Happy Holidays!

Walking to retrieve my new glasses, I came across this tree in Madison Square Park, a park I always forget about, since it is so far over east. I used to eat lunch there when I first moved to NYC and was temping. There are christmas trees all over NYC, and that's one of the magic things about the city at christmas. you could be having a really shitty day and all of a sudden, you're surrounded by globes of lights in a tree.

I like how the tree and the bushes around it match the Hanukkah colors of the building next door:



I'm a big fan of matching. I can't help it. I like the order it implies.

Anyway, the year is wrapping up, and we'll be taking off on Sunday for Florida for our annual pilgrimage to see the families. I've done the answers to that holiday meme that was travelling around, because I like this one. I like christmas time.

1. Eggnog, cider, or hot chocolate?

Hot chocolate. I also like hot tea, and cider is really good too. I don't really like eggnog. The consistency and taste together make me want to gag. I like hot chocolate best with big marshmallows.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just put them under the tree?

You know, what would be the fun if he just put them under the tree? I'm perplexed that anyone actually experienced Christmas that way. I mean, I guess I can see it if the gift is a tricycle or a surfboard or something, but still... My mom always had wrapped presents from her and wrapped presents from Santa, although we figured out pretty early on that they were all really from her by her handwriting on the tags.

3. Colored lights or white?

I like colored lights best, or the kind that blink in time to music or in some sort of pattern, but Spanky, being half-jew and wholey retentive, will only let me put up white lights, because she thinks the colored ones are tacky and too-christmassy.

4. When do you put your decorations up?

There is no set rule in our house now, but I usually wait until the first weekend after Thanksgiving. We only put up the white lights and stockings. One of these years I'm going to rebel and actually buy one of those living xmas trees that we can just put on the porch after the holidays. I never actually get around to it though.

5. What is your favorite Christmas dish?

I don't know that we have a traditional dish on Christmas, except for cookies and pumpkin pie (still). My mom usually just makes coffee and cinnamon rolls or pancakes after we've opened all our presents on Christmas morning.

6. Favorite Christmas memory as a child?

We used to spend every xmas with my Aunt Gerrie and Uncle Kit. Every other year it was at our house, and every other year it was at theirs in Ft. Lauderdale. They had a great house with a pool, and my cousin Jenny was only a year older than me. She had this beautiful white canopy bed which we used to climb all over. My best memories were staying up late with her in her room waiting for xmas morning so we could get our presents, while the adults stayed up downstairs drinking coffee and catching up. The waiting was unbearable.

7. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

Honestly, I don't think I believed in Santa for very long, especially since I don't remember finding out that he didn't exist. My mom probably slipped and just told us, but there was also her handwriting on the tags, like I said before. She never actually gave up giving us presents from Santa. I probably have a few of them under her tree right now.

8. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

Yes, in my family you could open ONE present on Christmas Eve. When I was younger, we'd do it after church services. I love going to church on Christmas but I don't do it anymore. No one else likes it. We always picked the one present we knew would suck, just to get it out of the way. One of our aunts usually gave my sister and I the same thing, usually lame, and something equally lame but boyish for my brother. So we'd just open that one and save the best stuff for Christmas morning.

9. Snow--love it or hate it?

Man, I really hate going out in the snow. Im from Florida, remember. I like to look at it though.

10. Can you ice skate?

Yeah, but I think I'm too old to really enjoy it now. I'm really scared of breaking something or otherwise hurting myself.

11. Do you remember your favorite gift?

When I was a kid, my favorite gift was probably Barbie dolls. I had a bunch of them. One year, I got that Barbie head that you can do the hair on and put make-up on. I was SO HAPPY. But my brother and sister took all the pristine colors that I was saving and smeared them all over her before I had a chance to use them.

12. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you?

I really like the sense of peace and happiness I get from looking at the decorations, and thinking about my life so far and what's to come. I like seeing my family too, but I don't feel like I have to see them on the holidays--actually visiting with them is better when there's not the added pressure of making things meaningful. To me the holidays are really about reflecting on yourself and your life and how you can do better in the new year.

13. What is your favorite holiday dessert?

Always pumpkin pie. I LOVE pumpkin pie. I like a good yule log cake too but I don't get that too often.

14. What tops your tree?

As I said, I'm not allowed to have a tree anymore, but at my mom's, I believe it is an angel that my brother made when he was like 6 or something. There's also one my Aunt Gerrie made before she died that we sometimes use.

15. Which do you prefer--giving or receiving?

I think I like giving best. I like watching people open presents that I think they'll like.

16. What's your favorite Christmas song?

I love Fairytale of New York. It's sad and bittersweet and shows the darker side of the holidays. I also like Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses. My favorite traditional song is O Holy Night. It's pretty.

