Blog A Go-Go

In which I give you the cheesiest Valentine EVER

I love this kitten in unholy ways and for many reasons. I love its cheesy charm, it's kitschy lyrics, and the appalling production values. It's PERFECT. I use it to torment my husband and remind him that I love him. I really really do. Send it to someone YOU love today. Happy Valentine's Day!

In which it is a brand new year

And if you're thinking there ought to be poetry to mark the occasion, how very right you are! Apparently, it was the tradition for the British poets laureate to write a New Year's poem, and this page at poets.org has a discussion of the origin of "Auld Lang Syne" as well as links to several of the poems, including Thomas Hardy's. Enjoy--and I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful, prosperous, and happy 2009! 

In which it is almost New Year's Eve

In my family, New Year's Eve is not about drunken revelry and glitzy parties. For us it's always been a family holiday, partly to avoid extortion by babysitter and maniacs on the road, but also because we actually enjoy hanging out and playing games. Somehow our menu evolved from appetizers of every variety--I seem to remember putting a stop to that after we all rolled around groaning from too many things fried and dipped in ranch dressing--to ethnic food. Usually it's Chinese takeout, but this year my intrepid mother actually ordered handmade tamales from Texas. (Our traditional Christmas Eve dinner was always tamales--it's a Texas thing. We had to give it up when we moved to Virginia, but we found several places that will ship fresh tamales and now we're trying them out with an eye to ordering for next year. Which I just realized sounds completely mental. Making them is completely out of the question. I'm convinced that tamale-making is a skill that has to be passed down within a family, and since we are not a tamale-making people, we are stuck buying ours from folks who know what they're doing. Making tamales is NOT for amateurs.)

Anyway, there's usually something chocolatey for dessert--a cheesecake sampler this year, although in years past we have been known simply to graze on boxes of Godiva that are still hanging around after Christmas. Then the rituals start. We don't wait for midnight to pop the corks on the fizzy drinks. There's prosecco for those who drink alcohol and something sparkly and festive for those who don't. This year we're trying sparkling pear juice. Once we all have bubbles up our noses, we move outside for the two main traditions. The first is a banishing ritual. We each secretly write down whatever we want to rid ourselves of in the coming year. Then we twist up the papers, drop them into a firebowl, and burn them to ash, which we sprinkle on the azaleas when its cold. The point of this is to set an intention to get rid of something we don't like. It can be about ourselves or it can be a situation, but it puts the universe on notice that we are ready to move on.

Once that is done, we move on to the money burying. This is supposed to be a custom from South America, but I'm not sure. I only know that it is widely done on a messageboard I frequent, and in the years I've been doing it, it has never failed. All you do is take a bit of cash--it can be as little as a dollar--and put it in a sealed plastic bag. (Everyone in the family should have their own. We drop in a slip of paper with our initials so we can keep them separate.) You dig a hole in your garden--for us it's a small spot near the front porch, but you can also use a potted plant. You put the bag of money inside the hole and say, "I am burying my poverty." This must be done before midnight. The next day--and it must be the next day--you dig it up saying, "I am unburying my wealth." Then you put the money aside and do not spend it. Keep it for a whole year, during which you will receive some unexpected money at some point. After the year is up, I donate my buried money to charity because I figure as long as it isn't benefitting ME, it's alright. And yes, the sight of your entire family digging in the cold, soggy garden on New Year's Eve is surprisingly hilarious.

In which it is Boxing Day

In the US we don't celebrate Boxing Day, and I say boo. The build-up to Christmas is so long and so intense that it feels odd to simply cut things short at the end of December 25th. It's like ending a dance with a handsome partner before you get to the end of the slow song. There are folks who will be back to the grind tomorrow and it is just wrong. We don't let swimmers in the pool for 30 minutes after they've eaten; likewise, revelers should not have to rush back to their workaday lives the very day after despoiling turkey dinners and stuffed stockings. Boxing Day is a thoroughly civilized alternative, a day to lie on the couch regretting the second roasted potato or the second bottle of port. I'm told that now it's a favorite day for shoppers to hit the sales, but I prefer an old-fashioned Boxing Day. It was once the traditional time for households to give to the tradesmen and the poor, distributing whatever largesse they could afford. The modern equivalent would be cleaning out the closets, and that is what I'm usually found doing on December 26th. The last week of December is when we sort and tidy cupboards and drawers--leisurely, as there's nothing else to do but watch holiday movies and finish up the cookies. We put something fun in the DVD player and spend a few days puttering before sending bags of things to the thrift store. Unwanted books and DVDs are sent to the library, and armfuls of magazines are bundled for recycling. It's the spirit of Boxing Day, if not precisely the usual practice, and the added bonus is that the house is tidy and feels light and free for the new year. (And isn't it the Japanese who say that the new year should begin with an empty shelf and an empty drawer to welcome possibility?)

