Fun with potted meat

I arrived with Cristy in Oklahoma to visit my mom and stepdad three days before Christmas. It was going to be the first time in many, many years that we were together for Christmas eve and part of Christmas day. Our return reservations were set for the 25th due to scheduling constraints with our pet sitter’s personal travel plans.

The visit was wonderful and the weather was wonderful. Until Christmas eve. It started raining that morning and the forecast called for a steep decline in temperature. This of course, would mean that the composition of that precipitation would change to something else, something frozen. And it did. We went to the movies and when we emerged from the theater, rain was falling in frozen droplets of icy sleet. In another hour, the sleet changed to pretty, fluffy flurries of snow. Exciting for a couple of girls from Texas. Not so exciting for the two that lived in Oklahoma and had experienced the aggravation associated with snow and ice on more than one occasion.

We headed for the casino – no trip to my mom’s is complete without at least one visit to the casino. This casino visit was somewhat justified with a dinner reservation in the restaurant. But unfortunately, inclement weather conditions interfered with our dining plans: the restaurant was closed. So off we went in search of a suitable Christmas eve dinner. Driving through the city, we were startled by the sharp increase in the wind and rate of snowfall. It was indeed beautiful, but made driving a little slower than usual. Visibility was reduced and everyone on the road was proceeding with extra caution.

Within a mile, the welcome sight of Outback Steakhouse greeted us. Perfect. We immediately went indoors for a warm, delicious dinner. Outside the snow was accumulating rapidly. We emerged to a world heavily cloaked in wintry white. It was like being inside a snow globe with the dense snowfall whirling all around. There were still shoppers out and about town, but traffic was waning.

We assumed that the snow would stop falling at some point during the night and the world would resume to normal operations by early to mid-morning. We had a plane to catch at 12:12pm, but in my mind, it would be understandable if the flight was delayed by an hour or two.

Upon awaking at 5am, I decided to check the airline website for flight status. The two earlier flights on Christmas day were cancelled, but my flight indicated a mild delay to the scheduled departure time. No problem.

By 8am, things had changed. My flight was now cancelled. News reports indicated that hundreds of vehicles were stranded along the roads and highway conditions were not safe enough for traveling. I called the airline to reschedule my flight and learned that they had taken the initiative to do this on my behalf. My new return flight was now 4 days away. This news was not registering in my consciousness very well. I could not comprehend the enormous gravity of the weather situation. I inquired about moving my departure to later that evening.

Um, no. Not available.
OK, how about tomorrow?
Well, no. We could get you a flight on Sunday from Dallas to Houston.
Oh, so I just have to get myself from Tulsa to Dallas on my own? No problem.

So that was the plan. But that was not a really good plan. I was depressed. As much as I love visiting my mom, I really wanted to get home. Our visit was cramping their style, just a little bit, and we just wanted a tiny bit of Christmas togetherness at home. Three more days just wouldn’t work.

Cristy called Southwest Airlines after finding what appeared to be availability on their Tulsa departures that same day. They did have seats available. We took 2. Even though the airline was flying to an airport that was not the same as the one from which we originated. We paid out the a*s for those tickets. But we got home with very little trouble. And we got to see my brother, sister-in-law and Cristy’s family that same night.

And we got to witness some family fun with vienna sausages and spam. Nothing like potted meat products to bring out the love.

A midnight clear

Yesterday it was a cool, clear evening. A perfect Friday night to go to the movies. We, however, happened to go to the grocery store. But it is conveniently located across the street from a popular multiplex and I noticed throngs of people queued up for ticket sales, confirming my suspicions.

I also noticed a human voice shouting something that I could not quite understand. But then it seemed to be coming from another direction. Oh, there were two men shouting. I thought perhaps there was a protest of some sort going on, and being the curious individual that I am, mentioned it to Cristy. She always knows more about current events than I, so perhaps she knew what the protest was all about. On this occasion, she did not. But being the curious individual that she is, decided just to drive on by and find out first hand.

I didn’t gather that it was a protest, per se. It appeared to be a group of evangelical Christians. They were holding a banner that included a message with the word ‘sinner’ prominently featured. Another one of the men had a digital camera, I suppose for taking photos of passers-by. There weren’t any people stopping to smile, I noticed.

The shouting voice was growing louder as we approached. We drove toward the movie marquis, wondering what film could be causing the protest. Surely there was some movie that initiated this gathering of what appeared to be disapproving Christians. We scanned the list of films, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary Hollywood fare.

So then, what was the fuss about? Why the shouting? As we drove toward the exit, there was another clump of individuals at the sidewalk who seemed to be appealing to movie-goers as they walked by, one man extending his hand in which he appeared to be holding a Bible.

Hmmm, we thought perhaps they were simply encouraging people to reflect on the true spiritual connection with Christ, during this season of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of the son of God. God’s selfless gift to the people of the Earth. But that didn’t make much sense, because they seemed so angry, you know, with all the shouting.

