Let’s Talk Turkey – Christmas Reflections

Ok, one holiday down, one more to go.  How are you doing so far?  How was your Christmas?  Were you overwhelmed by everything around you?  Did you stop and consider the real reason for the season?  So many questions.  It is so easy to get lost in all the hoopla surrounding Christmas.  So easy to forget what Christmas really means.

Christmas is almost synonymous with gift giving.  We sometimes feel inadequate if we cannot get a gift for a loved one.  On the flip side, we also feel hard done by if a loved one does not give us a gift.  I am not sure why the gift giving, especially when it’s between people who can afford their own gifts but you know what? I am not knocking it.  I have gotten some darn good items, thanks to this tradition.  It would seem weird if my friends exchanged presents with each other at my birthday party, wouldn’t it?

Shopping is another activity that goes hand in hand with Christmas. Shop till you drop seems to be the acceptable mantra.  Gifts, food for the parties, clothes, boxing day sales, buy buy buy!  Again, I am not sure how this ties in with Christmas but someone is making a killing, don’t look at me.

Even though I partake in all the above mentioned Christmas activities and delight in them, I would have no problem with Christmas being more of a time to focus than to stress out over who gets what and who gives what.  I would enjoy the old-fashioned style of Christmas that you see depicted in stories of old.  Where parents tell their kids stories while they listen in rapture.  I would enjoy a Christmas where we the fortunate ones take the opportunity to get ‘gifts’ for the less fortunate.  I know some of us do include this in our list of ‘things we do at Christmas’ but I would like to see the stress placed on it.  We say ‘Christmas is for children’,  I couldn’t disagree more.  It’s not for Children.  It’s for all of us.  If we consider all of us God’s children, then yes, it is for children.

In case you are wondering, “If you like it that way why don’t you celebrate it that way then?” Well I do.  Kinda.  As a team effort it would be even more special and far reaching.  Just imagine it.

Have a Happy New Year!  And remember, it’s all my takes.

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Don’t be a Christmas grump

This morning, I woke up early.  Too early for a Saturday morning but it wasn’t your ordinary Saturday morning.  This was the last Saturday before Christmas and with only 3 more days to go, I had to make every shopping chance count.  So I went to Costco tire shop to have tires installed on our van and wandered into the store to pick up a few things.  While inside, I was jostled and pushed in every direction but guess what, I didn’t lose my cool.  I kept a positive air about me and went about my business as though I was alone in the store.  I watched and listened to my fellow shoppers as they swore and stalked around the store as if someone was trespassing on their personal property.

Now if you are one of those people who get annoyed and stress out over things they cannot control, please don’t go out to the malls.  You should have made your shopping earlier anyways.  It’s Christmas if you didn’t notice and that means chaos at the stores.  With a capital C.  You do not own the store.  You do not have VIP status.  You are not a star.  Grin and bear it or stay in the safe confines of your home.  Sorry.

Oh, and do not be like that rude woman who saw it fit to cut off everyone in line.  If you cannot stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen, plain and simple.

And it’s not just my take.

Not Another Christmas Album!

Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I love Christmas music.  Give it to me in reggae, pop, celtic, rock, whatever, I love it!  The fact that I am a Christmas freak may have something to do with that.  While YouTubing for some classics recently, I found out something really strange.  Just about every man, woman and their dog had a Christmas album!  It didn’t matter if they were new on the music scene, they had a Christmas album.

It seems as soon as a new artiste comes out, their manager goes to them, “Ok, here’s the dealio. We have to, I mean we NEED to, release a Christmas album like ASAP!”  “But it’s only July…” “Nevermind that. We need a Christmas album.  It’s what makes you bonafide.  You feeling me?”

Luckily for me, I rather the Christmas classics. I like the old stuff, they make me feel warm and fuzzy inside and go better with everything.  Putting up the tree, decorating the house, having a Christmas dinner, or just sipping on some accidentally-laced egg nog.  It just goes together, you feeling me?  Many years ago, I would actually go out and buy the latest  Christmas album every year, before I realized that I couldn’t keep up.  How many times can one sing ‘Silent Night’?  And really, how many versions of the ‘Little Drummer Boy’ can you make?

