Christmas Reminiscence

Childhood Christmas – The Italian Christmas Eves of my childhood were huge gatherings of cousins, aunts, uncles, and Nonni.  Because meat was not allowed on this day, the feast—and it was a feast—featured all types of seafood, prepared by my Italian grandmother.  Succulent shrimp, copious calamari, and Pesce Abbondante tempted the revelers just back from visiting the incredibly beautiful crèche at St. Callistus’ Church down the street.  Sometimes we would leave early and hurry to my Irish grandmother’s home, replete with Uncle Jim’s aluminum Christmas tree lit with revolving spectra of color from his holiday light wheel. We’d arrive just in time to take my Grandmother to Midnight Mass. She especially loved the Christmas Mass with flowers, special hymns, and angels announcing the birth of the anointed babe. The Christmases of my childhood were filled with loving people, savory scents, and snow.

Old-Enough Christmas – When I was in second or third grade I became eligible to join my older girl cousins, aunts, and my mother on the special holiday trip to downtown Chicago at night. We would catch the nearby streetcar, bursting with expectations of an exciting evening spent at the Chicago Theater’s Christmas Stage Show.  How we laughed at Billy de Wolf and swooned over Dick Contino. The stage settings were glorious and the dancers dazzled.  The “girls” were having their special Christmas treat and I was old enough to join them!

Young Love Christmas – Hubby and I became engaged over Christmas break of my senior year in college, despite the embarrassing Christmas present mix-up when I mistakenly gave him the wrong gift—a pair of pink petti-pants intended for me! He, however, was not blameless in holiday protocol. During vacations I worked at the University Medical Center and he would pick me up when work was over.  He was there, earlier than usual and very nervous.  The reason?  He proposed marriage as soon as we got into his car. Unfortunately he was parked across the street from the Cook County Morgue—making me an offer I couldn’t refuse!

Our first Christmas as man and wife centered on our first real tree, strung with cranberries and popped corn. That first Christmas, in our very own apartment, glittered with holiday lights, the spicy smell of Christmas cookies, and a lifetime of love just beginning.

Christmas for the Children – Such excitement!  By the end of October the Sear’s Wish Book was well thumbed. Was there any toy my daughter didn’t want? With eager anticipation we planned the tree trimming party never knowing which was best, decorating the tree or being together for the treat-filled party afterward.  I baked all month!

The children surprised us with ornaments made at school and increased our trove of tree hangings with homemade shrink-dink figures of Snoopy and the gang. Each year our son destroyed another Styrofoam gingerbread man ornament, thinking that I wouldn’t notice. Keeping presents secure was a full time job. Each child tried to extort the other saying that they “knew what you are getting for Christmas.” Christmas morning discovered sleepy parents supervising the unwrapping. Dad prepared his special waffles for breakfast.

Empty Nest Holidays – There are no small children bursting with curiosity and anticipation now. There’s no real Christmas at all anymore. Our daughter, who adored Christmas, is dead. There are no children of hers to delight. And besides, cookies are unhealthy…

One must be careful about the holidays now for our remaining family does not celebrate Christmas; Hanukkah does not really belong to us. Even though our granddaughters enjoy “double dipping” it’s a time to tread carefully.  We try to recapture some of the magic for our girls however. One year we rented an apartment in Orange County for a lengthy stay. I sent out a small, artificial tree and asked if it would be OK for the girls to help us decorate it. The happy pair was excited to see the tiny tree. Dani had made a special ornament in school and the girl’s ballet teacher had given all her students special ballerina ornaments. The girls set to work on their task, carefully considering where to place each piece. This was all new to them. Finally the last ornament was placed and I laid the small red velvet tree skirt around the base. The early December darkness supplied the final touch. We turned off all the lights and then Grandpa plugged in the tree, the tiny lights dazzling young eyes. The oohs and aahs were all the presents I needed to make my spirits bright. The Holidays of their childhood will be filled with loving people, savory scents, and no snow.  Let’s bake some cookies, organic of course.

Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Happy New Year.

Let's Shop S'More

The catalogs keep coming and it’s time to give you some additional great gift ideas for the holidays.  Although I have not actually purchased any holiday gifts yet, I have ambitious plans thanks to all the at home catalog ideas I’ve garnered with each day’s mail delivery. See my earlier posting for company websites I’ve already mentioned. Only new companies’ URLs will be listed. Let the shopping begin!

FOR THE HOME AND HOLIDAYS:  We’ll jump right to the Christmas decorations, because most of you already have yours up I bet.  Just in case your neighbor’s outdoor displays dwarf your homey efforts Hammacher Schlemmer (hammacher.com) has you covered with a choice of a 20 foot Reclining Inflatable Snow Man or the 2-story tall Inflatable Reindeer. Harriet Carter covers the indoors with a delightful Musical Toilet Roll Holder that has a number of festive songs to delight bathroom visitors and family alike. If you insist on tasteful Christmas decorations then check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art (store.metmuseum.org) for an astonishing array of shoe ornaments—glittered, beaded, jeweled. Imelda Marcos eat your heart out!

            Cat owners can celebrate the feline gods any time of year with two delightful decorating accessories. One is a George Carruth Nine Lives Plaque topped with a halo in homage to some lovable kitty whose nine lives are skillfully portrayed below, each with a unique expression indicative of a particular life. This is offered by Signals (signals.com).  Half a coven of kitties, each with a unique expression indicative of their personalities, surround a votive candle—from Collectibles Direct.  Together these make a stunning statement for all cat lovers. Yikes! For the dog people I am ashamed to submit the Triple Dachshund Doorstop from The Paragon. If you like your animals fanciful check out Signals’ Rock Caterpillar Sculpture, handcrafted for deck, yard, or garden.

            Nostalgia is everywhere this year. Stock up on period telephones that are compatible with today’s technology: a 1939 Black Desk top model, the 1959 pink Princess and the 1960’s Slimlines in a variety of colors. All are available at the Vermont Country Story (www.VermontCountryStore.com) where you can also stock up on all kinds of vintage candies. What home décor would be complete without wall art?  You can have a canoe paddle with a satellite laser etching of your favorite lake OR you can hand an Irrational Numbers Wall Clock—both from Signals. Add a conversation piece carnivorous plant or two with an Edmunds Scientific Giant Carnivorous Plant kit.  Finally, and this is something every home should seriously consider, many catalogs and stores carry Four-Way Powered Emergency Weather Radios that include cell phone charger that will enable you to keep in contact with emergency weather announcements, act as emergency lights, and keep you in contact with family and services. I’ve seen models in Signals, L.L.Bean (llbean.com), Hammacher Schlemmer, Collectibles Direct and other catalogs.  Consider this one seriously as a great gift!

            What to get the CHILDREN in your life?  Robots are always tasteful. Many stores carry a Programmable Robot Rover that a child can assemble and program to do errands or to guard their bedroom doors from intruders (like parents). This was being offered at Edmunds Scientific, Young Explorers, Mindware, and National Geographic (www.shopng.org) Kids seem to have all the fun.  Consider an Internal Combustion Engine Kit that supposedly teaches a child—should s/he wrest it away from dad long enough—to assemble and operate. I think it runs on vegetable oil (would our cars could do so) and the inner workings are visible for learning about pistons firing and all that great automotive stuff.  Again, lots of catalogs have this, e.g. Edmunds Scientific, Signals, and Young Explorers. Mindware, one of my favorite places to shop, offers many educational kits and learning activities. The Engineering Kits like Backyard Ballistics, The Art of the Catapult, and Whoosh, Boom, Splat provide instruction on how to launch vegetables from a cannon, build warrior robots, hurl things through the air, and any number of fun things is just one example. Another science project kids will love is Disgusting Special Effects Make-up Kits offered by Mindware and Young Explorers. Kids can make themselves, family or friends up to resemble real movie horror characters.

