Month: December 2017

A Party Sized Bag of Fun

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The kids are starting to participate in Christmas fully — as consumers and actually givers. In fourth grade Oliver has a great teacher, and there is a secret Santa in the room. The kid he drew asked for one of three things (the max spend is $10): a gift card, a toy, or — and I’m not making this up — “A Party Sized Bag of Lays Potato Chips.”

I asked Oliver about it, and he said, “Mom, this kid just really loves potato chips.” I mean we all do, right, but to ask for it for Christmas? Anyway, we’re going to be able to make this kid’s WHOLE CHRISTMAS. I mean, we can spring for a PARTY SIZED bag of Lays AND a $5 gift card. It’s just how we roll.

Gratuitous picture of adorable Allyson at 1 1/2 years old LOVING a bowl of chips (was it from a party sized bag? We’ll never know …).

chips

Christmas Complications

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We moved back from Seattle to Washington, D.C. in January 2017. We are so happy to be home — delighted! I got a job at an association I love and have supported for a long time — but, because the job is in fundraising, and because fundraising is done at the end of the year — we are not going to Texas for Christmas this year.

It isn’t the first year — when Oliver was 9 months old, we didn’t go home. Jason and I had one Christmas together, the year before, when we had been married less than one month. I actually (sadly?) can’t even remember what we did that year! Anyway, the second year, we were determined to make it festive.

We both love to cook, so we bought a very fancy prime rib. We didn’t make any other plans, or invite anyone else over. We started cooking the prime rib, and made potatoes and some other veggie that is lost to history. It seems like we cooked all day; it seems like Oliver was upset/sad/not understanding the IMPORTANCE of CHRISTMAS. We didn’t even get the picture with this post until … the next day, Whomp Whomp.

Anyway. We sat down at our long awaited feast — so long that Oliver was actually already in bed. Jason and I started eating .. and the prime rib was TERRIBLE. Chewy, somehow raw AND overdone, and .. almost inedible.

I would like to say we laughed, shrugged, and agreed we’d always laugh about it, but I’m pretty sure I got really upset, along the lines of, but this is CHRISTMAS. But truthfully, we have laughed about that meal so much over the years. We never have bought another prime rib, but when the topic comes up, Jason and I share a laugh.

Every other year we’ve been in our beloved Texas. This year, my mom AND my dad + Nancy are coming up, the kids are thrilled, we are going to the Nutcracker, we have friends coming over on Christmas Eve, our beloved Church has us lighting the candles .. and no prime rib will be served. We’ll still miss Texas–and our lovely farm–but I’ll try to remember that the best part of the Christmas meal and time is being together–far from perfect and far from ideal–just together.