Getting into the spirit of the season
Christmas House and the Eggnog of Do0m
Christmas and I have not always gotten along. Sure, I loved it as a kid- who doesn’t love getting a bunch of new things every year? It did a lot to hook me into the acquisitive stage of life. Problem was, it also tried to trap me into that desire to buy or have All The Things. That’s the thing with a capitalistic culture; you have to have consumers to buy things that will enrich the people who make them. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Kind of takes the wind out of the spirit of the season, don’t you think? So, while I loved the holiday season as a kid, I became a lot less enchanted with it as I got older. The heaps of nostalgia- Victorian when I was a kid, and Early Baby Boom as an adult. Neither of which I have any real connection with, since I wasn’t around for their original appearances. (This happens when you are part of a transitional generation.) But I have been around long enough to see the memories of horse-drawn sleighs be replaced by old red pickup trucks, and the choirs and crooners of my early days replaced by old-school rock, all sung by people who are mostly dead. Forget Halloween, Christmas time is more haunted than any spooktacular.
What really bugs me about this time of year is the growing length of the season. Sure, I understand that crafters have to get an early start on their stuff for gifting, but I really don’t understand why there are artificial trees in the garden department of Walmart in AUGUST. Worse, if you wait until November to grab some lights or other goodies, forget it- all the really cool stuff is long gone. Not that there’s that much anymore. For the really well-made holiday decor (and gifts), you’ll have to find a well-curated flea market or estate sale.
Gripe, grump, grouch. Believe it or not, I am not a Grinch. It’s not my thing to harsh everyone elses’ mellow. And while I have been tempted to write “Bah Humbug!” on my roof in chasing rope lights, I haven’t given in to that urge. Yet. Instead, I have studiously ignored the whole excess of Xmess for a couple of decades. No trees, no gift lists, no Secret Santa, none of that. There are no children in my family, and my distant relatives are very distant, so I am not trapped in the “it’s for the kids!” grift.
This year, though- it’s a bit different. I bought a house whose original builder loved Christmas, and whose attics and closets were filled with a bunch of Christmas stuff they had not disposed of before they sold the house. Their kids took what they wanted, and they sold their enormous Department 56 village collection to their church, but I bought the house with its remaining furniture (I did not have much of my own) and stuff. They clearly loved Christmas. As I went through the boxes and the closets and the attic, it reminded me of the holidays of my childhood. I put some of the prettier items out on display. I put up candy cane lights up my driveway. I still don’t have a tree (cats!), but perhaps I’ll get a good one next year. I even went to some of my favorite stores- which I usually avoid this time of year. There were tons of the usual giftish stuff, but nothing I wanted or needed.
I did get myself an Advent calendar, but not the usual candy-filled one. Instead, I splurged on an incense advent calendar offered for the first time by the Japanese company Nippon Kodo. If you are a fan of high-quality Japanese incense, this is one of the best providers- they’ve been making it since 1575 (500 years!). It’s meant to be burned indoors, so it won’t overpower your nose, or your smoke alarm. I also got a nice German Stollen and will have friends over for dinner tomorrow. Then it will be time to ready myself and the house for New Year’s Frackin’ Eve, the annual gathering of my nerdy friends for food, fun, and a silly gift exchange. And my almost famous and highly coveted Eggnog of Do0o0om will be brought out in its new pitcher (“Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Vodka, Whiskey, Tequila, Blitzen”) and we’ll salute the new year with a kazoo choir.
I seriously think this house is getting to me. I suddenly have the urge to bake a bunch of cookies. And where did I put that Santa hat?
Merry Everything, y’all.