It´s Christmas eve and I am about to hop on a plane from La Paz, Bolivia to Tarija to spend the holidays with my coworker´s family. I am extremely greatful for this opportunity. Otherwise I would be spending my first Christmas away from home alone.
In light of this I want to take a minute to remember what my traditional Christmas is like with my family in NC...
Christmas eve is usually spent with me running around buying last minute gifts - gifts I have put lots of thought into, but just haven´t had time to purchase. Seriously. Around 5 or 6pm, dinner is served. My grandmother makes a large batch of potato soup for everyone. But I hate potatoes. So every year, this kind soul makes one small batch of chili for yours truly. We eat, we chat, we disperse an hour later. Usually I will head to my grandfather´s shed and watch whatever he´s watching while we smoke cigars. This is a sacred spot. Kids are kept at bay. The women in my family usually avoid the shed as well. And thus tv watching, chatting, and smoking is thoroughly enjoyed in solitude. Around 10:30pm, I return to my parent´s house where my mom and aunt are sitting on the floor of the living room surrounded by dozens of rolls of wrapping paper, more presents than are necessary for three Christmas holidays, and a large tub of potato chips and home-made dip. They wrap presents until 2 or 3am. My dad and uncle attempt to watch a movie in the same room. Both pass out within an hour. As do I.
On Christmas day, I am woken up by my mom and the dog (who is sporting a red ribbon on her collar in honor of the holiday) and told to get to work on my annual Christmas task: making fresh-squeezed orange juice from two large bags of oranges on a relic of a juice maker. The chore is a tradition and I enjoy keeping busy while my nieces and nephew parade around the house eagerly anticipating all the presents coming their way. But the machine is old and loud. And it vibrates so much I am shakey until 2pm. But the results please everyone. Afterwards I dive into the home made banana bread and eat several slices before anyone else can gt close.
Cousins and other aunts and uncles are told to arrive late in the morning so that the grandkids can enjoy opening some of their gifts before the house gets too full. They always arrive early. And the living room is full as presents are handed out, balled-up wrapping paper is tossed at whomever is closest to the large trash bag, and the dog paces to any space that opens up among the chaos.
When the unwrapping is complete, I hide in my room with my presents to do inventory and avoid the kids. Then I take a nap. The kids are usually still around when I wake up, so I take one of the three nice cigars given to me, my father, and my grandfather for Christmas, and head back to my grandfather`s shed and start smoking.
Dinner is around 4:30pm. A large ham and a collection of other foods has been laid out in the dining room. I am eager to get to my grandmother`s pecan pie and scarf down dinner. Then I have a ridiculously large piece of the pie. The rest of the night is usually spent back at my grandfather`s shed.
This year my parents moved just before Christmas. I have been told there wasn`t even time to buy a real tree. Sounds like if I had to pick a Christmas to miss, this was the one.
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5 comments:
You forgot one more recent tradition (well, for the last 7 years if that is recent) -- calling me or emailing me to tell me that you are hiding from said kids. I'm sorry I wasn't able to talk to you this year and that I didn't email. Poo.
Hey dude! Email me when you can. I need to ask you a favor before you get to argentina. Thanks man, it sounds like your having a blast. Merry xmas and happy new year.
Dan, Dan, Dan...you sound like Dad material to me. Your hiding from the kids days have just begun!
Miss you, glad you're having a great time though.
what? you don't like potatoes? who doesn't like potatoes??
what? you don't like potatoes? who doesn't like potatoes??
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