Chrismas is Cheerful

"It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind
that we make use, from time to time,
of playful deeds and jokes”


~St. Thomas Aquinas~

Ho-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum, it was time for fun at the 7th annual parrot head Christmas party Friday night.  What a great way to relax and unwind as I prepared for my exam...or not. We ate, danced, caught up with old friends, and danced...wait, did I say danced? 

Although sporting a parrot on one's head might indicate intoxication, don't be fooled by appearances.  The damn thing landed there and I was terrified he would mess up my coif.

Being very un-buddhist (is that a word?) and true to my British Isles roots, I was symbolically holding my breath until I finished my exam to begin celebrating the Christmas season.    I was being anal retentive as it were. Today I wrote the exam, and am convinced that I've missed an entire page of "True/False" questions.  This coming from the girl who woke up the first exam week of her university career convinced she forgot to attend a sociology class the entire term. I actually went into the Registrar's office to confirm I was NOT registered for the class. I worry far too much. Breathe out.....

Friday night I briefly sported the holiday parrot on my head.  It was a great way to kick off the holidays, even though my holidays only officially began at 4:15 when I left the main shrine today.

I know I said I was all hyped up to cook those smores cookies that began the Toronto Star cookie advent. I even went to the grocery store this afternoon and bought the chocolate and marshmallows necessary for the I'd-love-to-have-some-more essential sinful recipe.  But I got lazy. I poked a hole in the marshmallow bag on the drive home and ate two.  That's as close to smore cookies as I'm going to get tonight.

I set to work getting out the Christmas decorations and cursing a blue, blue, Christmas streak under my breath as I wrestled with heavy Christmas boxes.  Teetering on a kitchen ladder and wrestling boxes overhead never really turns me on. It usually turns me on to my hot temper, a glass of wine and tidying the dusty, fallout. 

There are certain decorations that I look forward to every year; the porcelain cat that my Aunt Cindy gave me when I was a kid, the glass candy dish Aunt Candy gave me for my hope chest, the mitten dryer I bought the first year I became a mother and the giant snow globe that was a gift from my cousin David when we were in high school. 

As I unwrapped my white porcelain nativity scene, I was shocked to find that one of the three wise men was missing his head. Ironic no?  I thought about gluing his head in his hands as a joke, but not many people get my sense of humour. Besides that, I don't want to confuse the headless horseman with the three wise men. Cross referencing holidays in your decor is just plain tacky.The mistletoe and miniature village is all set up. There is pretty lit greenery on the mantle, and the tree is decorated. 

This year, in the spirit of what-the-heck-I'm-going-to-have-a-great-time-this-year-no-matter-what, I actually responded to a request for my Christmas wish list.  I forgot to add the Jimmy Buffett Christmas album, but that's neither here nor there. Reading the Globe and Mail this weekend I was humoured by their gift suggestions in the Style section.  I love the style section.  Pure indulgence. After stressing over my exam I was in no mood to read about the really important matters in the world (maybe tomorrow). I was happy to daydream about Michael Smith's butterscotch sauce-YumMe! I was taken in by the full page Mathew McConaughey Dolce and Gabbana add - well done considering I'm not a huge fan (of either), and I lapped up the article on Leonard Cohen's last concert of his two and a half year tour. Oh Leonard!!!

I spent some time daydreaming about which gifts I would choose if I were the , "Beauty Maven", "Fashionista", "Epicure" or, "Design Buff".  I read about holiday etiquette a la should-I-be-an-ass-and-tell-last-night's-hostess-that-her-chicken-gave-me-diarrhea question in the advice column. Russell Smith entertained me with his take on shirt stud sets. If you love dry  humour as I do, Mr. Smith never disappoints. Bourbon on the rocks should be the mandatory bevy to accompany his column.  I perused the Grey Goose Vodka holiday punch recipe and have decided on a grand "maybe" for that one.

Finally I read my horoscope; " This is potentially one of the best times of the year to explore ways to boost your cash flow.  The new moon in Sagittarius will encourage you to focus on turning your talents into dollars".  Well, as is usual for December, I'm broke, but my talents are limited. I figure I could either be a gin-soaked lounge singer, or a hooker.  Neither one seem to be options for me right now, although, a good long bath, and two glasses of wine, and I might come up with other creative and fun ways to make a buck that may involve a combination of the two. Wait, on second thought - bad idea. Maybe I'll just sell the Grey Goose punch in the parking lot at the mall.

So, to keep my Christmas spirits up today I did my decorating.  Got my mind set to pick up the last of my Christmas gifts, and am looking forward to having a chance to bake the smores cookies.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's annual Christmas buffet, the wrapping of gifts, pulling the cat out of the tree, and more singing Christmas tunes at the top of my lungs....speaking of which, may I recommend the classic Elvis holiday hit, "Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me". Trust me, you sing this tune once in front of the mirror naked, and you'll forget your to-do lists. After all, isn't that at least partially what the season is all about - relaxing into good company and laughter?