As you may well know, I like to celebrate the holiday season. However, because T and I aren't affiliated with any religion, I like to acknowledge them all and T becomes somewhat of a humbug. He doesn't "really like" the holidays, he told one co-worker. Sometimes I can see that he likes it. He needs underwear at least ONCE a year, come on. I do know that T likes the Nutcracker, even community preformed Nutcrackers. He likes watching me play ballet after the Nutcracker. He secretly likes lights too. Although, he only acknowledges these things in a comment or smile about once a season but I catch it every time.
I only talk about this because now that we are engaged, we have to start making our own traditions. These conversations all end by discussing what we will do with our kids. I think it is worth exploring. When T told me my Hanukkah menorah was stupid, I asked why. He said because we aren't Jewish. In my mind I thought, yeah we aren't Christian either but we have that crap too. Upon second look though, we don't. We just celebrate winter. huh. Interesting. My menorah is so colorful though, I like it. Maybe I just need a cool nativity scene to go with it. Nice. My minor is in religion so I think I think they are interesting. My kids will know about different winter traditions. They won't have dreads though.
Another one of my holiday conundrums is the fact that I want to give gifts that are handmade and/or homemade. I have been able to get most gifts at local bazaars which are great but I think the handmade thing is not really going to work this year. I didn't plan for it. Shocking, I know. Next year I will do a better job.
To sign off, I want to let you know I have all been listening to Bob Dylan's Christmas CD that T's sister so kindly sent to me! Let me just say I am on the first song and Bobby sounds like a creeper. His old rough voice singing about Santa is almost too much. But then, you realize it is just great and Bobby is Jewish anyway. He likes exploring traditions and he understands me. Obviously.
7 comments:
I'm with Ty on the "humbug" thing. I don't really like christmas either, although I do like all the christmas cookies, and I think people should have lights on their houses all year long. They're just pretty to look at!
I also failed on the homemade gift front this year! I just couldn't come up with any good ideas, used them all up last year. :)
yes, your idea last year was pretty damn good Sie. I kept seeing aprons in the local bazaars and thinking, man sierra did a good job.
Okay though, I have to argue with you about christmas (or the holiday season, really). you say cookies and lights make you happy doesn't that mean you kinda like the season? If it makes you a little more happy you need to embrace it. You marrsz (that is how I am choosing to spell my future plural, haha) need to recognize that. :) It does give you happy thoughts and that is something to celebrate.
Well, if you're going to explore mid-winter holiday celebration tradtions, you better check out the TRUE basis for the original celebration (no, not Festivus..) but the Winter Solstice. Wiki has it all detailed..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice
Oh, and just in case you didn't know, we called Ty "T" until the second T came along...
Ah yes, I know about the winter solstice. My mom dragged me to Revels in Tacoma when I was young. I would appreciate it more now but it was all about the winter solstice celebration.
As I sit here this morning from 7-7:30 AM watching and listening to the Morman Tabernacle Choir on the BYU channel, I'm all about the comfort that family traditions and their sweet memories bring. Every Sunday morning in the Diment kitchen the little red radio would be tuned to the 1/2 hour Tabernacle broadcast. The deep radio voice of the announcer and his unchanging opening and closing lines are forever etched in my mind ! (Again we leave you from the shadow of the everlasting hills ...) Not to mention Oral Roberts and his healing broadcast. We Diment girls gathered around our old school TV each Sunday to heal each other --- and the "healing" walked a very thin line between Oily Roberts intended healing and violence. HEAL shouted as hands on head squeezed with great force another head and/or face ! Loving memories those are !!
But to the Winter Solstice ... every year I WANT to go to Fireman's Park in Tacoma where on the day of the solstice the sun rises right behind Mt. Rainier -- so it's said. That must be something to see ... and I hope to someday. I have started out before, only to realize that the weather prevented the mountain from showing.
And, Ms. E, I'm glad to finally know why that right arm of yours hangs longer than your left ... duh ... all that dragging by your Momski.
Now I gotta play dumb again - what's Revels in Tacoma? Maybe I'm missing a good celebration?
Gevan, so sad - Revels performances just ended for 2009. Google 'Puget Sound Revels' to see what you missed. I love Revels (though now I'm feeling sad that I haven't gone in 2 years). For me it is a welcome celebration of the lengthening of day and light and I always went with my mother. Yet apparently what I thought would be a treasured memory shared by generations was once again merely a unique form of torture. Poor abused daughters. I should have called CPS (Child Poophead Services) on them!
And to further defend myself - how was I to know that our halfhearted attempts to blend our Catholic and Presbyterian upbringings would actually create a disbelief rather than a belief? No points in heaven for any of us I guess. See ya in H E double toothpicks. Oh yeah, fortunately you don't believe in that either!
Oh my gosh Anutty, I'm flooded with memories.... turning the dials on the radio, reading the morning devotion, playing 'guess this hymn', smacking each other around in the name of the Lord. What a strange household - though I remember it to be oddly comforting.
So Emmy, whatever traditions you establish, they will be meaningful (have you decided whether or not to lie to your children about Santa?)
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