            All is not learning however. Gift ideas range from the Hope Diamond Collectible Barbie from the Smithsonian, to a DC Super Heroes: the Ultimate Pop-up Book that includes a light up Bat signal and a twirling Lasso of Truth from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There are Bug Wrist Bands made with of REAL bugs from Toys to Grow On (www.ttgo.com), a remote controlled hairy Tarantula at Hammacher Schlemmer, a Four Foot long remote control Flying Shark at Edmunds Scientific, a Gator Game kit to assemble in which your child first puts together the motorized “Nervous Alligator”. Then the child puts its finger into the gator’s mouth trying to manipulate the tail without moving the gator’s inners before the gator bites off his hand. This game cum kit is offered at American Science and Surplus. For the budding young cowgirl, or budding Billy the Kid, in your family there is a Super Safe Target Game. The catalog photos shows a delightful little girl blasting away with her infrared six-shooter, shooting up the plastic bottles and cans. At least they are not on the Internet!

            Finally for the LADIES, a word to the wise for your gentlemen thinking that a new iron or scrub mop would be just the ticket. Don’t do it unless you are sure you will get custody of the large screen TV.  But some of you won’t listen to my advice so check out Hammacher Schlemmer’s Back Pack Vacuum Cleaner replete with two extra wands, 6 attachments and other goodies.  Another no-no, at least for my hubby, is the Young Explorers Time Flies Alarm Clock. When it’s time to get up, this baby starts flying erratically around the bedroom, forcing your tired spouse to get out of bed and catch it. I expect you will too if you buy this.

            Nostalgia is in, as I have already said, and you can outfit your wife with a snazzy apron and baking tools reminiscent of her grandmother’s heyday in the 1950s, thanks to Smithsonian. Another old time goody was placed right in the middle of gifts for the ladies in the National Geographic catalog:  The Chalet Cukoo Clock from Germany features a St. Bernard carrying a barrel of brandy amongst its timely figures. Maybe you would like to treat your queen to a Queen Elizabeth II umbrella in a deep bell clear shape so she can see where you throw your cloak over the next puddle. This is offered by Hammacher Schlemmer. One gift I would like is offered in the Collectibles Direct catalog. It is a very cool Swiss Tool that includes knives, pliers, screwdrivers, wood saw, ruler, etc. etc. all in a black belt pouch.

            OK, if you’re stuck, go for jewelry. The ladies love it! The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers a really creepy 20 inch long Egyptian Snake Lariat of 24 karat gold for milady’s neck. Signals has a working zipper bracelet made of copper that can be cunningly worn zipped or not for the more daring gal. Does she already have bells on her toes? Then go for National Geographic for Rings For Her Fingers, ten stretchy, sequined rings in a variety of colors and floral types.  And finally, for the lady whose husband suffers from a roving eye at social events, consider the Smithsonian’s Eye of Horus Pin/Pendant that makes a real statement. It’s guaranteed to keep hubby in line!

            That’s all the suggestions for now. I’ll keep my eye (non-Horus) out for last minute gifts should the catalogs keep coming, but I figure that most of these companies have stricken my name off  their mailing lists by now...

NOTE:  Caveat emptor!  Although I have purchased different items from most—but not all—of the companies mentioned I have no relationship with any of them except as a customer who has been generally satisfied with her purchases. I can make no claims on the quality of any of the items mentioned above; I make no profit if you purchase anything.  There are many nice products featured in these catalogs—some I really like—that I have not mentioned.  Visit the company websites if you’re curious.  The items I have featured should not be regarded as a recommendation of either the item or the company. I gain nothing if you decide you wish to do business with any company. My list is intended to be fun.

           

           

Let's Shop!

                                                                        Let’s Shop!

It’s less than a hundred days until Christmas and high time you started planning your gift lists.  Catalogs are arriving daily, making choosing the right gift for friends and family more difficult with each mail delivery.  I will help you. Here’s a partial list of what has attracted my attention as either “Cool” or “OMG!”

