New Year's Eve Festivities - Part II

Right after dinner but before the beginning of our New Year's Eve festivities (well, actually, my New Year's Eve festivities - see previous post), Sam and I decided to take one last car ride together for the year - a last chance to look at Christmas lights together and a last chance to drive around listening to Christmas music together - at least until next year (which, I guess legitimately, could be tomorrow).

It didn't last long. The fog was unbelievably thick. Here's a picture of the tower from exactly two years ago...

And here's a picture taken tonight...

Usually you can see the lights of the "tree" from miles away. Tonight, you couldn't even tell the lights were on, not until you got about a block away.

Not only was it foggy, it turned out there weren't a lot people who still had their Christmas lights on anyway. Unlike me, many people apparently don't subscribe to the notion of keeping their Christmas lights on, either into February or until the squirrels have chewed through the wires.

So, we didn't stay out long. And besides, we had to get back. The night's exciting festivities lay ahead (for one of us, that is).

Back at home, at bedtime, I left Sam with the usual kisses and "I love you", as well as my annual joke (which, despite it being an annual "event", still somehow manages to be well-worn), that of course being, "See you next year".

And with that, like every year, I'll leave you with my best wishes for the year ahead, and with this...



Now, back to my festivities...

New Year's Eve Festivities

Due in part to inclement weather, we are postponing our traditional New Year's Eve almost-dinner, consisting of take-out Chinese food followed by indigestion, and we will instead look forward to partaking in both at some point over the weekend.

Instead, after a dinner of left-overs, we will go straight to our typical traditional-type festivities. I'm thinking of maybe lighting-up the spruce-scented candle - and then at some point, maybe around 10:00 PM, maybe even 10:30, I intend to pour myself a FULL GLASS of non-spiked egg nog. And if things go well, I may pour myself a SECOND GLASS. (I have almost a full carton left over from Christmas so I may as well use it up.)

Then, depending on how I'm feeling, I may turn down the lights and look at the rainbow LEDs stuffed in the bird feeder, which is hanging from one of the plants, while listening to the clocks tick.

If I have any energy left, I may even put up next year's calendar - even though the new year is not until tomorrow.

After that, bedtime. Probably.

I hope your New Year's Eve is all you hope it to be, as well.

The Aftermath

It’s raining outside. At least, I think it’s raining. It keeps trading off between a heavy, wet snow, then ice, then rain. Right now, I think it’s rain.

It’s been this way since I got up this morning - cold, grey sky; cold wet something, falling on the ground, trying to freeze, sometimes succeeding.

What better day than this to begin taking down Christmas decorations. After a family-filled Christmas, the house is now quiet. The garland and lights have been stripped off the banister, packed in a box along with the stockings - all to be put away in storage for the next eleven months.

The ornaments are off the tree. Soon the lights will be off, as well. By the end of the day, the tree, having served its purpose, will be sitting curbside, waiting to be taken away to wherever it is old Christmas trees go to fade away.

Soon, the spaces once occupied by the tree and other various decorations will be filled with the more mundane encroachments of everyday life.

It’s quiet in the house.

And it’s raining outside.

Santa's Long-Winded Response

Before I post Santa's response to Sam's letter, let me qualify it with a few explanations (i.e. excuses).

First of all, Santa, at least the Santa that visits our house, is barely coherent on the best of days. The fact that he can string together more than three words and still make some kind of sense is in itself a minor Christmas miracle.

Add that to the fact that Santa is jotting this letter down late at night (for him), while exhausted from stuffing stockings, hauling in presents, and whatever else he may have been doing earlier in the day.

And, although Santa is allegedly a semi-bright person, a guy who supposedly “knows when you are sleeping ... etc, etc,etc," - in reality, he doesn’t know ahead of time what he will be responding to - and therefore, he doesn’t know what he’s going to be writing until he writes it.

Finally, for some insane reason, Santa writes in pen. That’s right, I said “Pen”. That means that whatever Santa puts down on paper, stays down on paper. None of the luxuries of writing and re-writing, say, a blog post, until a completely incoherent thought approaches semi-coherence - which can then be given up on and dumped - or posted for no one to bother to read.

Given the opportunity, I’m sure Santa would have liked to have said things a little differently. Probably a lot differently. But, hey, that happens to the best of us - or so I’m told.

All of that said, here’s Santa’s loooong response to this year’s letter from Sam… 

12/25/19

 Dear Sam,

I am so glad to hear that you have co-workers. I remember a couple of years ago, you were worried about finding a job - and here you are! That’s great!

I understand what your co-worker means - the older you are, the faster time seems to pass. Of course, it just feels that way. Time passes the same for the old and young alike.

Still, I understand why you worry. Love is a great thing. And if you are lucky enough to love someone, then there will be times you will worry about them. It’s all part of the same package and it’s natural to feel that way.