In which I offer you a Christmas poem

It is a poem by Norma Farber, and it has been my favorite Christmas poem for years. I first came across a mention of it in a book by Katherine Hall Page--I want to say The Body in the Bouillion, but I could be wrong. Anyway, the poem is charming; it's warmly domestic and just the right length to read to a small child who might be wondering where all the women in the Christmas story were. It is called "The Queens Came Late".  Merry Christmas, my dear readers!

In which you might need a little Christmas cheer

It's Christmas Eve, good people, and if you're reading this, you are probably stuck at work, lamenting the fact that you aren't on a holiday break, sipping 'nog and spreading good cheer. So I say you should start your own little holiday dance party right now with a little clip from Youtube that has everything: Pachelbel's Canon, Green Day, and some harmonizing reindeer. Enjoy.

In which it's time to laugh

The holidays are stressful, yes, but they can also be incredibly silly. Actually, that's one of the things I like BEST about the holidays. Whether you like a perfectly coordinated "Martha" tree and Michael Buble singing "Let It Snow" or Rankin-Bass animation with some Bette Midler thrown in, there's something for everyone. And a few things are universal, enjoyable by all. The Cavalcade of Bad Nativities is one of these. This walk through fiber-optic eye abuse was put together by Sara, the Church Secretary--a blogger whose originality is equalled only by her irreverence. (If you enjoy the Cavalcade, be sure to follow the link on the sidebar to the SECOND Cavalcade. And if you just can't get enough of her, check out her wedding pictures. I actually own one of her wedding monkeys which I wind up and let walk across my desk when I'm avoiding work. Sometimes it tries to smack down my Jane Austen action figure, but Jane usually wins.) 

In which you are probably wrapping

If you're caught up in a frenzy of wrapping, you might appreciate the sweet tags that Emily from The Black Apple is offering her readers as a download. You just print them off on cardstock or sticker paper and you're good to go. If you aren't familiar with Emily's work, she is an artist with a whimsical, charming style. One of the things I love best about her is that her clothes and her house and her blog look like her art come to life. She even looks like the heroine of a fairy tale! If you have some time, pootle around her archives and enjoy. (Emily's even been featured on Martha Stewart's show and I ought to have blogged about her ages ago!) 

In which I am grateful

I have to say a huge, heartfelt "thank you" to everyone of you who left comments, e-mailed, called, or sent Facebook messages about Emma's passing. I know how awkward it can feel to express those kinds of sentiments, particularly to someone you haven't met in "real" life. But you did, and your generosity and your kindness have been incredibly comforting. She was a part of our family for almost ten years, and to lose her is gutting. (I'm finding tea time particularly difficult. I always gave her a biscuit when I had tea. And coming home and not seeing her popping up in the window at the sound of the car about did me in. I tried to stay out of the house as much as possible yesterday because it was easier not to think about how empty the house feels without her.) Anyway, I know this is going to take some time and I promise not to let the Blog A Go-Go turn into a maudlin place. But I wanted you to know that she meant the world to me, and the fact that you marked her loss with your kind words helped me immeasurably.

And on a MUCH lighter note, if you haven't already sent your holiday greetings, you might enjoy the sendables at Jib Jab. You can put yourself into a hilarious elf dance video or a parody of "It's a Wonderful Life", a movie that totally deserves to be parodied, in my opinion. Enjoy.

In which it is the season

For Jingle Cats. I'm just going to apologize up front because you are most likely going to want those few minutes of your life back when you've clicked on the link. I know I did.

Speaking of Christmas, I'm attempting to green things up around here, environmentally speaking. I've tried to make changes all through this past year, small, sustainable changes. You're not going to find a composting toilet and hemp clothes in my house. At least not yet. I figure the best way to make good choices for the environment is to make choices I can keep making. We made a commitment to recycle this year and we've started replacing our lightbulbs with compact fluorescents when they burn out. We bought low-VOC paint when my study needed repainting, and we have tried to unsubscribe to as many catalogs as possible. I'm spending a LOT more on cleaning products and some paper goods since I've switched to earth-friendly or post-consumer recycled products. (Some of these choices have been more successful than others. I am totally smitten with the Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products, but my printer HATED the post-consumer recycled paper and jammed every time I tried to use it. The unbleached paper towels are great, but the toilet paper--um, NO.)

