Category: Holidays

Holidays, Humor, Work

The Snow Lay…Not Dinted

“Where the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even…”
– Good King Wenceslas

Dumplings!

That horrid cold is 99.5% vanquished, my Christmas shopping is 99.5% done, and I chopped off…ha!  Only about half of my hair.  I was feeling a change somewhat in advance of the new year so off it went, from mid-back to above my shoulders.

And so, I’m back at work and twiddling my thumbs because campus is vacant and covered in a soft, undisturbed cover of white (which is growing thicker by the hour).  There is very little do at work…and so much to do at home!  I could finish wrapping presents, be baking something, be working out to counteract all said baking.  I could be wrapped up in a blanket sipping tea and watching Christmas movies.  Yikes…on that note, I could do some of the laundry I’ve been avoiding all week…

Holidays, Humor, Movies

Now Available On – VHS?

“Yes!   I bought it!  And I’m not sorry!”
– C.

There are two Christmas films that were highly important to my childhood that have yet to be made into DVDs, and look likely never to be.  They are too old, too somewhat obscure.  Luckily at this festive time of year, as I scour the internet to find presents I invariably trip over treasures.

Most of the performances I’ve seen of The Nutcracker have been fairly typical: by area companies of mediocre to good skill, highly traditional, etc.  I’d have to throw you over to Scarlett for an in depth critique of the various productions and recommendations (living as she does in New York).  But my family has an old VHS sitting quietly on a shelf, taken down but once a year so it lasts longer.  This VHS is Nutcracker, the Motion Picture, and it is my definitive adaptation.  It gets played from time to time on PBS, but that’s not nearly enough for me.

What’s not to love?  Maurice Sendak provided production design!  Patricia Barker danced the role of Clara!  It’s a stunner of a film and required holiday viewing chez Small Dog.  If and when this is finally moved to DVD format, I’ll be the first in line, but in the meantime I found a killer deal for a nearly new copy on amazon.com and practically sprained my fingers in my frenzy to order it.  Everyone should own it, in my opinion, but in the meantime if you’re feeling festive and cheap, you can watch it on Hulu.

My other, more obscure little guilty pleasure is an old live action version of Beatrix Potter’s The Tailor of Gloucester (which I personally believe is one of best Christmas stories).  It stars Ian Holm as the tailor, with Thora Hird as the Mayor’s housekeeper, and even a young (gangly, awkward, with no hint of his future attractiveness) Jude Law.  This is so rare it will run you up to $80 or more…unless you haunt eBay the way I did!  I scored it for $2, and except for some shelfwear on the box, the tape is fine.

There’s no hope of this ever being made into a DVD, it was a made-for-TV production back in the 80’s.  For lack of another term, it was made cheaply.  It’s for young children.  It’s old.  And it’s completely charming and necessary for my household.

Disclaimer: yes I know magic machines exist that can convert VHS to DVDs and there is a very important reason why I haven’t employed them: I’m lazy.  Plus, recall what happened last time I used one?

Holidays, Humor

St. Nicholas Day

“Tradition!”
– Fiddler on the Roof

I have utterly failed!  I completely spaced buy goodies to put in J. and my shoes this morning…

What sort of pathetic excuse for an international am I?!

Anyone else out there celebrate St. Nicholas Day?  Or have any fun traditions for Advent?  Growing up we always put up the family tree on the first Monday in December and left it up until Epiphany.  J.’s family always goes to the zoo on Christmas Eve, this will be my first year tagging along.  Your turn, my little French hens, share!

Try not to imagine this guy dropping down your chimney, eh?
Holidays, Humor, Music

Sing, Choirs of Angels!

“Christmas is more than a time of carols, cards and candy; it is a season of dedication and decision.”
– William Arthur Ward

If you were to open my Christmas Music folder in iTunes, a quick scroll downward would tell you something else about my holiday tastes: apart from being a “purist” I’m also a traditionalist.

You won’t find Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Let it Snow, or White Christmas.

What you will find is The Cambridge Singers, Hereford Cathedral Choir, and a smattering of various monastery choirs.

You will hear Good King Wenceslas, The Cherry Tree Carol, Adeste Fideles, quite a bit of Handel, Angels We Have Heard on High, Quem Pastores Laudevere, and my very favorite The Sussex Carol.

Mum and used to sing Fum Fum Fum, while baking Christmas treats.  The whole clan, if in a silly mood, could try the Hallelujah Chorus, blissfully murdering time and tune.

Like so many other good things, though, even Christmas songs can’t be taken too seriously.  Because, traditionalist I may be, but dour faced pillar of tradition I am not!

Holidays, Humor

Tis the Season!

“Hello, I’m very busy and important.”
– Love Actually

Happy Monday, my little partridges.  We flew from the East Coast back over the Mississippi and landed smack in 15 inches of snow.  Christmas is officially upon us (I refuse to accept that trees and decorations have been up since before the long Labor Day weekend, but now they are acceptable) and I won’t get another break until Christmas Eve.

And, darlings, I have things to do!

Small Dog is in the spirit

J. and I spent all of our fun money to go and visit my family over the break, and now it’s time to buckle down and shop for a couple dozen people.  Woof.  We ate all of our food before we headed out and now I have to start a regimen of snacks, food, and treats to last an entire month.  However, being starving newlyweds (yes, I am still using that title) I have an excellent reason to avoid the expense and time of decorating.  I have St. Nicholas Day, Elle’s birthday, and Fairy’s birthday, three Christmas parties (so far), rent and utilities due, all within the first 14 days of December.

Back at work, I have masses of laundry to run to cleaners, files to ship out to media and lawyers, and the winter season of car accident reports to prepare for.  Football is over, basketball is in full swing.  Oh, and about a million people need background checks run on them.

