Thursday, December 29, 2005

What we do with lobsters


Hmmmm, what is this? Yes, you are seeing a lobster adorned with costume jewelry. Yes, a live lobster.

You see, for Christmas Eve, as long as I can remember, we have had fresh Maine lobster. And for some dark, twisted reason known to no one, we always play with the lobsters before cooking them. As a child, I staged lobster races on my grandparents' kitchen floor. The winner got boiled first. How gross is that??

My kids took this one step further. I am not sure when it began, but at some point in time, my eldest daughter began draping costumer jewelry on the lobsters rather than racing them. Decorating the lobsters became a high point of Christmas Eve. Odder still, neither she nor her brother would or will eat lobster. But their little sister, now the head lobster decorator, LOVES lobster. How barbaric to first adorn then boil and eat the critters.

Oh well, too bad for them they are so darn tasty. Not to mention fun to play with. I guess that makes up for their less than attractive appearance.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

What I want to do now


I want to write more and eat less.

I want to have more fun and fewer drinks.

I want to stop biting my nails.

I want to create something somehow every day.

I want to have my cat's life. Food provided, frequent naps and lots of cuddling. God it rocks to be a cat.

Phew. Christmas.


I remember Christmas from childhood. The eagerness with I approached the whole holiday. It was so exciting when we began making presents for our parents in art class, and practicing songs for the school concert. December 5th rolled around and out came the stockings, ready to be filled by St. Nicholas that night. The next morning you greeted your friends with "What did St. Nick bring you?"

I later moved to an area where there was no St. Nick, so his importance in my life dwindled until I had children of my own. Now I see Christmas through new eyes, and frankly, several versions of them.

My grown up eyes see Christmas as a chore, an expense, a lot of work for a very short period of time. There is a house to be decorated, so many people to be shopped for, foods to be cooked. Naturally it is the busiest time of my work year, so that joyous feeling I expect to have in my heart is more of a Grinchy green color, not happy at all.

Then there are my mother eyes, that rejoice in just the right gift for the right person. I love handmade gifts the best, and am so proud that I have the ability to make things that people actually enjoy receiving. I love seeing the sparkle in the eyes of family and friends alike when they open that perfect gift they always wanted or maybe never knew they wanted but now adore.

Last, my child eyes come back as I see the ornaments on the tree and wonder with juvenile curiosity what is under the tree for me. I love finding lots of little treasures to unwrap--it's the surprise that gets me every time. I am more of a kid than I think.

The trick is to keep looking through all the eyes at once and do not let one take over. Usually my grown up Grinchy eyes take over early in the season as I feel the pressure at work and realize just how much personal work I have yet to do at home. I have to push them aside. But I have to watch the mother eyes, as they tend to spend too much time obsessing over perfection and spending way too much money. And the child eyes can be selfish, a trait I try so hard to push away.

I am glad the "big" holiday is over and wish we had a national vacation week between Christmas and New Year's, just to chill out mentally & physically and get back into our normal groove.

Someday I want a job that lets me take this week off and no one even cares. Not even me.