christmas with the herrs (holiday party #23)

Ann Herr Mitchell and I met in first grade (where we shared a classroom with second-grader Jerry). Annie and I (and our families) have been great friends for the last forty years. Our family started spending Christmas Day with the Herr's when I lived in Philadelphia - somehow it made me feel twice as homesick knowing that my family was hanging out at my best friend's house. 

The day was full of food,  I think I ate my weight in ham - twice, laughter and games. There were some hot rounds of Apples to Apples. 

Annie and I always exchange presents. We've gotten pretty predictable the last forty years. There is always a mystery book involved. We've graduated from Nancy Drew to Kinsey Millhone (although we both are known to still read Nancy). Annie always makes me a great photo calendar. 

Two of my six godchildren were there. Ben Mitchell (#2) is a freshman in college, smart as a whip and plays football. June Bug (#6) had fun showing off the computer that Santa brought. 

It was a wonderful, comfortable and relaxing day. I almost shook free of the crabbiness from the day before. 

christmas eve with the family (holiday party #22)

My brother and his family graciously opened their home for the family celebration. Everyone gathered after the children's Mass. The table was set beautifully with place cards made by June Bug. Lesson's have been learned over the years and we open presents before we eat.

Let me set the scene - a five-year old boy and a seven-year old girl at the center. Surrounded by by grandparents and aunts and uncles. Did I mention that the children are the only grandchildren/niece and nephews of the group gathered? Paper was flying and we were all jockeying for good camera position.

I decided when the children were born that I was only going to give them savings bonds, music, art or books as gifts. I held to that notion for a few years, but handing a three-year old a painting does not have the satisfaction that giving a Barbie does. I've managed to strike a happy medium and hold myself to giving just one toy - which still makes me feel a little Scrooge-like. Since June Bug is my godchild I've also given her a peice of Spode Christmas Tree china every Christmas to get her started with a tradition that I love.

This year I gave June Bug a pink Disney digital camera that holds 40 pictures and downloads right to the computer. Little Brother got one of the recordable talking gnomes. It is really cute and makes your voice higher to sound more gnome-like, 'cause as we know gnomes have high-pitched voices.

The kids giving their mom 'elf shelf gifts' they purchased at school.

My siblings draw names for a $5 gift. I gave Dad a bunch of kitchen stuff that can be used for his annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day fish fry (I can't believe that I didn't blog about this party, I'll remedy that this year). Dad gave us money, as he likes to say - it's your color and it fits.

After dinner and the kids were tucked in to their beds, I got to help with my favorite part of the evening - assembling gifts. JR put together the train track around the tree and I got to set up these cool computers purchased through the One Laptop for Every Child program. They really are amazing. They have microphones, cameras, painting capabilities and can access the Internet.

christmas eve at the red key (holiday party #21)

Christmas Eve at the Red Key feels like a big neighborhood reunion. Good cheer, hugs and Christmas presents were flying.

ceiling fund tree

The Red Key collects money for the "ceiling fund" all year. There is a big bake sale earlier in the month and money is collected on the ceiling year round.

All of the staff of the Red Key have a stocking that hangs all month. I take mine home every year (and leave it on the front porch overnight to air some of the smoke out) and save it for Christmas morning. It is typically chock-full of lottery tickets, PEZ, music and candy.

stocking pre-presents

Russel sings Silent Night with the family gathered around him at the end of the afternoon - I missed it this year, but it is a guaranteed tear-jerker.

northside newsstand festivus celebration (holiday party #20)

Northside Newsstand is my coffeehouse, lunch counter, magazine shop, gossip stop and neighborhood touchstone. The coffeehouse I used to manage (CATH Inc) was across the street. The corner has lots of other great businesses - Sam's Gyro's, Army Navy Surplus Store, Moe and Johnny's Bar, The Piano Merchant, Hit City Recording, Yat's and the Jazz Kitchen.

The partners in the Newsstand take advantage of Festivus Day to throw their annual holiday bash at the Jazz Kitchen. There is always great mix of neighborhood people and I have a blast. I also love seeing people in their party clothes.

The weather was very cold and windy so I bundled up for the walk down. It was great to see all of the Christmas lights along the way. I was a little nervous - I'd gotten up enough courage to call a boy and invited him to join me. He said he'd love to, which meant that I immediately got all blotchy and queasy. Walking gave me a chance to calm down, or a least to be able to blame my pink face on the weather.

