This holiday season seems more Christmas-y compared to last year. This is partly weather related. There were a couple of decent snowfalls (and snow days) over a week ago, yet the ground has remained white thanks to lower-than average temperatures. I am enjoying this mini-freeze -- it feels a bit more like home. Humidity and heat will always befuddle me, but -8 C is a situation I can deal with. While the cold brings a cozy ambiance, the snow covered ground brings a lightness. Last year's winter was a snowless grey; cloudy and boring. This year we have the nighttime luster of midday, the reflected sunlight resembling diamonds, and happy children enjoying the outdoors: sledding, castle building, and throwing chunks of ice at each other.
We know more people this year, which also lightens the mood. It's amazing how a little adult conversation can steady the brain. We've had some fun play dates, which noticeably improves the kids' attitudes. And why not? We are stuck inside a fair amount (snow or no snow), and a change of scenery and people is helpful for everyone. In that vein, our visit to Jon's family in Virginia over Thanksgiving was well timed. Refreshing, and restful, and I didn't burn the turkey. I barely saw my kids, as enamored as they were with cousins and cats and outdoor swings. I will forever remember Isaac trailing his oldest cousin, like Peter Pan's shadow.
I'm baking a bit more this season. I made the best gingerbread cookies ever using this insightful recipe (minus the almond flour, which is wicked expensive), as well as popcorn balls. I love popcorn balls, and to be done properly they really require Roger's Golden Syrup. Strangely, I am the only person in this house who enjoys popcorn balls. This is (a) objectively wrong, and/or (b) evidence of a popcorn-ball specific gene, without which one cannot enjoy this amazing culinary treat. There's just no other explanation.
This weekend we will also make our annual candy cane cookies, which are a molded shortbread type cookie with a delicate peppermint flavor. I'm always surprised that the kids like these, since they hate peppermint in every other context ("TOO SPICY!!!!!") Maybe the fun we have rolling them out carries over.
We've also been enjoying the Mystery Box Game, which is fast becoming a tradition. Once again both Grandma and me did the bulk of our Christmas shopping online. And once again (because we do not learn from our mistakes) we both addressed all boxes to me. So right now I have about 15 boxes in my basement with more on the way. The presents inside the boxes are unwrapped, and the boxes are almost uniformly from Amazon. I think last year I just wrapped them all without opening. Christmas morning we took turns guessing whose was whose. As it was, so shall it be.
I enjoy shopping online, although I'm not sure it is temporally efficient. I probably spend too much time figuring out how to minimize shipping. And then there are the hidden costs. One morning I awoke early with one simple goal: to buy my mom a particular candle. Over an hour later, not only had I failed to purchase the candle, but I had spent almost $100 on wine. For myself.
oops
The last big item on my seasonal to-do list is plan Christmas dinner. We were planning on goose, but today I discovered that I can't buy a fresh one for less than $100, or a frozen one for less than $60. And it would be small. Not Bob Cratchett small, but certainly petite. So, I am without a plan and it's only a week to Christmas!
Finally, a word on Christmas cards. I did not send them out this year, and I feel a little guilty. I know that many no longer keep this wonderful tradition, and I don't want to contribute to it's demise. But something had to give, and I've been thinking that an every-other year policy seems feasible for us at this point. We seem to change locales on the even years, after all. And anyway, this particular year I may need the extra cash to buy a goose. Or a gander. Maybe a gander would be cheaper. Or am I missing something here?
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