December 27, 2007
Alternaholiday
This year was the first year in my entire life that I wasn't home for Christmas. I missed Danish Christmas Eve with my dad's side and Mormon Christmas morning with my mom's side, and I missed waking up at 4 a.m. Christmas morning with my brother so we could spill the beans about what we'd bought each other that year because we simply couldn't hold it in another second.
This year Simon and I decided to skip going Home to stay in our New Home together because we jsut wanted a "quiet, low-key, romantic holiday." Actually, we were just TIRED TO DEATH OF TRAVELING and didn't want to fly with the crowds and pay out the nose for tickets and bargain away our firstborn in exchange for more house-/cat-sitting. Leading up to the big day, I was a little sad that we'd be missing the family parties and usual seasonal shenanigans, but Simon kept talking about how excited he was that this was to be the year we'd start our own family traditions (and probably the last Christmas we'd spend alone for at least the next eighteen years), and when Christmas finally arrived, I was really looking forward to the quiet, low-key, romantic holiday. Well, quiet, low-key, romantic, gooey, furry, fishy holiday...
Okay, what's wrong with this picture? (Please don't say it's my socks because I love them.)
We're carving pumpkins while Ralphie beats the snot out of Scut Farkus!
Having bought five pumpkins for Halloween (plus three more Simon came home with because he couldn't resist), and having carved only two of them at Moose's party, and having been out of town for most of November, we had a bunch left over that were still in good condition having miraculously endured rainstorm after rainstorm on our back porch without rotting into a slimy orange pile. So on Christmas Eve we carved pumpkins, watched in awe as Linus greedily gobbled up the guts, deposited the finished products on our front porch, and then lit them for carolers, neighborhood criminals, and unsuspecting passersby.
Speaking of candy canes, I was dressed like one when I wrangled Linus into reindeer antlers, poor deer.
Then we watched Love Actually and went to bed and slept for twelve hours. Aaaaaaahhhhhh. Now that's something I wouldn't mind making an official family tradition.
We had Christmas morning breakfast with the men of the hour (look closely!):
And then enjoyed dessert in the form of chocolate coins left in stockings for Betsy us by Santastein.
We finished up with a festive holiday musical bloodbath and Christmas dinner the true agirlandaboy way:
Which of these activities will endure to become true traditions is yet to be seen, but for this, our first Christmas in our first home, everything was new and therefore anything was possible. Perhaps we'll make it a tradition to do something new for the holiday every year? That counts, right? What do you think about dyeing Christmas eggs and then taking a midnight dip in the Pacific whilst bellowing drinking songs and proclaiming our loyalty for Ireland?
Posted by Leah at December 27, 2007 08:00 PMsounds like it was a super fun way to set the tone for 2008... may all your future holidays together be funky and special, like you.
Posted by: Elizabeth at December 27, 2007 10:43 PMChristmas sushi! Classy! Also, that is one massive TV. Sounds like you had the perfect Christmas...
Posted by: Catherine at December 28, 2007 01:02 AMYou had the best christmas ever. You had Santa AND Jesus chillin' at your breakfast table on Christmas morning! :)
Posted by: stephanie brown at December 28, 2007 05:50 AMSounds like a fun Christmas, despite the lack of old traditions. Also? I love your candy cane shirt!
Posted by: Stephanie at December 28, 2007 05:53 AMSounds like a fun Christmas, despite the lack of old traditions. Also? I love your candy cane shirt!
Posted by: Stephanie at December 28, 2007 05:53 AMYay for new traditions!! We've been married 7 years and still haven't had Christmas in our own house. Boo. How did you deal with what I'm presuming was some pretty massive parental guilt for not spending the holidays with them? My Lord, I would never hear the end of that.
Posted by: jive turkey at December 28, 2007 06:01 AMWhat a fun time! I'm almost wishing our families lived a flight away...it would be nice not to be pressured to go all kinds of places on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day...
Posted by: Assertagirl at December 28, 2007 06:47 AMThe pumpkins are AWESOME! I'm sure you caught a lot of attention for those :)
Love all of the photos. And you guys. Sounds like you had a perfect Christmas!
Posted by: Angella at December 28, 2007 07:28 AMI guess there's nothing left then but to say "glædelig jul" - had no idea there was a Danish side to you. And of course "godt nytår"!
Posted by: Drew at December 28, 2007 08:12 AMI had to stop reading for a minute at "slept for twelve hours". Best holiday tradition EVER.
Posted by: Sundry at December 28, 2007 09:46 AMJive Turkey--Simon's mom went to England for Christmas, so no parental guilt there. And we were just with my parents at the beginning of November, plus we'll be going back there (to ski!) in a few weeks, so no guilt there either. One of my aunts was pissed though--she demanded my dad buy us tickets to come home for Christmas Eve dinner.
