why, my dear readers, my child-like wonder and love for Christmas didn’t die when my belief in Babbo Natale did.
In them days we watched movies, listened to Christmas music, exchanged small presents, got sugar high and went home. We were kids. We were allowed to have fun. No reasons. No educational value. We simply had fun. I feel sorry for the modern student who can’t even celebrate Christmas openly in school but if they did, everything would have to be approved by Congress. Coloring pictures? Crafts? Christmas cartoons? No way. Not anymore. So glad we grew up when we did. In every aspect of the word, these kids are living in a different world.
Friday, December 2, 2011
“Well Way Up North Where The Air Gets Cold, There’s A Tale About Christmas That You’ve All Been Told.”
Yea. I even get nostalgic about trips to the grocery store.
#25 of the 31 Things I Love About Christmas: The Trip To Wegmans
Yea. I get warm and fuzzy about grocery store excursions. Usually, December 23 we would set out on our massive Christmas shopping trip. Depending on whether or not we had off from school would decide when we went. If we had off the 23rd we would go in the morning…on the other hand sometimes we would wait til after dinner so to avoid the crazies. If the 23rd was a Friday, then we would most certainly go at night.
And where would this trip start you ask? Anyone from the Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse area knows all holiday trips called for a visit with Uncle Danny.
That’s right. Wegmans (Ridge-Culver location).
*Warning: This entry is gonna be a bit of a train wreck, grammatically and in terms of sentence structure, which is generally how I talk anyways. Imagine if you asked me what we got on these trips. These would be my answer
The Toys R Us of grocery stores. I can still see the soft pink/orange glow of "Wegmans: Food Pharmacy" on the brown awning, the parking lot lights shining bright, the glow of Ridge Culver Plaza across the street on our left, carts all over the parking lot and the gray/black slush of the parking lot. The snow falling softly in the night. Sometimes my sister would accompany us on these excursions (often a magazine of some sort would serve as reward for our efforts).
Didn’t really pick up much in the bread department, if anything we would grab rolls for the sausage. Yea, you read that right, sausage for Christmas (much more on that later). Onto the fruits and vegetables for tangerines, oranges and maybe apples, all essential items for salad. Gotta make sure to pick up the anise. Plus lemons for the baccala and limes to be cut in wedges for the drinks that no one ever made, despite our little bar of sorts that was trotted out for each holiday and gathering, always set up on the counter to the right of the kitchen sink.
And potatoes. Can’t have Christmas without potatoes. Usually these would be little salt potatoes, or they would be chopped and mixed with a French onion mix (Lipton) or Hidden Valley Ranch powder. Then it was onto the Diamond Mixed Nuts. Sometimes we would buy it by the pound, other times we would get the pre-packaged bags. Grab the chestnuts as well, usually roasted them in the oven…never actually tried them. Usually could bypass the meat section. Lap around the outside for milk and egg nog. Really can’t have Christmas without egg nog.
Then it was onto a brief looksee at the Christmas cookies. Always Archway, especially the Cashew nougats and gingerbread men. As well as the generic holiday shapes cookies with sprinkles on them, and any other cookies that seemed like a good idea. Swing by the chips and pretzels to grab some snack type stuff if needed. Then onto the pop section (we don’t sell soda in NY, we do have plenty of pop though) Coke or Pepsi…whatever is on sale, I’m not picky, root beer of some kind, Ginger ale (Schweppes or Seagram's) regular, grape and raspberry…trow ‘em all in the cart..they don’t like it they don’t gotta drink). It should be noted that pre-2000 we hardly ever bought 2-liters. We bought all our pop by the glass bottle at Aman’s Farm Market in Irondequoit, right next to Eastridge HS. It was bottled by Fizz, a local company. Once they stopped carrying them, we joined the century and bought it plastic.
Anyone remember the Pepsi Holiday Spice? Holy Cow. Heaven in a can. I still got a empty bottle I use as holiday décor, right next to two different empty boxes of Christmas Cap N’ Crunch. I hope each year they bring it back. Nothing yet, but for the closest thing possible, throw back some Pepsi (I don’t know if Coca Cola would have the same effect) and have a bite of gingerbread cookie and you’ll have a good idea of the goodness this stuff was.
Then it was on through the various aisles for any additional items like salad dressing, croutons, ketchup/mustard/relish (dill only…sweet relish is horrid) for the sausage, pickle spears (because who doesn’t like pickles?) and other very random items that may be needed.
By this point we generally had everything we need and god knows we had a lot of things we didn’t need. And a shopping cart stuffed to the gills, kinda embarrassing by the time we got done. Then occasionally it was onto the Dollar Store and/or Tops (Friendly Markets) for paper plates, cups, silverware and anything we couldn’t get at Wegmans or were cheaper elsewhere, to be completely honest.
Then to (this sometimes we waited til the day of Christmas eve to go) Rubino’s or Palermo’s. Uffa! Che bella negoz’!
It was here we would pick up our Italian treats. And what treats. Maria Sant’!
Well, they weren’t all treats in the traditional sense, more like necessities as far as we were concerned. Soppressata, salami, pepperoni, provolone, olives and any other Italian cookies that jumped into our basket, we would also pick up the rolls needed for the Christmas sausage. Don’t judge. The headliner at our Christmas and New Year’s Eve dinner was homemade Italian sausage and grandpa’s baccala. Again, more on that later.
These shopping trips were a bonding experience of sorts and usually a lot of fun. Wegmans would be decorated in full bombastic glory and it was generally a happy feeling. Christmas time again and here we are shopping for the holidays. Then to haul all the stuff into the house, which no one ever felt like doing. Upon completion we would realize we may have forgotten an item or two and it would be back to the store tomorrow.
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