I think if your parents are telling you not to get worked up about it, what they really mean is, it’s ok. It’s ok to feel these things. It’s ok to think about these things. And it’s ok to talk about these things. As a matter of fact, that may be the most important thing - to talk about things when they’re bothering you. It can be hard, but sometimes, that’s when it’s most important to talk. 

Your feelings matter. You matter. And I am sure, just like you worry about the ones you love, the ones you love worry about you. And that’s ok. Like I said, it’s all part of the same package. You are lucky enough to love each other! How great!!

I am also glad to hear that you are beginning to hang out with old friends. Friends, like family, are important.

It certainly must be better than doing nothing all day. Though I imagine, knowing how hard you work, doing nothing must feel nice after a long day at work.

But having friends - how wonderful! That gives you options in life. And it gives you even more people to talk with, to share your feelings with and, like I said, that’s important.

I am so proud of you and I am so happy to see what a fine young man you have become. You are doing great, as always.

Thank you again for all the snacks - and I hope you have, not only a merry Christmas but also, a happy new year.

Love, Santa

This Year's Letter to Santa

Another Christmas Eve, another letter to Santa. This was one of Sam's longer letters...

A year or two back, Sam told me that Santa "...gives good advice", so I guess I should be flattered that Sam shares such deep thoughts with Santa. But it's sad to me that Sam often has such weighty issues on his mind, especially on Christmas eve.

These are issues that, unsurprisingly, Sam has difficulty expressing on our frequent car rides. Still, he brings them up and I do my best to address his concerns, trying to do it as simply and straightforwardly as I can. Some of these things, though, are difficult to break down into bite-sized pieces that are easier to understand. Still, we do our best.

Sam's lengthy letter prompted a lengthy letter from Santa in return - which, once I recover, I may eventually get around to transcribing here.

On Christmas morning, Sam once again came downstairs, bypassing both his stocking and his presents in order to read Santa's response. He was happy with it, therefore, so was I.

I hope your holiday season has been wonderful - whether you celebrate anything or not. And I hope each of us has a decent year ahead.

 

Just in the Nick

Yikes! I almost let Christmas slip by without posting this classic:

Holiday Shopping

One of these days, I'm going to compile a list of "almost gifts" - things I either bought or almost bought with the intention that "Santa" will give them as gifts - that is, before being foiled at the last minute when my constant companion catches me in the act.

I am, of course, talking about Sam. It's rare that I ever leave the house without Sam at my side. This is in no way a complaint - far from it - but, boy, when it comes to playing "Santa" and doing a little Christmas shopping, it can be a challenge.

For better or worse, most of my shopping is done online so other than an onslaught of mysterious boxes coincidentally showing up on our doorstep just before the holiday every year, this can be done almost under the radar. Almost, that is, except for the times when I'm sitting at the computer, seemingly alone, when all of a sudden I get the "Say, what are you looking at?" or the "That's pretty cool," coming unexpectedly from somewhere over my shoulder.

But every so often, when we're out and about, I come across something that I think would make a good gift for someone, but my plan falls through once I'm eventually spotted by Sam. Sometimes this happens at the point of purchase (the worst), sometimes it happens just before the point of purchase (almost the worst).

The latest example, a Life Magazine "Special Edition" on Mr. Rogers, currently sits on the dining room table for all to see - instead of in a bag filled with stocking stuffers, for no one to see - until Christmas morning.

The last couple of times we were standing in line at the grocery store, I noticed Sam taking an interest in this magazine, but until yesterday, I couldn't find the opportunity to somehow slip it in, unnoticed, and hide it among the usual crowd of our grocery items.

But yesterday, we were at the grocery store (again), and while standing in the check-out line, it seemed that Sam was more preoccupied than usual, looking for spare change on the floor (and finding a cool seventeen cents, by the way). So while he was intently scouring the floor, I quickly slipped the magazine off the rack and slid it face down on the belt, under our small pile of groceries.

I kept one eye on Sam as he scouted for lost change, and one eye on the magazine, watching as it slowly inched closer to the scanner. It looked as though it might be a close call - but I was pretty sure that success was at hand.

One-by-one the girl scanned our items. One-by-one Sam spotted another coin. One-by-one our items, including the magazine, slid closer to the finish line.

Finally, with Sam still intent on finding treasure, the magazine reaches the cashier. Almost there... almost there. The cashier scans it - and for some god-unknown reason, she for once decides to be helpful, so she holds up the magazine says, "You want a separate bag for this?" Sam whips around, "Oh! You're getting that???!!!"

This is one of those moments in life where a person's creative lying is put to the test. Do I pretend that the magazine must have somehow fallen off the magazine rack, right into our pile of groceries? Do I draw upon my seldom used acting skills and ask the person behind me if this unwanted item really belonged to them - and by they way, please do a better job of keeping your items away from my items? Do I just deny it and leave this entire awkward incident behind me - and then come back and try again later?

No, I do none of those things. Like too many times before, I fold and tell the truth. I tell Sam simply, "Yes, we're getting it." (I'm not sure if the check-out girl picked up on my glare or not. I may have to go back there and glare at her again.) Flash forward to Sam and I walking back to the car, me with groceries in hand, Sam carrying the magazine.