Christianity is full of paradoxes, I guess. If these two groups were attempting to spread the message of connecting with the central meaning of Christmas, the wonder of the birth of Jesus, then why so much anger? I believe the birth of Christ is about pure joy, awe and humility. According to the stories we have all heard, the visitors to that manger who were fortunate enough to witness the miracle, did so thoughtfully, reverently, treading ever so quietly.

I love the trappings of the season. More is more. Glitter, sparkle, twinkle, merry and jingle all the way. But it doesn’t mean that I do not pause to reflect on the birth of Christ, the struggles and faith of Mary and Joseph, the gift to humanity. It is the essence of that divine gift that demonstrates God’s love for us all. No, I have not forgotten.

But why present it to us in such angry tones? Why go on a recruiting mission condemning those you wish to befriend?

Perhaps before going out in public for an organized awareness or recruiting campaign, it might be a good idea to review some of the fundamentals of marketing and sales. Just a thought.

Ghosts of dinner tables past

I have not always been sentimental, but I’m noticing this change as I get older. This year, my holiday serving table will be decorated with an assortment of items that have some history but work together, bonded by a prevalent color of either red or white.

I’m bringing out three luncheon plates that belonged to my grandmother for serving breads and breakfast burritos. Their pretty red and white pattern is reminiscent of a weekend at grandma’s but still festive and fresh. I’m tumbling a large helping of little apples into a tall clear glass vase with an origami star made from white ribbon nestled on top. I learned how to make these pretty stars from a neighbor that lived next door many years ago.

Next to that is a champagne flute filled with white sea glass, adorned by a few pellets of dark red sea glass. Cristy loves sea glass and the champagne flute was a gift from my sister in law when she and my brother first got married.

There are two small dark red glass dessert plates for sweets, and dotted amidst this grouping are teacups that go with the luncheon plates. One is chipped, but I still love them. I added small white and silver glass ornaments and shiny red ribbon to fill the cups with holiday glam.

Finally, I’ll bring out my old, favorite red and green tartan napkins, an assortment of glassware, cups and dining plates and hope my friends enjoy the food.

Royal silliness

Holiday season brings with it a certain amount of pageantry and performances by our local schools. Last night I was invited to attend a dinner theater, of sorts, produced by Cristy’s nephew’s high school choral madrigal ensemble. The students were adorned in brilliant period costumes and had transformed their school into a medieval banquet hall complete with scullery-maid servants, a royal court, a narrator-jester and a well-choreographed duel of which Erol Flynn would have been most proud.

Amidst the madrigal music performances was a complete dinner service for the audience, primarily parents and family. In return for the meal, the audience good-naturedly participated in some requisite silliness. Namely, acting out the holiday classic 12 Days of Christmas.

Of the 12 tables of guests, each table acted out one of the gifts described in the song. With two student facilitators per table encouraging us to free our imaginations and give in to the overall craziness, we were also told that a “prize” would be awarded to the funniest table.

OK. Adults are not much likely to indulge in this kind of child’s play on an average Saturday night without so much as a spiked wassail to soften inhibitions, but attach an incentive on the other side and all the type-A personalities begin emerging. Granted, the prize was undefined at this point, but with each verse of the song, the competitive spirit in the room escalated.

Of course, our table won. We were not surprised because by this time we had completely locked in on the goal: to WIN THE PRIZE. And the prize, as we learned, happened to be the honor of wearing paper crowns for the remainder of the evening. Obnoxious glittery purple paper crowns that more resembled dunce hats than trappings of royalty. The student “king” bestowed our reward with gestures of grandeur and we returned to our table almost (dare I admit it?) gloating. No matter that the prize was perhaps even more humiliating than the contest. We won it. Which is also the same as: everyone else lost. Hahahahahaha.

Sadly, we left behind our crowns upon departing. It was the closest I will ever get to hanging out with the royals.

Gift exchange

I received a good-humored email yesterday from a well-meaning individual, issuing a directive to the recipients on the email distribution to refrain from purchasing holiday gifts for the sender. Even though I don’t appreciate it, I understand. It’s about stress. And codependence. Instead of controlling what is within their own span of control (eliminating unneeded accumulation in the household), the individual attempts to exert control over others by dictating how they must observe their holiday traditions. The acknowledged underlying problem is that there is too much stuff in that house already.

I’ve thought about this rather carefully and have decided to abide by the sender’s wishes with no comment whatsoever. No debate. Going down that path would not prove fruitful and would only fan the flames of temper, serving absolutely no useful purpose. It will be OK for me to simply transfer my holiday gift-giving love elsewhere.

