So it's pretty cold outside, but it's toasty warm inside. Husband is rehearsing for a concert on Sunday, dog is lying on his blanket, and a quiche is in the oven. As domestic a scene as ever happens in this house.
I am preparing for the holidays by making sugary treats for friends and neighbors, and as hostess gifts for the few parties we'll be going to. I haven't bought a single gift this year, and I doubt that I will. My family is far away, Jay's family is not that much further, and really - what can I possibly send anyone that they don't already have or can't get themselves? If they were closer I'd walk over with a bottle of wine and a tin of homemade fudge and a good story. Speaking of which, fudge is cooling on the counter, and the sugar cookie dough is resting on the counter. I just realized that I don't have a single cookie cutter, so I'll have to use a champagne flute or something. We are not without holiday spirit, I am realizing 'no gifts' sounds so grinchy. We have a beautiful tree up, the piano is covered with festive decorations, and I'm wearing Santa underpants.
Once the baking is done (for today at least) it's time to put a brisket into the slow cooker for tomorrow's supper. Gone are the days that I keep a meatless Friday - although it's so ingrained that I usually end up not eating meat on Friday anyhow.
What are you doing to prepare for the holidays?
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Christmas Cards
I spent a few hours over the weekend and again yesterday preparing my Christmas Cards.
What's happened to the tradition of sending cards? Don't people like to get stuff in the mail anymore? Or at least something slightly more personal than an offer of a credit card from Virgin America?
I have 321 friends on Facebook, 78 Twitter followers, 7 living aunts and uncles, 60 cousins and countless second and third cousins. I also have former work acquaintances that I keep in touch with and various friends and neighbors. I think I receive, on average, 10 Christmas cards each year. I send over 100.
I know, I know - you don't invite people over for dinner so that they'll later invite you over. You invite them over because you enjoy their company - you don't think in terms of reciprocity. I don't with cards either, but you'd think that after years of receiving cards from me, at least a few more would manage to pop a card in the mail.
I have two sets of cards that I use. Of course, being the Thrifty Thelma that I am, the cards are always purchased the year before at Boxing Day Sales. I have a set of funny cards (this year it's Far Side Drunk Reindeers) and a more sedate set (Merry Christmas in various fonts/typefaces). The funny cards get sent to immediate family and friends. The serious cards get sent to anyone that isn't primarily an English speaker (they might not get how funny a drunk Rudolph is), or any business friends.
I've cut a few people off this year for various reasons. First off, it ain't cheap to keep this tradition going. If everyone used email, I could send a newsletter and be done with it, but my 80 year old aunt hasn't heard of the internet. Stamps are also an expense, it's now up to 98 cents to send internationally. That, and keeping track of everyone on the list takes a bit of organization.
Every single concern/complaint/headache is erased immediately when I open my first card. This year (and most years), our first card came from Jay's Uncle Ernie and Aunt Toni. I'm sure she doesn't wait until Boxing Day, she for sure is going to Hallmark each November and picking out boxes of beautiful cards, each with their own foil-lined envelope. Toni handwrites and labels every card, and her penmanship is a delight. She has always written against a straight-edged ruler, and she continues that to this day. We see them maybe once every three years, never talk to them on the phone, but our card exchange is constant.
The second card is always a family photo and update letter from my friend Mark Quail. He has a beautiful wife and two seemingly awesome kids. The letter is always interesting, funny and never braggy.
The next in line is from a quasi-cousin, Maria Antonia. She also only uses high end cards, usually with sparkles or texture. Another one with excellent handwriting. I always take care when writing hers, I imagine her tsk-tsking my awful penmanship.
Oh crap, I forgot the Bucci's! Rachel and Michael are new friends (her picture is in one of my posts) and they sent out the cutest picture of their two boys. I told Rachel that I cut out the picture part, threw away the Christmas wishes, and put it up on my fridge. I tell everyone that those two blond boys are my kids, but they are with my ex-husband today.
What's happened to the tradition of sending cards? Don't people like to get stuff in the mail anymore? Or at least something slightly more personal than an offer of a credit card from Virgin America?
I have 321 friends on Facebook, 78 Twitter followers, 7 living aunts and uncles, 60 cousins and countless second and third cousins. I also have former work acquaintances that I keep in touch with and various friends and neighbors. I think I receive, on average, 10 Christmas cards each year. I send over 100.
I know, I know - you don't invite people over for dinner so that they'll later invite you over. You invite them over because you enjoy their company - you don't think in terms of reciprocity. I don't with cards either, but you'd think that after years of receiving cards from me, at least a few more would manage to pop a card in the mail.