I'm not a good judge of crowds but I'm guessing there were hundreds of people there. There was a great spread of food, but I didn't eat much. I'm allergic to shellfish and if I cannot see what I'm eating or identify it for sure I don't eat it. I don't think that keeling over in the middle of the party would impress a maybe-date. Luckily I am not allergic to whiskey.

The decor of the Newsstand focuses on globes and maps. The window is filled with globes and each table has map under glass and a globe. There was a ceramic gnome tucked among the globes in the window. I noticed at some point this year the gnome was gone, but I didn't ever ask anyone what happened to it. This fall photographs of the gnome in a hospital bed appeared at the newsstand, saying that he would be returned soon. Who sent them was a mystery.
Last week a friend admitted to me that her daughter had broken the gnome. She panicked, put the broken gnome in the diaper bag and fled. She snapped the photographs and plotted how she could sneak the gnome back to the window. She got the idea to dress up as a gnome to return the original gnome at the Festivus party.

As you know, I love a theme - and tend to take things overboard. I found a great stuffed recordable gnome at Posh Petals. Jamie's boyfriend recorded a "see you later" message on the gnome and left at the Jazz Kitchen before the party. Jamie came dressed as the gnome and almost pulled the secret off - the gift bag she returned the ceramic gnome had a gift tag attached that said "to Jamie."

DJ Rusty provided the music for the evening.

I wish I could/felt comfortable dancing because the dance floor was full of folks.

There was also a set from the musician turned comedian that I dated when I was 21. So, there I am sitting next to Band Practice Boy and feeling uncomfortable while Mr. Rockabilly Comic is doing his thing about um, sex. BPB leaned over and asked if I knew the comedian - "errr, yeah, I met him years ago...hey, can I buy you a whiskey?"

The rest of the evening was spent laughing and chatting with BPB and friends.

I ran in to a guy who plays in the band I went to see Friday night- I didn't write about Friday, because it didn't really fit in to the holiday celebration theme, but I was happy to be able to ask him some band history for my Gazette column.

christmas meme (holiday party #19)

I've been tagged and as King Tiger pointed out - I've got to do it, "State law, man. Look it up." 

1. Link to the person that tagged you (in my case that would be King Tiger) and post the rules on your blog. 

(These are the rules). 



2) Share Christmas facts about yourself.



3) Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.



4) Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.



Here goes:



1. Wrapping or gift bags? 

I love to wrap, I have rolls and stacks of vintage paper that I've purchased at farm auctions and thrift stores. I'm being stingy with the stuff I got from mom's great-aunt Helen's sale a few years ago. Most of it is brittle and tears easily. I do use gift bags for odd shaped stuff. 

2. Real or artificial tree? 

When I have a tree it is real. This year I purchased boughs that were trimmed from the nursery on my corner (50 year-old family owned business) and filled vases with the branches and cranberries floating in the water. The house smells all Christmas-y and cozy. I have a tabletop silver tree with a fraction of my ornament collection. St. Nicholas leaves a new ornament in my shoe every year on his feast day. Sometimes he leaves it at my mom's house. I have ornament dated every year since 1961. 

3. When do you put up the tree? 

I bought the pine the first week of December and I brought the silver tree upstairs last week. 


4. When do you take the tree down? 

Sometime after New Year's Day. 

5. Do you like eggnog? 

Not really, I'm good for a sip if I'm handed a glass. 

6. Favorite gift received as a child? 

A bookcase that I still have and still holds some of the Nancy Drew books that it did 35 years ago. 

7. Do you have a nativity scene?

I have several, and I'm ashamed to admit that I have not taken any of their boxes this year (I will do that when I'm done with this). I have two that belonged to the Grememspacher side of the family. The way my grandparents estate was set up dictated an auction of the household goods, farm equipment and vehicles for a trust fund for an uncle that lived in a state mental hospital. It was really disconcerting to see everything laid on tables in the big barn with hundreds of people poking through boxes.  There were two things that I really wanted from the auction. My grandfather's rocking chair and the nativity scene that I'd loved as a child.   

The chair sat in the big farm kitchen and my first memory of Grandpa is crawling up on his lap as he sat in that chair. Apparently my grandfather was not a warm man or affectionate with his own children. As the oldest grandchild I just assumed that everyone wanted me to sit in their lap. Much to the surprise of his own children, he welcomed me with open arms and smiles. I was in college when my grandmother died and the auction took place.  Grandma and Grandpa were the classic opposite couple.  Grandpa had the reputation of being a real S.O.B (and incidentally one of the most successful farmers in the county) and I never heard my grandmother's name without the word "saint" attached to it. I was nervous about bidding on the things I wanted, but I had my bid number and was ready to roll. Soon the rocker just had two of us bidding on it. The prices kept going higher and higher, especially for my working-in-a-nursing-home and paying-my-own-room-and-board pocketbook. The price was up to $90 and I was so anxious I thought I might faint. I saw one of my uncles whisper something in the other bidders ear and the guy waved off the auctioneer and pointed to me. When I later made the first bid on the box of Christmas items no one bid against me. That next Christmas I gave each of my Gremelspacher cousins an ornament from the box. 