I have a short gift-giving list and have completed most of my shopping over the last few weeks. In years past, I would select an early Saturday morning and dash out to two or three small shops, make my purchases and return home by noon with an entire Santa list fulfilled. It was exhilirating and unknown, a rare once-per-year experience. More recently, online shopping has almost entirely replaced this experience. Excitement replaced with convenience. Sort of droll, wouldn’t you say? Truth be told, I miss my infrequent visits to these special stores.

I also usually have a small list of gift recipients for whom I make something personally. A jar of salsa or loaf of coffee cake. Usually coworkers to whom I want to extend a tiny holiday hug, of sorts. With Christmas approaching more quickly than I realize, and extended vacations beginning well in advance of the 25th, my deadline for homemade gifts will be here quickly.

Today I read a clever essay by inspired blogger, Maureen over at Island Roar about her holiday wish list. With rare exception, I always love the things I buy for others. I admit that it is not the best gift-giving strategy, but that is just the way things seem to turn out. I start with good intentions, but end up buying things that I love, perhaps more so than the gift recipient.

If I were a gift recipient, the things I would love to receive would be any gorgeous antique china dinner plate, a lovely creamer, a spool or two of beautiful ribbon, a simple assortment of linen table runners, cloth napkins of any variety, sparkly vintage jewelry, or flip flops. Maureen’s list was far more insightful and amusing.

Hopefully if my gift recipients are reading, they can begin dropping some not-so-subtle clues about the things from my list they’d prefer not to receive. I’ll try to take that under advisement.

Racing to the finish line

Yes, the starting pistol has fired. You didn’t hear it? I heard it, but hit the snooze button once already and am about to tap it again. Holiday season! Dinners, family gatherings, traveling, parties, shopping, gift wrapping, decorating. Perhaps my favorite time of year, truth be told.

I know, I know, the accompanying stress associated with getting everything done (beautifully!) is so often a barrier to enjoyment.

Let’s see. Last year at this time, I was well on the road to completing almost all of my holiday shopping except for a small handful of personally selected gifts. Completing my Santa list turned out to be no trouble at all. In addition, Cristy and I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at her (old) house, I completed my seasonal decorating before the end of November, visited my mom in Oklahoma for 4 days, gave a pre-Christmas brunch at my (old) house for my small family and another little dinner party the following week for a handful of friends. Plus, Cristy and I attended several other family gatherings in celebration of the season. It was a busy time, but I managed to coast through it with almost no anxiety.

This year, I’m afraid I’m not going to be enjoying that coasting thing so much.

Decorating is going to be a challenge since unpacking and house arranging is not exactly complete. My gift giving inspiration has not yet arrived and I generally rely on a visitation from this muse to guide my projects and shopping. And much to my dismay, parties at our home may not be on the agenda this year.

So I will consider it my practice year. Yes, that’s it. I need one year to figure out how to decorate the house so it will look splendid. One year to get the chimney cleaned so we can actually use the fireplace for a cozy gathering at home. One year to somewhat recover from the chronic financial drain associated with moving, renovating, furnishing. What's that old saying about Carnegie Hall?

Don’t worry Santa, aah’ll be baahck.

Christmas magic

Saturday is a day for running errands; Cristy and I had a long list that mostly involved going to stores to purchase a few needed items and shop for furnishings for our new home. Some retailers have begun rearranging their floorspace to accommodate Christmas decorations, much to my delight! At one particular store, again to my delight, we even took a few minutes to select a handful of tree ornaments.

When I was a young girl, my mom made Christmas magical. She arranged table centerpieces, decorations for the foyer, gathered festive collections of pine cones, played holiday music on the piano, made scrumptious goodies and decorated our tree beautifully. She added the prettiest of touches to wrapped presents and Christmas cards. The house was fragrant with cedar boughs, cinnamon stick bundles and freshly baked cookies. None of our decorations were elaborate or expensive. What mattered most was the excitement and the joy that she shared.

Mommy let me make pretty paper chains to decorate my room and gave me extra pieces of garland for a touch of sparkle. I loved everything sparkly, glittery, twinkling. Every time I walked into my bedroom, I felt a fresh surge of joy. Today I have the same feelings about Christmas decorations. It is the one time of year when more is definitely more: sparkly, glittery, twinkling. I have been accumulating decorations for many years, so there is nothing very uniform in terms of an overall holiday theme. Just pretty. As I open each box of ornaments carefully packed away from the year before, I feel the same excitement from my childhood.

2009 will be my first year to share the holiday with Cristy in our own home. And there is so much of it to decorate. My collection of decorations that last year, in my small house seemed abundant will undoubtedly now appear spare. But over time, the collection will grow to fill the space. Each year we’ll add just a tiny bit more.

I am secretly hoping that I can convince mommy to come visit soon and make a gorgeous centerpiece for the dining room table. It would be the crowning glory of my collection and a perfect way to create the best possible Christmas energy in our home. Better than Santa himself.