No Christmas While I’m Talking

Sorry. Totally stole that from a Walkmen song title. I’m listening to a bunch of Christmas music — some from an indie Xmas mix from the former Miss Domestic and some on woxy.com’s Holiday Mixer stream, which my friend Matt pointed me to.

Global Warming ate my Christmas: How pissed was I earlier this week, trying to get in the holiday spirit while the thermometer crept up toward 70 degrees? I realized my folly this morning as I had to scrape ice off the windshield before leaving for work.

Those crafty Japanese: Seen on MAKE blog: How to use Furoshiki (cloth gift wrapping). Seriously good idea, and very versatile. And it’s got to be better than the cheapass wrapping paper I bought on sale two years ago, which falls apart whenever I look at it sternly (never mind what happens when I bring tape into the room).

My brother did that once: The (Baltimore) Sun had a nice article on the little boy from the BMW commercials — the one issuing screams of joy on Christmas morning as he opened his present. (That video will always make me smile.) It tells how a family video ended up a YouTube sensation and subsequently selling luxury sedans.

Best gifts ever: I don’t think anything tops last year’s present — I’m still enjoying it QUITE a bit — but there have been some winners. When I was five I remember getting Rainbow Brite and Rainbow Brite’s White Horse Thing, Whatever That Was. Me and my brother and sister had chicken pox at the time, which makes photos from that Christmas especially entertaining (essentially: naked kids, covered in sores, frolicking in wrapping paper).

Iain and I exchanged presents last weekend, because I’m impatient like that and he’s indulgent like that. I hope he likes his as much as I am definitely loving mine; this makes two years in a row that he has totally nailed the Christmas gift. It makes me feel all warm and understood and appreciated and stuff.

Holiday stage fright: Last night was Owen’s holiday pageant at school. He, ah, didn’t enjoy performing so much. In fact, he ran screaming from the stage, poor bug. He had a great time going out to eat afterward, though, as did I. It was maybe the third time in his two years on Earth that we’ve gone to a restaurant as a family, and he was totally well-behaved. I mean, as well-behaved as a two-year-old can be. And that is saying a lot, trust me.

All houses should be so tasty: And finally, the photo portion of this essay. Over the weekend we made a gingerbread house, and Owen helped.

The house sustained a little structural damage …

But Owen had fun. And that’s all I cared about.

December 20, 2006 | Filed Under daily grind, family unit, pix

Comments

4 Responses to “No Christmas While I’m Talking”

Ty on December 20th, 2006 2:41 pm

Err…so what did you guys get for each other??
TW on December 20th, 2006 3:08 pm

He gets cuter by the moment.
Elizabeth on December 20th, 2006 9:40 pm

Yes, also with the “what did you get??”

And seconding the cutie-pie remarks… especially the one where his tongue is sticking out in concentration!

I am nothing if not original in my head.
nana on December 21st, 2006 3:44 pm

Poor little boy- i guess the acting bug did not get him! He certainly did not enjoy that Christmas pagent- but there’s always next year…