17. Candy canes--yuck or yum?

I only like the Hershey's chocolate mint ones. I can't even stand starlite mints for the most part. I do like them in peppermint bark though.


Anyway, lest you think that Sparky's side is being neglected here, I saw this car driving down 42nd street in NY on Thursday, and I'm sure the people inside would join me in wishing everyone a Happy Hanukkah:

so, obviously I'm an unreliable narrator

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted! I had the best intentions... Obviously I have to face facts that not only am I only ambivalent about the computer outside of work hours, but the holiday season is not the most conducive to a regular schedule. But things have been constantly happening! Im going to try to recreate the last two weeks or so, but I'm probably going to forget a bunch of stuff.

1. Smiley's Manhattan Yarn Sale: So Smiley's, a yarn store in Queens, has what it calls a "yarn riot" in Manhattan once a year (i think), which is a lot like a sample sale, only with yarn. They rent out the basement of a hotel and lay out boxes of yarn at rock-bottom prices, and they only accept cash. People come from all over to buy tons of yarn. I didn't get to go until the second to last day, but I did get some yarn:



From the top left, Filati Cervinia "Genova" acrylic yarn, which I bought with the idea that I'd make scarves for the Red Scarf Project, but I just started one, and it's not as soft as I thought it would be. I guess I'm still going to make one and then wash it and see. When I was in college, I wouldn't want a scarf I had to really care for, so acrylic is perfect for someone who might spill beer on it, or drag it around or whatever. You can just throw it in the wash...

Next, two colors of Filati Cervinia "Calzetteria" sock yarn--wool with some polymer stuff for stretch. The pink/red bag is for knee-socks for me. The green/grey stuff is for Spanky's brother's Christmas present. He wants a hat for fishing, and I thought that doubled and knitted up, the colors might look like cammo (so the fish won't see him). I also got some more stitch holders, some stitch markers, extra darning needles, and some straights for $3. I bought some last year, and I actually use them a lot, so I thoght I would get another pair this year. I didn't buy lots of other stuff because I got there, and couldn't decide what to get--there was so much! And I'm aimless unless I have a specific project in mind. So I just got a few things. And I'm happy with it.

2. Reading Group Christmas Party:



The first xmas party of the year was for my book group. They charge $3 a session once a month, and some months we get a lot of people. At the end of the year, they use all the left over money (we have to pay for the rental of a room at the center with some of it) to throw a party for the members at someone's apartment. It's fun and low key. Not a lot of ladies, but those guys are pretty funny anyway.

3. Work xmas party:


There was an open bar and dancing. My friend Angela had my camera and ran up and snapped this while I was dancing. My nose really doesn't look like that but I do look like I'm having fun, eh?

4. Bust Magazine's Holiday Craftacular:



The day after the company xmas party, Angela and I went to the Bust Craftacular in Williamsburg. It was so packed! I missed it last year, and I wanted to see what stuff they had this time and get some last minute gifts, but there were so many people it was hard to see all the vendors. Really annoying. Instead, I just ended up picking up the cards of the people who looked like they had cool stuff for the most part. I did get a few things though.

On the top left is hand dyed yarn from Make Workshop. I think I'm going to use it to make a Cherry Garcia. On the top right are two kits to make pin cushions also from Make. I gave one to Angela for xmas and kept the other one. Bottom right are some buttons, and East Village Inky. Ayun Halliday was there, and I bought a subscription to East Village Inky. I love her! I love Inky and Milo too. She gave me the first issue of the subscription there, and it is adorable. And of course, there were free copies of Bust. I used to subscribe, but I don't anymore because I have to save all my money for knitting magazines.

5. The hats were delivered to their intended recipients:



They all look pretty pleased, and perhaps a little freaked out. I told them all I had to speak to them in the lunchroom and wouldn't tell them why until they all got there. I think they were worried I was quitting. Ha. They seemed much happier to have xmas presents. The whole experience was kind of weird though too. A little awkward, but I still felt good about doing something for them.

6. Spanky's wrap party--at a bar at the Maritime hotel. Very nice.

7. Spanky's boss had a xmas party at his BEAUTIFUL house, and I saw Mary Louise Parker and that guy who played Denny Duquette on Gray's Anatomy (together!!!).

And that brings us to now. What am I working on? I started one of the Red Scarf Project scarfs, and I'm working on one of these
for my dad's wife for xmas. It's going ok so far... I'm about 2/3 of the way done with the body of the shawl, but I don't want to jinx it... Everything else is pretty much on hold right now.

I only have three more days in the office before the end of the year (!!!!) so hopefully I'll be more on task with the posting. We're going to FL for the holidays, starting on Christmas Eve. I can't wait. I need a break so badly! Anyway, hope everyone is doing well with their holiday knitting!