Now, the magazine sits on the table behind me, for all to enjoy, in these chilly pre-Christmas days.

This kind of thing has happened a lot this shopping season - the spice store, the local book store, the Farmer's Market, the local game store - you name it. Each of these shopping endeavors have resulted in Santa having to somehow come up with a "Plan B".

Of course, all of this would be a little easier if I could just figure out if Sam still believed in Santa or not. But that's not a can of worms that I'm willing to open right now. And for now at least, neither, apparently, is Sam.

Photos from the Tree Hunt

Apparently, I never posted the exciting photos from this year's Christmas tree hunt-stravaganza. Sorry about that. Here you go...

Here we are, heading out to the deep, not-so-dark forest, filled with neatly planted trees, cart and saw in hand.

Finding just the right tree is always the challenge. Fortunately, this particular tree farm is filled with a lot of beautiful trees to choose from. Unfortunately, many of the most beautiful trees have already been tagged by other customers.
Our hunt for the nicest tree would be a lot easier if we did it in several steps. For example (just thinking out loud):
   Step One: Cut the tag off someone else's tree.
   Step Two: Cut down their tree and take it home.
   Step three (Optional): Before leaving, pick their tag of the ground (next to the now freshly cut stump) and put their tag on one of the reject trees.
I'm kidding, of course. We would never do something like that. Really. Never. (Even though it would probably save us some time.)

Anyway, back to our hunt for the perfect tree...

Here's a possibility. With my top-notch negotiating skills, we might even be able to scoop this fine specimen up for a hefty 5% discount. Easy to get home. Easy to get in the stand. Plus, the "pile" of presents sitting under it might look bigger by comparison.

Unfortunately, it's a little on the short side. Still, have to remember the location... just in case. (After all, we are talking about a possible 5% discount.)

Here's another possibility. Is this one tree or two? It appears to be two trees growing out of the same stump. Does this mean we're going to have to pay double? If so, scratch that! There seems to be a bit of a bare spot on it. Maybe we can turn that towards the wall...

More looking. More debating (about cutting off other people's tags). Just kidding (...though it is starting to get a little cold...).

Finally! A keeper! Sure, it's a little thin, but it's evenly thin. The only drawback I can see is that I might have to buy another tree stand. (I don't think mine cranks down that small.) However, this minor inconvenience would be more than offset by not having to vacuum up any more loose pine needles. Sold!

Here we are, back at home, dressing the little fella up. Looks almost normal.

And one final photo, getting the ornament. Just. Right.

So, there you go. A lot of fun - which fortunately, we were once again able to share in together. And, like every year (mostly), another beautiful tree.

(Though that 5% discount would have been pretty sweet.)

A Rough Day

 Sam's snowman (before I left for work early this morning)...

Sam's snowman (when I got home this evening)...

I feel your pain.

A Belated Note About Thanksgiving

In between dealing with other issues, I was going to write a little something about the past Thanksgiving weekend which naturally included our annual Christmas tree hunting, hauling and decorating. But after struggling with typing some notes and writing and re-writing and re-writing some more, I realized that by the time I was able to devote enough time to it to get it to meet even my extremely low bar, the post- if it ever managed to appear at all, would be completely outdated.

And anyway, as with pretty much everything I write, I'm sure I've written something similar to it before. And while it may not be identical, we'll call it "close enough".

All of that said, I will say (also, again), that I'm glad that the family could all be together. I'm glad everyone was healthy, and I'm glad everyone was able to get home and back, safely, to wherever they needed to be.

And at Thanksgiving - or every day, really - does anything else matter?

Maybe at some point, I'll get around to posting some exciting photos from the tree farm.

Maybe.

Snowmen

At Sam's request, I now have well over a dozen photos on my phone of various combinations of Sam, Rachael and this snowman.

I'm not sure which Sam loves more, this snowman or the fact that he made this snowman with Rachael.

Radical Changes

Yesterday started with a 6:00 AM meeting with Sam’s supervisor, a meeting which fell somewhere in the middle of an email chain about twelve emails long and was book-ended by conversations with Sam, plus one or two phone calls to the transportation company - all for the goal of trying to get Sam’s afternoon ADA bus to pull forward another twelve feet or so, so that Sam can see the bus from inside the school instead of having to wait outdoors in the soon-to-be bitter cold winter weather.

We'll soon see how successful this was. This massive shakeup to the status quo starts Monday.

Weather Report

Awoke to over a foot of wet, heavy snow this morning. Another six inches to a foot are supposed to fall throughout the day today. Right now, it appears to be raining. I assume this will freeze and turn to ice, making shoveling/walking/driving/living even more of an adventure than it already is.

Late Breaking News: Sam just informed me that "it's starting to pick up" and sure enough, it is now back to wet, heavy snow.

I have nothing more to add at the moment.

This concludes today's update.