Drew--Yep, superDanish. One of my ancestors is named Christian Christensen Christiansen. And my great-great-grandparents were called Bestemore and Bestefa and everything. (They boated over after they were converted by Mormon missionaries.) When I was three or four, I could count in Danish and sing "Glædelig Jul." The Danes, they are my people.
Posted by: Leah at December 28, 2007 10:24 AMOooh! Ooooh! The Danes are my people, too!! My dad's mother was Danish; her parents were fresh-off-the-boat immigrants (the Larsens) from Jutland, who settled in Mallard, Iowa, and ran a dairy farm. Plus we hosted a Danish foreign exchange student when I was in high school. Denmark rules, man.
Have you ever had abelskiver? Or kringle?
Posted by: Lawyerish at December 28, 2007 02:05 PMI do love your tradition. I've done Christmas at my own place twice. Both days were lovely. One day we'll actually accumulate the family in our house but next year we're promised to Massachusetts. I love the idea of sushi for Christmas dinner. The boy would love it!
Love the look on Linus' face! Poor kitty.
Christmas pumpkins? Awesome!
Posted by: Chris Cactus at December 28, 2007 07:29 PMChristmas pumpkins are much less scary looking than Halloween pumpkins, which give me nightmares.
We're thinking of moving over the next 11 months so we have a good excuse to skip Christmas Day with my family next year. I am pretty sure that is why my husband married me and moved to Australia to be with me.
The Chistmas Pumpkins are totally rad. I also think dyeing Christmas eggs would be totally rad. Your new tradition could be appropriating the traditions of other holidays. Christmas fireworks! Christmas eggs! Christmas pumpkins! Christmas turkey decorations! Christmas heart-shaped red and pink things! Christmas green pints! Gosh, the possiblities are endless.
Linus has perfected the, "Get these frickin' antlers off my head" look, eh?
Posted by: Ky Eliza at December 29, 2007 08:25 AMIt sounds like you had a lovely Christmas, Leah!! Happy New Year :)
Posted by: Brooke at December 29, 2007 11:05 AMThose pumpkins RULE. I hope the power tools enjoyed their Christmas pumpkin fun too.
I filled my own stocking this year. Talk about inability to let go.
Posted by: moose at December 29, 2007 05:01 PMHey There! If it means anything, I think pumpkin carving is a great tradition that should be used at every holiday - especially Christmas!!
Happy New Year!
Posted by: TheRightWife at December 29, 2007 05:02 PMhuh. i haven't had a danish christmas since i was four and living in (and having been born in) denmark. for the last 8 years or so i've been telling myself that i need to go to denmark for christmas and have another danish christmas. it somehow always fails to pass. i've got kristian, kjerulf, mortensen, and laurberg as part of my various family tree names in recent generations. danes rule, indeed. lyngby, vedbaek, copenhagen...represent.
this passage...
"So on Christmas Eve we carved pumpkins, watched in awe as Linus greedily gobbled up the guts, deposited the finished products on our front porch, and then lit them for carolers, neighborhood criminals, and unsuspecting passersby."
...made me think that your cat did the depositing and lighting. and i laughed, even for the one second it took to realize that i parsed it wrong.
also, i have two pumpkins left over from halloween, and they're still viable. i think i shall take inspiration from you and make them into new years pumpkins.
Posted by: this charming man at December 29, 2007 11:12 PMyou guys should teach classes on having fun and living one's creativity. i loved this post - loved the pictures. i guess it's kind of like a "how to" after all. :) happy new year!
Posted by: nikoline at December 30, 2007 07:07 AMyou guys should teach classes on having fun and living one's creativity. i loved this post - loved the pictures. i guess it's kind of like a "how to" after all. :) happy new year!
Posted by: nikoline at December 30, 2007 07:07 AMIf I could get my parents to go for Christmas sushi instead of Christmas fried chicken and ham? The world would be a much happier place.
Posted by: Heather B. at December 30, 2007 09:05 AMLove the pumpkins. We had one that I almost carved into something Christmasy (tree or star), but I was afeared that the gourd had secretly gone bad. I think Yule-O-Lanterns should become a tradition.
Staying home for Christmas has its rewards. We've made it a tradition ever since our first son was born (on Dec. 26). We do allow any family who wants to visit us come on down. Blissfully, it was just the four (plus dog) of us this year. We might even travel some year, but maybe not to visit anyone. It's all about being together, not where you are.
Posted by: Texas T-bone at December 31, 2007 08:06 AMI want to celebrate the holidays at your house!
Carving pumpkins for Christmas? Totally rad, and I'm not afraid to say it.
Great traditions, even if they don't stick as traditions. I'm a bit envious of your holiday, in fact. Regardless, I'm just glad it was a happy one for you.
Posted by: She Likes Purple at January 2, 2008 07:25 PM
