Holiday Festivities
All right, being that it's near the end of the day prior to the Christmas holiday and that I'm going to have the next week and a half off, and that there is absolutely nothing going on at work right now, seems like a good time to talk about Christmas.
Not sure how other people spend their holidays, but being Italian, tomorrow is the big Christmas tradition. My entire side of the family (myself/little lady/kids, bro, sis, aunt, uncle, nephews, cousins) will gather at my mom's house for dinner. It's a Good Friday kind of deal, all fish. We start with the shrimp cocktail, then linguine with red clam sauce, followed by about another dozen or so varieties of fried and cooked fish. This of course is followed by dessert (about 10 of those including 2 kinds of pie and cheesecake), then coffee and fruit. Truly a gut busting kind of meal. Also, if you've never been in an Italian house during any sort of gathering, imagine you're at a football game, your team is on defense, and it's 3rd and long with your team down. It's louder than that.
Now, myself, I have no problem with this being as I grew up in this environment (wife says I was raised in a barn. She was acutally raised in one of those white castles where everything is quiet and just so). As a matter of fact, I look forward to it. After dinner we open presents and there is total chaos. Kids hyped up and wrapping paper flying in every direction. I try to frown on it sometimes to let the wife think we agree. She's not particularly fond of these events and lately has been more vocal about it. While I respect her position, you'd think after 20 years of being around my family, she would be used to it or at least recognize that this is the way it is and simply accept it and move on. However, she's a woman and can't let anything go. She still doesn't want to dance at weddings based on a comment I made about 12 years ago. Imagine that.
Anyway, she gets the quiet day on Christmas. We get up late, open presents, go to Church, and get together with her brother and his family. This year we're at our house, which I much prefer as I do enjoy not going anywhere on Christmas day. Of couse, since we're making dinner, this means my wife will be going insane on Christmas day making sure the house is cleaned the right way and that everything is perfect. Of course, all I care about is that the place is neat and that the food is good. But of course, I was raised in a barn and my priorities are skewed. Silly me for thinking that it's more important to be together than how the place looks. Or that as long as the food tastes good, it doesn't matter if it doesn't look like it came out of a cookbook photo. Quick aside, my wife won't make pie crusts because they don't come out "perfect", meaning if the crust is cracked or isn't the right consistancy, it's no good. Last pie she made tasted great to me. But again, raised in a barn, don't know anything. Blame it on her mother for making her a perfectionist. However, I've been working on her and there's hope.
To all reading, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I know you don't hear that much any more but hey, I'm a rebel. And if you're offended, then don't read.
Not sure how other people spend their holidays, but being Italian, tomorrow is the big Christmas tradition. My entire side of the family (myself/little lady/kids, bro, sis, aunt, uncle, nephews, cousins) will gather at my mom's house for dinner. It's a Good Friday kind of deal, all fish. We start with the shrimp cocktail, then linguine with red clam sauce, followed by about another dozen or so varieties of fried and cooked fish. This of course is followed by dessert (about 10 of those including 2 kinds of pie and cheesecake), then coffee and fruit. Truly a gut busting kind of meal. Also, if you've never been in an Italian house during any sort of gathering, imagine you're at a football game, your team is on defense, and it's 3rd and long with your team down. It's louder than that.
Now, myself, I have no problem with this being as I grew up in this environment (wife says I was raised in a barn. She was acutally raised in one of those white castles where everything is quiet and just so). As a matter of fact, I look forward to it. After dinner we open presents and there is total chaos. Kids hyped up and wrapping paper flying in every direction. I try to frown on it sometimes to let the wife think we agree. She's not particularly fond of these events and lately has been more vocal about it. While I respect her position, you'd think after 20 years of being around my family, she would be used to it or at least recognize that this is the way it is and simply accept it and move on. However, she's a woman and can't let anything go. She still doesn't want to dance at weddings based on a comment I made about 12 years ago. Imagine that.
Anyway, she gets the quiet day on Christmas. We get up late, open presents, go to Church, and get together with her brother and his family. This year we're at our house, which I much prefer as I do enjoy not going anywhere on Christmas day. Of couse, since we're making dinner, this means my wife will be going insane on Christmas day making sure the house is cleaned the right way and that everything is perfect. Of course, all I care about is that the place is neat and that the food is good. But of course, I was raised in a barn and my priorities are skewed. Silly me for thinking that it's more important to be together than how the place looks. Or that as long as the food tastes good, it doesn't matter if it doesn't look like it came out of a cookbook photo. Quick aside, my wife won't make pie crusts because they don't come out "perfect", meaning if the crust is cracked or isn't the right consistancy, it's no good. Last pie she made tasted great to me. But again, raised in a barn, don't know anything. Blame it on her mother for making her a perfectionist. However, I've been working on her and there's hope.
To all reading, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I know you don't hear that much any more but hey, I'm a rebel. And if you're offended, then don't read.
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