13 Depressing Sights or Places to Be on Dec. 25 & 26

1. The Laundromat. At 8am , enroute to feed my friends cats I passed a Laundromat. Not only was it open but inside sat a lone man – doing his laundry.

2. A stack of unsold Christmas Trees. The Houston Garden Center near
our house appears to be the resting place for the surplus trees. The weather was damp and the sky was gray and that added to general gloom of the sight.


3. The cars in front of the X-rated video store. It too was open and while the parking lot was not SRO there were definitely customers inside. Of all the places to spend Christmas Day, a “Private Viewing Booth” is truly last on my list – right above “a prison cell”. Not that I’ve ever (knock wood) seen the inside of either them.

4. Christmas cards that arrive on Dec. 26th. They always look forlorn.

5. Wrapped Christmas gifts under the tree. On Dec. 24th they appear mysterious and festive. On Dec. 26th they appear tired and shabby.

6. Store shelves after the “Dec. 26th” holiday bargain folks have picked them clean. I’ve always wondered what happens to all the unsold decorations. Could someone enlighten me?

7. Stacks of leftover Christmas goodies in the grocery store. Who could possibly want a about to be stale sugar cookie bell sprinkled with red sugar?

8. A lone Christmas TV Ad that slips by and is still running on the 26th. I’m so over those ads anyway and ones that aren’t pulled on the 25th are not only tiresome, they are ludicrous

9. Bus terminals. Depressing under the best of circumstances. On Dec. 25th I would assume that they are soul stupefying.

10. Movie theaters. In Houston they tend to do a good business – mostly because I think folks need a break from to much “Christmas Cheer” and “Christmas Togetherness”. Movies are something a family can do together but it does not require conversation or any sort of interaction.

11. Pro sports events. I don’t feel any sorry for the athletes, they are paid such obscene amounts of money, nor sorry for the announcers who also earn a hefty salary. However, I don’t think the camera men and other behind the scenes folks make enough mega bucks to take the sting out of being away from their family.

12. Obligatory news stories of the “Troops at the Front Lines”. Those boys and girls belong home, celebrating the holiday with their parents or their wives and children. Especially the latter – so many of them are the parents of little ones. It’s the little ones that make Christmas a magical time.

13. Martha Stewart Magazine. No matter how hard we all try, Christmas never quite measure up to the yardstick held so firmly in her hand!

Holdiay MeMe

For some reason I'm having trouble coming up with original thoughts and original posts. I thought once I was on winter break and had some extra time that my brain would go on overdrive. Nope, my brain is on winter break too. Thank goodness for Memes and the Thursday 13. Nothing like a good writing prompt to prime the pump.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate, the real thing, made with milk, Dutch process Cocoa and topped with a dab of real whipped cream.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? No Santa any more. I wrap. I hate it. It’s a ploy to sell increase Hallmark’s profits and kill trees.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? None. At least this year!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? In a house with 11 foot ceilings? No!

5. When do you put your decorations up? We avoid it as long as possible. One year we didn’t do it at all. This year they go up on the 20th when the girls come home and can help. The Little Red Hen moved out some time ago.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Crispy turkey skin and Southern cornbread style dressing with gravy.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: The arrival of the “Care Package” from Holland. In the pre-Internet, Campbell’s Soup Cuisine 1950s and 60s we couldn’t buy Dutch cheeses, sweets and cookies in the United States. Every year my Grandparents filled up a big box full mouth watering treats, which always arrived just before Christmas. Whenever we opened it I felt just like Laura Ingalls Wilder when she helped open the Christmas barrel from the family back in the East.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I can’t remember. It could not have been too traumatic.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? All the Family Gifts get opened on Christmas Eve – that’s part of my Dutch Heritage. When the girls were smaller the Santa gifts were opened on Christmas Day. Now only the stockings are saved for Christmas Day since said children are 24 years old.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? We are among the Live Tree Holdouts. Inspired by a chapter in the Betsy – Tacy books I always took the girls shopping for an new ornament when they were growing up. One of these days they will take them and hang them on their own trees. Both adore Disney so it’s heavy on the Hallmark inspired Disney ornaments. My Beloved used to ride a Harley-Davidson so we also have a very large collection of Harley Davidson Christmas ornaments.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? In balmy 75 degree Houston? Not likely. Looks like we’re going to have a wet Christmas.