Anyway, the biggest change came in my attitude when I finally realized it didn't have to be all or nothing. I could change small things whenever possible and it was still better than doing nothing. (For some reason I have a mental block against remembering my canvas shopping bags, but I'm trying, I promise.) For 2009, I want to do much better. Each of the changes we've implemented this year have been sustainable, and we're much greener than when 2008 started. The last big hurdle this year is in finding ways to make the holidays more eco-friendly because when you really think about all of the waste we generate this time of year it's enough to make you go lie down with a compress and a cocktail. And believe me, I LOVE Christmas. I'm not saying we should Scrooge-up the holiday by any means. I'm just saying that maybe if I take the time to think a few things over, I can have my usual holiday cheer AND be a little gentler on the environment. So here are some easy things to try this year:

1. LED instead of conventional lights. I've read that they use 1/4 as much power as conventional lights, so whatever lights need replacing this year--and some ALWAYS need replacing--will be changed over for LEDs.

2. No Christmas cards. Okay, I will confess that this one is not hard at ALL. I have never liked sending Christmas cards, and giving them up in the cause of eco-friendliness is like eating fair trade chocolate--a win/win proposition.

3. And speaking of fairtrade chocolate, I've bought Trader Joe's fair trade organic hot chocolate mix. I've read conflicting reports about whether fair trade chocolate is as helpful as we think, but it's not sweetened with white sugar, so I'm on board.

4. Rethink gift wrapping. I was perusing the rolls of gift wrap at Target the other day and they were lovely--flocked and gleaming and ever so pretty. And it just seemed like such a WASTE. I have tons of gift bags and ribbons tucked away, so instead of buying an armload of wrapping paper that will just get thrown out, I will reuse as much as I can from years past and fill in with brown paper that can be recycled. I have Christmas stamps and plenty of ink to decorate them with, and even if I didn't, it wouldn't take much to jot out a Christmas quote or a poem onto the wrapping.

5. Handmade gifts. In my immediate family, everyone is getting at least one handmade gift. I can't discuss them just yet because they're sneaky and they read my blog (I'm talking to YOU, Mom), but what I love best is that they are all different. I'm not skilled at any one craft, but there are lots of things you can do when you're a dabbler like me.

6. Online shopping. Instead of mall-hopping, head to the internet. If you live more than two miles from the mall, it is more eco-friendly to have your presents delivered via courier than to use your vehicle to go and fetch them or so I've been told. I'm actually going one step further, and the gifts I am giving to those far away will be delivered directly to them. I'm also giving through Heifer Project to some recipients. It seems especially important this year to think about folks who don't have much, and Heifer is one of the very best ways to contribute. They also send a gift note via e-mail, so you can do an entirely paperless gift--VERY eco-friendly.

7. No new tree decorations this year. Honestly, I have BOXES of things from years past, so we'll be decorating with the goodies we've accumulated instead of accumulating MORE. I usually buy at least one new ornament each year, but the tree is getting pretty full.

8. No purchasing new holiday DVDs. We have several already, and with tivo, it's just too easy to find whatever we want airing sometime in December. So we'll record and then erase instead of having to find space for yet another DVD that will be stored for 11 months out of the year.

9. A gift of experience. As we've all gotten older in my family, we've come to appreciate the gift of experiences rather than lots of material things. For our December anniversary, we decided to give each other a semester of yoga classes so every Monday my husband and I will be spending time together AND doing something positive for our health. (In the past experience gifts in our family have included museum trips, movies, race tickets, etc. Memberships to symphonies or museums or season tickets to sporting events are also memorable and fairly paperless gifts. If you're good at something, you can give the gift of lessons to someone who would like to learn--knitting, baking bread, car repair, boating, origami. You get the idea.)

So that's my starter list for a greener Christmas. If any of y'all are greening it up this holiday season, I would love to know what you're doing!

NOTE: This is Sunday's post. WHY it's posting on Saturday is a mystery to me, but this is the only one going up until Monday. Curiouser and curiouser...