Additionally, we have the added stress of twiddling our thumbs.  J. has started submitted applications to grad schools, so now we get to “hurry up and wait” to hear from them.  I hate that game.

Holidays, Humor

Fall, When Young Girl’s Fancy Turns…

“Delicious Autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the Earth seeking the successive Autumns.”
– George Elliot

Fall is here!

I love that the skies are perfectly blue and clear for all but the fluffiest of white clouds, but the temperature is noticeably crisp.  I adore sweater weather, and I love breaking out the sweaters that have been in hibernation.  Looking into the tree tops and off into the mountains, I’m thrilled that I can see just a handful of leaves, just a couple clusters of trees starting to turn that fierce shade of vivid rust that I love.  I enjoy waking up to a cool flat (as opposed to August when I wake up and both J. and I have kicked all the sheets off the bed and are still miserable), snuggled down in my pillow with the blankets drawn up to my nose.  I love wrapping my mother’s presents of thick Scottish wool scarves around my neck.  I love plotting my Halloween costume, debating the wisdom of buying new boots, and planning whose family we will spend various holidays with.  I LOVE Fall!

Alternatively…with the advent of bronzing leaves comes that most American of holidays: HallowGivingMas.  Picture this: walking through the mall I passed a home decor store.  And right at the front of this store was a large Christmas tree, decorated in jack-o’-lantern and turkey ornaments.  Major, major fail. 

No, American Consumerism, I will not be guilted into extending my holiday shopping season by a single day, much less three months!  Instead, I will be looking at changing leaves, celebrating my godfather’s birthday, wearing my university pullovers, and researching soup recipes, thank you very much.

Holidays, Humor

A Festive Rant

“Fireworks.”
…”Yes,” said Gregor, smiling eagerly.  [Everyone] around the table perked up at this.  An inherent cultural passion for things that went boom, perhaps.
– Louis McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campagin

Last year J. and I were on our honeymoon and watched fireworks from the top of the Stratosphere hotel, which meant we only saw tiny little puffballs of color blossoming far beneath us.  The year before that, I and others in Ireland celebrated by having our vote to go to Kilkenny overturned by our professor who wanted to see Glendelough.  And the two years I’ve been in the US previously, I spent the summers in Belgium working at NATO with my father and got to see nary an explosion.

And I love fireworks!

This year most of the surrounding area is doing it’s 4th celebration on the 3rd, and lots of the cities are strapped for cash (hurray, recession) so I probably won’t get to see any this year either.  Sigh.

However, ironically enough, J. and I didn’t get to celebrate our anniversary on Thursday (he went to a funeral, and I was dying at work prepping for our university’s own 4th party) and yesterday we went out to eat with his sister and parents.  So today we will be celebrating our lack of indpendence together!

Holidays, Humor, Life, Office, Silly, Stupid People, Work

When the Tres Leches Rose Up Against The People

“‘Tis pleasant purchasing our fellow-creatures; And all are to be sold, if you consider Their passions, and are dext’rous; some by features Are brought up, others by a warlike leader; Some by a place–as tend their years or natures; The most by ready cash–but all have prices, From crowns to kicks, according to their vices.”
– Lord Byron, Don Juan canto V, st. 27

Holidays are fun, regardless of nationality.  Take today: Cindo de Mayo.  Some people celebrate with chips and salsa, some with a fiesta, some with mariachi bands.  And some with bribery.

A certain student is banned from driving on campus.  This is due in large part to him accumulating up to four tickets in one day, parking in service/handicapped stalls, trying to fight our student officers, and claiming that he never received information that three people all told him (at the same time, in the same room together).  He was informed he had the ability to appeal the ban but would not be able to bring his car onto campus until a final decision had been made.  He said he understood and left.

Pictured: the filthy tool of corruption!

Today he came into our office, and asked for Red.
“You know about Cinco de Mayo, right?” he asked.  “It’s today.  So I brought you this.”
He held out a small packaged piece of tres leches cake with a meaningful expression.
“K, bye” he said quickly and hurried out.

Five minutes later we found his car in a non-student parking lot.

The real mystery here is, if he were trying to circumvent parking rules, why did he draw attention to himself by 1) attempted bribery and, 2) (and this is more perplexing) leaving his emergency lights flashing merrily away for over an hour?

How do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  Or any holiday for that matter?

Family, History, Holidays, Humor

Luck ‘o the [Insert Nationality]

“The list of Irish saints is past counting; but in it all no other figure is so human, friendly, and loveable than St. Patrick – who was an Irishman only by adoption.”
– Stephen Gwynn

This might be the only holiday where people have to actually genetically alter themselves to feel like they qualify for the desired binge.

For some reason, come St. Patrick’s Day every single person in the US seems to acquire Irish geneology, even where previously there was none before.  And everyone gets wildly protective of their geneology and suspicious of others.  I overheard a loud girl on her cell phone while walking from car to office today, “Yeah, I don’t know where she gets off saying she’s Irish!  She just dyes her hair red.  I mean, my family, we’re Irish…”  

This is particularly funny to me these days because the state I live in is notoriously English and Scandinavian in terms of population.  Blonde hair and blues eyes abound and names ending -son/sen are very much the majority.  (Note: mobile phone girl was a Viking’s daughter if ever I saw one!) 

Now, we do know we have some Irish ancestry because we have family records detailing which of them got gruesomely killed in the battle of Boyne, but I digress.  The point is that my father is…wait for it…half Slovak.  So my Dad has darker skin and tans wonderfully, as do all my siblings, and don’t get me started on my fantastically beautiful black-haired, blue-eyed, dark-skinned cousins! 

And me?  I’m short, brunette, green-eyed, incredibly pale (un-tan-able) and bad-tempered.  That’s right: a leprechaun.