I have two sets of cards that I use. Of course, being the Thrifty Thelma that I am, the cards are always purchased the year before at Boxing Day Sales. I have a set of funny cards (this year it's Far Side Drunk Reindeers) and a more sedate set (Merry Christmas in various fonts/typefaces). The funny cards get sent to immediate family and friends. The serious cards get sent to anyone that isn't primarily an English speaker (they might not get how funny a drunk Rudolph is), or any business friends.
I've cut a few people off this year for various reasons. First off, it ain't cheap to keep this tradition going. If everyone used email, I could send a newsletter and be done with it, but my 80 year old aunt hasn't heard of the internet. Stamps are also an expense, it's now up to 98 cents to send internationally. That, and keeping track of everyone on the list takes a bit of organization.
Every single concern/complaint/headache is erased immediately when I open my first card. This year (and most years), our first card came from Jay's Uncle Ernie and Aunt Toni. I'm sure she doesn't wait until Boxing Day, she for sure is going to Hallmark each November and picking out boxes of beautiful cards, each with their own foil-lined envelope. Toni handwrites and labels every card, and her penmanship is a delight. She has always written against a straight-edged ruler, and she continues that to this day. We see them maybe once every three years, never talk to them on the phone, but our card exchange is constant.
The second card is always a family photo and update letter from my friend Mark Quail. He has a beautiful wife and two seemingly awesome kids. The letter is always interesting, funny and never braggy.
The next in line is from a quasi-cousin, Maria Antonia. She also only uses high end cards, usually with sparkles or texture. Another one with excellent handwriting. I always take care when writing hers, I imagine her tsk-tsking my awful penmanship.
Oh crap, I forgot the Bucci's! Rachel and Michael are new friends (her picture is in one of my posts) and they sent out the cutest picture of their two boys. I told Rachel that I cut out the picture part, threw away the Christmas wishes, and put it up on my fridge. I tell everyone that those two blond boys are my kids, but they are with my ex-husband today.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Ideal House Guest
Dear Chloe,
We've spent hours and hours talking about houseguests. I figured that I'd start off with a summary of an ideal house guest. Feel free to pick up on anything and elaborate.
Appropriate Notice - my ideal house guest would give me a months notice that they'd like to stay over. Not that I'm the busiest bee in the hive, but depending on who you are, the preparations might be as simple as a whirlwind clean or as complicated as a bathtub re-glazing. Give me time to figure out where you sit on the line graph and to adjust myself accordingly. In a perfect world, we'd confirm the arrangements a month out, then re-confirm by a quick call or email a week before. A week gives me enough time to find all thecrap gifts you've given me over the years and put the items out as if I treasure them. A final re-confirm the day before lets me know that your plans are on track, and you haven't decided to forego the trip and stay home, then let me know only when I've filed a missing persons report.
Dietary Requirements - Living gluten-free these days? Mazel tov! But if you expect rice flour pancakes in the morning, let me know so I can make a special trip to the wildly expensive specialty foods store. Same goes for lactose intolerance and inability to drink anything but still water imported from France. Hey, don't get me wrong, I WANT you to be comfortable and enjoy your stay, and I look forward to being the model hostess. I just need to be gracious to at least have one item of food that you can eat, and one type of drink that won't bloat you.
Pets - No thank you. You can't bring your chinchilla. I'm sure it's adorable and knows how to pee in the toilet. I have a husband that is allergic to anything hairier than me, and if it's a hairless cat - gross.
Fun Activities - Hi, I'm Julie, your cruise director. Kidding! C'mon, you're coming to New York City and you wonder what you should see? There's a crazy thing all the kids are talking about, it's called the 'internet'. Take a wild ride through Google and figure out a few things that interest you. If you leave it up to me to show you around, we'll go to Lord&Taylor's clearance section, then to M&J Ribbon store then off to BedStuy to admire the mink hats of the Orthodox Jews. If you're lucky, I'll show you where to get the best hand cut smoked salmon in the city. If it's your first time here, that might be a bit niche for you, so maybe stick with a more practical itinerary. Let me know the type of stuff you're interested in and I'll totally help you figure out how much you can cram in and how to get around. Before you offer, I've already been to the Top of The Rock (6 times), I've taken the ferry to Staten Island (8 times), and I still cry at Ground Zero despite having gone through there hundreds of times. Now I only want to go to Ground Zero if there is a sheet sale at Century 21. I want to hang around with you too, but I don't necessarily want to spend the money to do all the touristy things that I've enjoyed over and over again in the past. We'll hang out one night when your feet are so blistered that you can't walk another block. I'll cook you a lovely meal and pour you a glass of wine and we can sit and look at your slide show.