Hubby is at the top of my list.  Edumnd Scientifics (scientificsonline.com) features “The Wizard’s Wand Universal Remote” a must have for your favorite guy. The vibrating wand can be programmed for 13 commands that will control all your home entertainment systems. Wizard hat not included. Smithsonian (smithsonianstore.org) has a cool book, In the Cockpit: Inside 50 History Making Aircraft that enables the reader to get behind the controls of “groundbreaking domestic and military airplanes, jets, and helicopters” with incredible photos and textual explanations.  BasBleu (www.basbleu.com) offers Twelve Days of Christmas Regulation Golf Balls for the festive husband-athlete. The Paragon (www.theparagon.com) can spruce up the outdoor guy’s auto with a set of Car mats that resemble tree bark or river stones.  Finally American Science&Surplus (www.sciplus.com) can spiff him up with a red German Military Beret, slightly used and made to fit snugly. Used?

Pets are family too.  There are a plethora of Warm Coats and Sumptuous Beds—from an army style cot to four poster—for the dog in your life available from Harriet Carter (www.harrietcarter.com).  I must confess that I do worry about some of the offerings for cats. There are cat toys that seem a bit sadistic, but I am not now nor have I ever been a cat owner, so maybe they like stuff like this:  Harriet Carter’s Electronic Cat and Mouse Chase is a battery operated toy with motion sensor that detects your cat’s presence causing a mouse to race around the track so that the cat can see the mouse, but can never catch it. Acorn (acornonline.com) has the Fling-ama-String Cat Toy that you hang on a door nob, enabling kitty to stalk, pounce and leap for it, while never quite succeeding. It is battery operated with two speeds.  Why cats are considered superior to dogs I will never know, but the following from both Young Explorers (YoungExplorers.com) and Mindware (www.mindware.com) reflect that inequity with the Pet Science Dog School (read remedial) and the Pet Science Kitty College products that challenge dogs to problem solve (?) and obey commands while the  little kitties can improve their memories and fine motor skills…  You can determine your dog’s IQ with BasBleu’s book How Smart is your Dog?  (No refunds on that one, I suspect!) Of course the Mensa-eligible cats get a book too:  Why Cat’s Paint from The Paragon.

Grab Bag Gifts are always tricky, especially when the exchange group is at work or your in-law’s holiday gift exchange.  Fear not, be the first to give the Solar Powered Waving Queen from Collectibles Direct (www.collectablesdirect.com) a source for all things British. Imagine the fun everyone will have to see Queen Elizabeth II giving a dignified royal wave. Head moving Corgi sold separately.  The same company also offers two sound machines, Cartoon Classics that will have you rolling in the aisles with sounds like the banging of a head, falling down stairs, and gunshots. Applause will provide your favorite narcissistic with hours of clapping, laughing, drum rolls. Keep this one in mind if you draw your boss’s name.  If you want something a bit more dignified consider these two products from American Science&Surplus:  Wind-up Walking Teeth (with legs) will bring a smile to your “secret Santa” friend.  No office should be without the Screaming Parachute Monkey.  Be sure the boss is out of the office before you launch this baby into the cubicles, sling-shot style. The pièce de résistance is Edmund Scientifics’ Hand Runner. Imagine a fully operational severed hand crawling up you walls, walking across the ceiling or the kitchen table. AND it comes with a comic book!

Enough suggestions for now.  Coming soon, gift ideas for the lady in you life, the home, and, of course, the kids.  There may be some overlap between toys for kids and items for hubby in case you haven’t quite settled on what to get for your better half.  Watch this space for more!

NOTE:  Caveat emptor!  Although I have purchased different items from most—but not all—of the companies mentioned I have no relationship with any of them except as a customer who has been generally satisfied with her purchases. I can make no claims on the quality of any of the items mentioned above; I make no profit if you purchase anything.  There are many nice products featured in these catalogs—some I really like—that I have not mentioned.  Visit the company websites if you’re curious.  The items I have featured should not be regarded as a recommendation of either the item or the company. I gain nothing if you decide you wish to do business with any company. My list is intended to be fun.