First, a Christmas Quote…

Dr. Seuss
And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?

The ground is littered with wrapping paper. The kitchen is littered with the husks of a holiday meal well-enjoyed. My child is so exhausted she can barely stand. All is right with the world.A couple of things about Christmas that I learned this year. I mean, if I had paid attention to any of those after school specials instead of trying to see down my baby-sitters shirt, I’d have known these things, but still.

As long as everybody is having a good time, you call it a win and keep rolling.

I wasn’t in the most festive of holiday moods last night when the family came through to devour my precious the aged prime rib roast. I was a bit tired, more than a little frazzled and…well…both my mother and father were coming over to be in the same place at the same time…on Christmas. THAT hasn’t happened since I was a wee little tyke and the very idea of it was terrifying for some reason. Wait, thats not true. I have an idea of why my parents being in the same room with me and the rest of my family and it has something to do with the way my feelings towards my parents are so uneven. But they both had a good time, ate well, and while not really speaking to one another, engaged the rest of my family. I really couldn’t ask for more.Even if you tell them you’re not ‘Doing’ presents this year, NOBODY WILL BELIEVE YOU.

“Yo. Money is MAD tight, son. Like, a fat man’s grip on the last drumstick tight. We got the dinner but we’re not gonna front. The present-buying is on the low-low this year. So if you’re feeling festive, just pass that loot towards the seed, and keep it merry.”

This, while not verbatim, was a close approximation of what we told family and friends this year. Cause money is truly tight. Mad Tight. So we did the dinner but all those wonderful gifts we wanted to get everybody became the potatoes, or the scallops, or the roast. Or the electricity. But when it came down to it, nobody gave a damn, we still got a few gifts, much more than we were expecting, and, in the end, it made us feel good. Sigh.

Also, nobody went for my “Celebrate the gift giving on New Years and make Christmas purely about family getting together and having fun…Also allow the more frugal minded of us to truly capitalize on those Christmas Aftermath specials” Idea this year. Dont mess with the Holidays, man. Thats what they told me at gunpoint and so I let it die. But mark my words, I think I’m on to something.

Good Deed Tally - 3
The best part of Christmas is the opportunities to do wonderful little things for friends that make them smile. Or making gestures to members of family. Both Raquita and I did a number of these little gestures that helped to make our holiday feel that much warmer. I just hope that we weren’t the only ones. What were they, you ask? I dont think it matters cause none of it were really sacrifices on my part but they helped to make the holidays just that much better. Never forget that a small gesture on your part can have profound effects on those gestured…um…at…

I’m back to work tomorrow, trying to finish up this project and forget the fact that I’m not gonna see my paycheck till next week and MAYBE do a little more writing. I had forgotten how much I love to torture my characters. Ha! Merry Christmas Mr. Protagonist! Have another flaming Kabob in the kidney! HA!!!

ahem

I hope you all had a good holiday, and as you head towards the death of this year and the birth of the new one (and all of the calender makers ready their busiest month of the year) reflect on the little things that made you smile or laugh this Christmas. Those are usually the best ones.