12. Can you ice skate? I grew up in Miami, now live in Houston. Enough said

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? A mind is a terrible thing to loose! I adore a pair of garnet earrings My Beloved gave me a number of years ago. They suit me perfectly.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? People take stock of their lives, make positive changes and appreciate each other.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Peppermint Bark! This year Pepperidge Farm has these wonderful new cookies with chocolate icing sprinkled with pieces of crushed up peppermint. Totally addictive. I hope they are a Christmas only item!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I have been through so many changes in my life and the traditions have changed too. I am always off during the holidays (a teacher perk) and My Beloved always takes some time off too. Normally our lives are so rushed and hectic that a week of no alarm clock and spending time together is a lovely treat. Better than any vacation. Her family lives in town so we normally don’t travel. We don’t do much – just hang out at the house and catch up on odds and ends but it is always a soul nourishing time.
My mother always sends us Chocolate Letters – that’s a Dutch tradition. They used to come in the Christmas box from Holland but now they can be bought stateside. My girls (and My Beloved) always look forward to their arrival.

17. What tops your tree? A couple of blown glass pink flamingos!

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Receiving – I can never think of what I want. My life is very full and very complete.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I used to love Christmas music. That’s USED to – before every radio station in town started playing it 24/7 for 2 months prior to the big day.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?? To sticky. Yuck. They should be smashed and sprinkled on a chocolate dipped pretzel.

13 Things I Don't Like About Christmas

I’m feeling rather Scrooge Like this week. Most likely our unseasonable high temperatures and humidity have some bearing on this.

Incessant Christmas Carols. Clear Channel Radio starts their Christmas Medley about mid- October. The medley consists of The Little Drummer Boy, Have a Holly- Jolly Christmas, It's the Most Magical Time of the Year and White Christmas. Play and repeat. Over and over and over again.

Christmas makes school children wild and crazy. Very wild, crazy and rambunctious. Everyone is so ready for the winter break (which is a good thing about Christmas) and tempers are short.

All of network television goes on hiatus and we are treated to one re-run after another, not to mention one sapppy Christmas special after another.

It marks the beginning of the College Bowl season. This was fine when the bowls consisted of Sugar, Orange and Rose. Somehow, I have trouble taking The Chick-Fil-A Bowl, The PapaJohns.com Bowl and the Meineke Bowl seriously.

Said re-runs and bowl games are interrupted by Christmas themed commercials. The musical backgrounds for said commercials are selected by Clear Channel.

The traffic! It’s bad enough in Houston under the best of circumstances.

The pressure! I don’t think even Martha Stewart has a Martha Stewart Magazine Cover Page worthy Christmas. If this is such a blessed time why does every magazine and newspaper include lists and tips on surviving the season?

Mugs! Who decided that Christmas Mugs are a suitable gift for all holiday occasions? They must have unlimited cupboard space. May they be pelted with them.

Tacky Decorations. Christmas seems to be a license to kitsch. In Houston, it’s spawned a rash of giant blow up lawn art. The fat Santa’s were bad enough but this year the best yards are sporting a giant snow dome with moving figures and Styrofoam snow. Did I mention our weather is unseasonably warm?

Food – to much, to sweet, to high calorific. I don’t want to see, let alone taste another slice n’ bake, sugar sprinkled star cookie for a very long time.

Holiday Decorated Sweats, Shirts, Vests and Sweaters. Perhaps this is a Texas thing but Christmas seems to result in woman wearing sequins in the daytime. A 50+ woman with a double F chest has no business wearing a shirt adorned with a snowman who has appliquéd goggley eyes atop each nipple. Don’t get me started on twinkling Christmas light earrings and Reindeer headbands.

Slim pickings at the thrift stores and garage sales.. Slim pickings are not good for acquiring inventory.

Long, long, lines at the Post Office. Which has Clear Channel Radio playing.
Did you know that they really do play “Holly Jolly Christmas” once every 15 minutes?


.