Merry Christmas Eve!
We’re enjoying a lazy Christmas Eve at our house. We even broke with tradition and went to see a movie. I’d always sort of scoffed at people who went to movies on Christmas Eve or Christmas, but come on, it’s The Muppets. Cute W and I are both big fans, and with all the other activities going on, it’s tough to find enough free time for a frivolous movie outing. So it’s been a non-traditional Christmas. For example, we also gave poor Isis the “traditional”Christmas flea bath. Don’t get me started: it’s not a tradition that I’d like to continue.
But the rest of the day, I expect, will be much more predictable, in a good way. Cute W brought home a ginormous wheel of Brillat-Savarin cheese from Honest Weight, and we have every single Chrismas goody from my page of linked recipes (and holiday lights, and other holiday stuff), so there’s serious eating ahead. We’ll head to a candlelight service at FUSS tonight and then chase those kids to bed immediately. We were all up late last night with a neighborhood caroling party, so hopefully their resistance will be low.
Do the rest of you do this? I squirrel away gifts in all sorts of places, and then on Christmas Eve I often spend quite a bit of time trying to remember where the heck I put it all. I try to make a spreadsheet with all of the information, but this year’s been so busy that I haven’t kept up. So I’m just crossing both fingers that once I ferret it all out, there will be the right combination and it will look like both children are equally loved. One thing that Santa puts in our stocking is some fresh produce. Cute W grew up receiving an apple and an orange in the toe of his stocking, and we did that for years, but let’s face it: we often already have apples in a basket, so it doesn’t feel that special. So my prediction is pomegranates and an artichoke for little J. In fact, I was at the grocery store pondering exactly what Santa could possibly bring for M that would receive as passionate a reaction from her as J’s reaction to an artichoke when it struck me. Of course: an avocado. So hopefully Santa will be that clever.
Earlier today M was reading Harry Potter to J. I have to say that some of my very favorite moments in life are when M reads to J. It’s still a recent enough phenomenon that I’m excited that my kids would read for pleasure, and having big sister help little sister, and little sister accept that help, is just wonderful. And then, Harry Potter? For years, we tried to get M to try the Harry Potter books, and she was not interested. Mostly because everyone told her that she should, and she’s her own girl, and stubborn. We were torn between wishing she’d give it a shot and admiring her ability to stick to her guns. Finally, in her own time, she tried them and is loving them, and J’s an eager follower. J’s only problem is that she must know what happens next, and even though she can read, too, a big chapter book like that is still too laborious for her. So M’s reading to her–especially when she’s got her own books to read–was an astonishing act of charity. I felt like slapping a bow on the two of them right there because, you know, that’s the only gift I need.
Hope you’re all getting joy out of the last days of 2011.