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? 

AVS's grandmother gave me a completely inappropriate lacy/racy red nightgown-ish thing. 

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? 

I send out St. Valentine's Day cards instead. I do love getting Christmas cards and savor each one. 

10. Favorite Christmas movie? 

A Christmas Story written by Indiana's own Jean Shepherd. I've been known to watch the movie in July. If you look at the bookcase photograph above you'll see a Leg Lamp (click here for a leg lamp widget for your desktop).   



11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? 

I'm not sure, I just purchase gifts when something strikes my fancy.  



12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? For breakfast? 

Anything with sweet potatoes. Breakfast will probably consist of Twizzlers and green tea - festive, ahh? 

13. Clear lights or colored? 

I have the big-old-fashioned-I'm-slightly-worried-they-might-burn-the-house-down-strand-of-lights-from-the-auction-box strung across the front of the house.  

14. Favorite Christmas song? 

I'm Dreaming of A White Christmas by Bing Crosby



15. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? 

Close to home, just a county away to hang out with family and friends. 

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? 

Ummm, not sure...and not sure if I care. 



17. Angel or star on the top of your tree? 

Sock puppet on the table top tree, I have an ornament that belonged to my Grandma Nora. She had cut out an angel from a card and added some of her own hair. It is tucked away for safe keeping.



18. Open your presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? 

Both, I'll celebrate with my immediate family on Christmas Eve and extended family and friends on Christmas day. 

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? 

How stressed out I get for no apparent reason. 



20. What do you leave for Santa? 

My best wishes. 

21. Least favorite holiday song? 

Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.  



22. Do you decorate your tree with any specific theme or color? 

No, but I can tell you the story behind every single ornament. 


23. Favorite ornament? 

I love all of the Saint Nicholas ones, especially the bird's nest dated from the year I was born. 


I went a little nuts with this meme, so no pressure Kim, Jerry, Monica, Annie, Bad Influence Girl, Terah and Teresa - or anyone else that would like to do it. I don't want to add to anyone's holiday stress

conversation with cliff (holiday party #18)

Today is a slow day at work as I'm guessing it was everywhere but the retail world. There was really no reason for me to be in my office, but the boss can't be the first to leave can she? 

I wrapped everything up that was on my desk and spent some time updating this blog. The intrepid Cliff noticed that the posts were coming fast and furiously and deduced that if I had time to blog, I had time to talk on the phone. 

I started laughing as soon as I heard his voice. It was good to get caught up and talk about stuff that cannot be blogged. 

Cliff had a great idea - a virtual New Year's Eve party. You're all invited! We'll let you know the details --where it will be held and what to bring. The thought is that it will be held on someone's blog and the party will happen in the comments section.  

december 20 reunion (holiday party #17)

When my dad was 17 he was having an especially fun day with his two best friends and suggested that they get together every December 20. For the last 54 years they have only missed one reunion. That is amazing considering Army service, marriages, children and geography. One of the charter members died a few years ago and was replaced with another class mate (I tease Mr. Corso that 49 years was a long time to be on the bubble). Last year they volunteered at Second Helpings. This year they attended the Christmas pageant and had dinner at Sullivan's Steak House.

I love sitting where I can see in to the kitchen. Sullivan's has a swanky 1940s feel. The food was great and giant! Nothing like a steak to soak up any residual whiskey from the night before.

Dad, Mr. Dunn, Mr. Corso, his daughter, Mary Jo and her husband Rich and my Mom and I made up the group. I had a great time and the talkin to Mary Jo was fun, I feel like I have a new friend. I was honored when I learned that Mary Jo's office (Noah's Animal Hospitals) had collected pasta and spices (63 pounds) for Second Helpings.

John Dunn is my godfather. Mr. Dunn lives is Decatur, Illinois. He is a Notre Dame grad, an attorney, was a member of the Illinois legislature for years and acts in community theatre.

I had a great time - and I was glad that I only had to wait 46 years to be invited to the dinner!