Duration of visit: You can stay up to a week. If you're my best friend or a relative who may leave me money or jewels when you die, you can stay up to two weeks.
Small kindnesses: Treat my house as if it was your own, unless you're a pig in your own home, then treat my home like you're visiting Buckingham Palace and you're scared to pee in the gold plated toilet. Washer and dryer are available for your use - I'll have freshly laundered linens on the bed, and they'll match. If it's summer, they may even be extra fresh from drying on the line. Feel free to wash your bedding during your stay if you're extra sweaty or are having crazy freaky sex. Feel free, also, to take fresh towels out of the bathroom. You don't need to limit yourself to drying with a hand towel for your entire stay, but you're also not at the Ritz hotel with maid service. Please drop your wash in the hamper, don't leave a pile of damp pong-y towels for me to discover. Stripping the bed at the end of your visit is nice - you don't need to wash/fold/put away. I can handle that.
Chloe, I can't write anymore tonight, I have to get dinner together. My next post will be real life guest stories.
We've spent hours and hours talking about houseguests. I figured that I'd start off with a summary of an ideal house guest. Feel free to pick up on anything and elaborate.
Appropriate Notice - my ideal house guest would give me a months notice that they'd like to stay over. Not that I'm the busiest bee in the hive, but depending on who you are, the preparations might be as simple as a whirlwind clean or as complicated as a bathtub re-glazing. Give me time to figure out where you sit on the line graph and to adjust myself accordingly. In a perfect world, we'd confirm the arrangements a month out, then re-confirm by a quick call or email a week before. A week gives me enough time to find all the
Dietary Requirements - Living gluten-free these days? Mazel tov! But if you expect rice flour pancakes in the morning, let me know so I can make a special trip to the wildly expensive specialty foods store. Same goes for lactose intolerance and inability to drink anything but still water imported from France. Hey, don't get me wrong, I WANT you to be comfortable and enjoy your stay, and I look forward to being the model hostess. I just need to be gracious to at least have one item of food that you can eat, and one type of drink that won't bloat you.
Pets - No thank you. You can't bring your chinchilla. I'm sure it's adorable and knows how to pee in the toilet. I have a husband that is allergic to anything hairier than me, and if it's a hairless cat - gross.
Fun Activities - Hi, I'm Julie, your cruise director. Kidding! C'mon, you're coming to New York City and you wonder what you should see? There's a crazy thing all the kids are talking about, it's called the 'internet'. Take a wild ride through Google and figure out a few things that interest you. If you leave it up to me to show you around, we'll go to Lord&Taylor's clearance section, then to M&J Ribbon store then off to BedStuy to admire the mink hats of the Orthodox Jews. If you're lucky, I'll show you where to get the best hand cut smoked salmon in the city. If it's your first time here, that might be a bit niche for you, so maybe stick with a more practical itinerary. Let me know the type of stuff you're interested in and I'll totally help you figure out how much you can cram in and how to get around. Before you offer, I've already been to the Top of The Rock (6 times), I've taken the ferry to Staten Island (8 times), and I still cry at Ground Zero despite having gone through there hundreds of times. Now I only want to go to Ground Zero if there is a sheet sale at Century 21. I want to hang around with you too, but I don't necessarily want to spend the money to do all the touristy things that I've enjoyed over and over again in the past. We'll hang out one night when your feet are so blistered that you can't walk another block. I'll cook you a lovely meal and pour you a glass of wine and we can sit and look at your slide show.
Duration of visit: You can stay up to a week. If you're my best friend or a relative who may leave me money or jewels when you die, you can stay up to two weeks.
Small kindnesses: Treat my house as if it was your own, unless you're a pig in your own home, then treat my home like you're visiting Buckingham Palace and you're scared to pee in the gold plated toilet. Washer and dryer are available for your use - I'll have freshly laundered linens on the bed, and they'll match. If it's summer, they may even be extra fresh from drying on the line. Feel free to wash your bedding during your stay if you're extra sweaty or are having crazy freaky sex. Feel free, also, to take fresh towels out of the bathroom. You don't need to limit yourself to drying with a hand towel for your entire stay, but you're also not at the Ritz hotel with maid service. Please drop your wash in the hamper, don't leave a pile of damp pong-y towels for me to discover. Stripping the bed at the end of your visit is nice - you don't need to wash/fold/put away. I can handle that.
Chloe, I can't write anymore tonight, I have to get dinner together. My next post will be real life guest stories.
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