Saying this, I must say I really enjoyed the Biebs’ Christmas album ‘Under The Mistletoe’.  It’s actually a good listen and one of the better albums out there.  It sort of reminds me of another of my oldie favorites, The Jackson 5 Christmas album, especially the way he did, ‘Some day at Christmas’, a very poignant holiday song that predicts a Christmas in the future where wars and pain etc. will be non-existent.  Too bad we won’t be around to see that…

Hmm…I wonder if Rebecca Black has a Christmas album?  ‘It’s Christmas, Christmas, gotta get down on Christmas…’

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Opening your gifts

 

I was thinking, like I always do, about what I would have liked to be doing instead of doing what I’m doing.  Where would I be and so on and so on.  This thought led to another and another and soon enough, I was thinking about the gifts that we are all born with and how some of these are extraordinary and unique yet they sit in our mental cupboards, unopened.  We are scared to open them as doing so could drastically change our lives the way we knew it.  We are influenced by our peers not to open them or we are too shy.

 

On Christmas morning, parents sit with expectant looks on their faces as they watch their little ones rip at the gift wrappings on their presents.  Cameras are cocked and ready to record the looks of excitement and glee on the little ones faces as they see what is inside.  Upon opening a much-wanted present, all unwrapping comes to an end as the child is now occupied with that one gift.  “Come over here and open the other presents you have under the tree”.  Each present is special and without opening each one, the child would never know if there’s one that trumps his now-prized present.

 

This can be the used to describe our lives.  We choose our paths based on financial reasons, popularity, peer pressure or other.  We settle on that one gift that make us at least comfortable.  We have not explored our other gifts because we feel comfortable ‘settling’ with what we have.  Married with kids and a basically comfortable life, we fear rolling the dice could upset our lives and so our gift, our unique talent is left unopened and unexplored.

What is your talent that sits unopened?  Life is short, rip it open and see where it takes you.

 

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Valentine’s Ass

I made an ass of myself.  Me and my takes.  My big mouth.  My opinions.  My wife came home and ran down to the basement immediately.  She came back up with a slight look of guilt on her face.  I asked her what she was doing and got, “It’s none of your business!”  Which fanned the flames of my suspicions even more.

Later while she was getting dressed for bed, I again asked, “So what did you went to do downstairs?”  I got “Never Mind. You will know later.”  I remembered how she would hide presents for me at Christmas so immediately made the connection. “It’s not like it’s Christmas and you are hiding presents…”.  The look I got spoke volumes.  I had hit the nail on the head.  Without thinking, I plunged right in.  ”I hope you didn’t go buying gifts for me.  You know I really don’t do Valentines.  It’s just a stupid commercial day to make money for businesses.  We don’t need a day to profess our love.  We could do the same thing any other day.”  I got on a roll and let it all out about my feelings of such days and how much I hated it for making us men feel inadequate if we do not partake in the madness yadda yadda yaddda…

My wife turned to me and her look said it all, but my words were like Cupid’s arrow,  once shot, could not be taken back.  They hung like a noose in the air, awaiting my neck.  I would have been happy to oblige right then.  Without a word, she took off to bake some Valentine cookies for our son’s school.

I went downstairs a few minutes later to make amends and sweep everything under the rug and found her in tears.  I tried to apologize but that only opened up the flood gates even more.  Apparently she had the entire love day planned out with me receiving small gifts throughout the day and other acts of love.

To make matters worst, on the treadmill this morning, (I exercise before work) I found a rose and a stuffed  ’be my valentine’ dinosaur.   Way to take the zeal out of a workout…I felt like crap and rightly should.

You see, I am not a scrooge or spoil sport. I just don’t like commercial holidays that stress gift buying.  ”Buy your loved ones this ring and make her feel special”  Does that mean I can’t make her special if I don’t buy it?   It seems so fake and contrived but if it is special to my wife, then I should make it special to me also.  After all, she comes first.

So Happy Valentine Baby!

P.S  I am now tossing out my vuze on Valentine and from now on, will make sure it’s an extra special day me and my honey.  Promise!

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Boo At The Zoo With My Lead Foot Wife

Well what do you know? My poor snake bitten wife got her second speeding ticket in 7 days.  It was almost identical to the one she got last week.  Let me start at the beginning.