Memories

We are home for the holidays.  The best part of the Christmas season is not the presents, it's the traditions, and it's the memories.  Some Christmas traditions live on for an entire lifetime or even generation after generation.  Others are relegated to childhood while a few are for grown-ups only.  Here is a list of my most beloved holiday memories so far, some new, some old.  

5. Piano parties.  If you did not have a piano teacher who poured you hot cocoa in fancy tea cups and made you select your favorite holiday selection to play while eating Christmas cookies, you really really missed out.  It was one of the best parts of the week before Christmas and it encouraged even the laziest musicians (i.e., me) to practice and liven up the house with Christmas tunes.  

4. Socks.  Every year for at least a decade my mom has gotten me socks for Christmas.  I take really bad care of my socks and they wear out quickly, so I always need them and I always love them.  

3.  Hawaii.  At this time last year, we had just arrived in Oahu to spend Christmas with Rachel and Mike's family in paradise.  'Nuff said, right?  

    

2.  Bing and Mariah.  Whatever Christmas music you listened to as a kid, you most likely now crave as an adult all throughout December.  In our house, the replaying CDs were mostly assorted Bing Crosby, the Mariah Carey Christmas album, and one or two choir-y records thrown in for good measure.  Mike's family played Andy Williams, who I should probably get into as well. 

1. Christmas Eve dinner.  Yeah, my top memory/tradition is all about food.  And family too.  (You really should have predicted that.)  In the early years, we would have Christmas Eve at Aunt Jan's house every year, and she would start a fire in the living room and show us to our presents under her tree and it was awesome.  Now we have dinner at my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bobby's house, go to church, and then come back for dessert.  It is delicious and fun and Kathy always busts out her awesome reindeer dinnerware.

Tonight we'll repeat my favorite Christmas memory and have dinner.  Tomorrow we drive upstate to see the Brady bunch.  Monday I go with Mom, Dad, and Rob to see William in Maryland.  You already know I don't care about the presents, the decorations or the hype, but I'll take any excuse to enjoy time with my family.    

Lola says have a great Christmas.
Cody says so too, she borrowed these antlers from him. 

The Anti-Bride

Mike tells people I've done most of the wedding planning stuff because he's no good at it.  I cringe.  Ali and I went to the Kleinfeld's accessory sale (and found nothing) earlier this month and they were filming Say Yes to the Dress in the next room.  She jokingly asked me if I would ever go on that show. (I think there's a pretty obvious answer to that question.)  I told her that if TLC ever made a show about future brides who procrastinate, cut corners, and don't give a crap about most of the details, then I'd be the perfect episode.  Props go to brides who care, and I'm trying but I'm generally useless.  I see all these cute things but I have zero motivation to actually use them or come up with my own ideas.  (Flowers?  Centerpieces?  Whatever, something with a lot of green.  Bridesmaid shoes?  Ali, go find some. Table linens?  Um....?)

I love the broad ideas surrounding weddings: getting everyone you love all in one place at one time, dressing up, eating and drinking, and making a public commitment to your person.  I love all that.  But there are several things about weddings that I don't understand one bit, and I will likely try to avoid in our own wedding.   Numbers two and three are still on the table to some degree, but probably won't make it to the final cut.

1. Garter toss.  I feel no desire to have Mike dig up my skirt to some strip-teasey song for a useless article of clothing that no one ever wears anymore.  I'm not wearing one, he's not tossing it.  
2. Wedding cake.  The whole thing about freezing the top layer and eating it on your first anniversary is nauseating.  Do people seriously do that?  Plus, I don't like cake unless my grandmother made it.  Cupcakes are cuter. 
3. Favors.  What in the world am I supposed to pick out to give to 100+ people of varying ages and interests?  Everything I've seen so far is maxed out on the cheese scale or just kitschy.  The only nice ones are always something made by the bride or the bridesmaids. We all know that's not happening.  
4. Religious undertones/overtones in the ceremony.  We're getting married outside for a reason.  Everyone knows we don't go to church.  Why would we pretend like we do? 
5. The tradition of not seeing each other before the ceremony.  I live with this man.  I see him all the time.  I want to see my friends during the reception and cocktail hour, and therefore will do the pictures beforehand so I don't have to sneak away and miss half the fun. 

All in all, aside from the whole getting everyone together, eating and drinking, making a commitment part, weddings are weird. :)