Thankful Thursdays: Gimme an S!

A few weeks ago, I started a weekly countdown of six things I am most thankful for, each of which begin with the letters of the word "THANKS".   So far, I've covered:

Today
Health
Abode
Necessities and niceties
Kith and kin

This week, I am thankful for one final thing I'm thankful for, and that is the...

season

I'm thankful for each of the four seasons that distinctively divide our lives each year, each one segueing gracefully to the next just like clockwork.  But I'm especially grateful for this season, when we can take time to reflect on the blessings we enjoy, and to be grateful for them.

The word itself is ancient, rooted in the idea of having a time of year for sowing, followed by the natural ripening and aging process, which creates sweetness and delicious and complex flavors in foods.  Which is probably why it is also intertwined with a second meaning in modern usage; to flavor food with seasonings.  The onset of the cool months are when we welcome the flavors and aromas of many delicious spices and herbs:  cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom play important roles in desserts and other sweet foods, while thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and  peppers are indelibly linked to many savory foods we associate with this time of year.

Solomon was a truly wise man, and in Ecclesiastes he gave us timeless words of advice for putting everything in our lives into proper perspective:

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted"

This is the season of harvests and thankfulness and graciousness. I wish it lasted all year 'round, but maybe because it only comes once a year, it makes us appreciate it more.

nearby cotton field in late October

'Tis the season.  Not for giving gifts and decorating trees and cookies - not yet.  But it is the season for welcoming friends and family, and sharing with them the customs, traditions and foods that have been passed down from past generations to us, and from us to our children.

In this and every season, may we all enjoy the day while it is called today, our own measure of health, our abodes, our many material blessings, and the rich blessings of friends and families.

Happy and blessed thanks-giving,
 

Christmas Eve

My family - like many families - allowed the children to open one present on Christmas Eve.  It was intended to placate us as our anxiety levels peaked by giving us a new toy, book or garment and distract us until bedtime.


My husband tells of his childhood Christmas Eves, when his father couldn't stand to wait for Christmas morning, either.  So he let his children open ALL their presents the night before.  At first I rejected this unorthodox approach, but the older I get, the more I like it:

1. No more agonizingly slow Christmas Eves spent trying to keep the kids occupied and entertained until bedtime.
2. No more 2 a.m. "I can't sleep" whispers from children who simply can't stand to wait until sunrise, or squirmy children lying in their parent's bed, counting down the hours and minutes.
3. No more stumbling to the den at dawn's first light, trying to match your children's enthusiasm without benefit of caffeine.
4. No more "bed head" shots of the family opening gifts, captured for posterity. 

Our children are now past the age of pre-dawn gift openings.  In fact, last Christmas, Mr. Official and I were the first ones up and we watched an entire movie on our new blue-ray DVD player (our gift to ourselves), sipped a couple cups of coffee, and finally woke our kids to get Christmas day started before noon.

My father-in-law (the instigator of the Christmas Eve gift opening ritual) has been gone from us for a number of years. But the tradition lives on--we gather at my mother-in-law's house for dinner, and a gift exchange.   It's a fun evening to catch up with the siblings, inlaws and outlaws.  We laugh too much, talk too much, eat too much and eventually part ways, promising to get together more often in the new year.

Whatever your traditions are, I hope your season is merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white.

Happy holidays

Holiday Sprint Week 7: My favorite holiday movies

For most of us, we have a few movies that are inextricably intertwined in our holiday traditions. Some of them are sentimental favorites while others provide a refreshing (even bracing) antidote to the overload of Christmas cheer.  Here are a baker's dozen of my favorites.  So far I've caught #1, 2, 3, 8 and 11; I'll probably make time for a few of the others over the next couple of weeks.

1. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)  What's not to like about George Bailey and his truly wonderful life?  A reminder that what is important in life is certainly not what's in your bank account. 
2. White Christmas (1954) Purists snub this for the original black and white "Holiday Inn" but I like it, awkward lines and all - it's worth it for the songs.
3. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) (Language warning - catching this on TV will dub out the unrepeatable words that may catch you unawares on the DVD.) Another reminder of what is most important - but told with a very different slant.  I think my family can recite this entire movie with little prompting, and I can do a mean imitation of Aunt Bethany (a glimpse into my future, perhaps?)
4. A Christmas Story (1983) The movie that everyone recognizes by its oft-quoted tagline:  "You'll shoot your eye out!"
5. A Christmas Carol  Many versions have been done, but my favorites are the 1984 version with George C. Scott and surprisingly, the 2009 animated version with Jim Carrey.  I guess I just didn't think he could pull it off, so I went in with low expectations and came away entertained.
6. Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Great animated holiday movie and a timeless, fantastic soundtrack performed by the Vince Guaraldi Trio.
7. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) is probably my favorite animated holiday movie. For children, it's a little dark, but as an adult, I appreciate it, much like I appreciate the bite of good dark chocolate, too.  Can't say I'm a huge fan of the 2000 remake with Jim Carrey, but it's passable.
8. The Santa Clause (1994) is probably a sentimental favorite because we took our boys to see it just before Christmas, back when they were still little and believed in the big guy in the red suit.  Music like ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man" helped it along.
9. The Polar Express (2004) is an enjoyable movie to watch for its technical feats as much as trying to spot Tom Hank's multiple characters.
10. Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas (1977) was a Jim Henson animation that doesn't get much air time.  I watched it dozens of times on HBO back in the early '80s and liked it even though it is high on the cheese factor.
11. Trading Places (1983) Yes, it really is a Christmas story, and a modern rendering of the story of Job. And yes, with Eddie Murphy starring, you can plan on covering your ears and eyes for a few less-than-jolly scenes (like "Christmas Vacation," I'd advise catching it on a channel that will censor out the family unfriendly scenes and words.)
12. You've Got Mail (1998) is both derivative and a remake, but I like it despite those character flaws.  Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks and a sweet dog - what's not to like?  Alternate choices are "An Affair to Remember" (1957) and "The Shop Around the Corner" (1940).
13. Stepmom (1998) is not usually considered a Christmas movie, but I think it fits the bill nicely.  Watch it and see if you don't agree.  Be sure you have some tissues handy when you do.

A few other honorable mentions would include "Jack Frost" "Family Man" and "Hook" - all are cautionary tales (especially to dads) to live purposefully and put first things first.

For those of you who were expecting to see "Elf" on this list, it was no oversight - I snubbed it.  Other than a few memorable lines ("You sit on a throne of lies....You stink. You smell like beef and cheese...") I can totally forget it.  Will Farrell in tights? 'nuff said.

I also skipped "Christmas with the Kranks" because as much as I like to laugh at Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis (they are both represented among my faves here), I found the over-the-top screwball treatment of Grisham's dry humor was, well, over-the-top.  Skip the move and just read "Skipping Christmas."

So what are your favorite Christmas movies, and why?  If you don't have any favorites, I hope you work a night or two sweet and funny movies into your family traditions.  The quotable lines will become part of your family's shared language and bind you closer together.

Happy watching,

Ten Things I Love About the South

This morning, I was working away on the daylily bed (again), and one of my neighbors was tearing around on his lawnmower.  It seems his goal is to scalp his yard as fast as he can, so he can mow it as few times a season as possible, as quickly as possible.

His antics made me think of Steel Magnolias, with its quirky cast of color characters.  Were they really so quirky?  My hairdresser is blonde and has a home salon, even though her name isn't Truvy.  I regularly visit with friends and make new friends while getting my roots touched up.  Our neighborhood is a celebration of eccentricities, and I'm among them: I'm the gardening lady whose backyard has been certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a backyard habitat, I compost regularly, I pull my recycling to the curb each week, and I've been known to venture into the cow pasture behind us for buckets of manure.  In fact, among my friends and neighbors, I could probably find real-life versions of every cast member in Steel Magnolias, Cool Hand Luke and Fried Green Tomatoes - three of my favorite movies.  (Thankfully, few of my personal acquaintances resemble extras from Deliverance.)

Living east of the Mississippi and south of the Mason-Dixon has its charms.  As a transplant who has been grafted in over the past 27 years, I can name you scores of things I love about the South.  Here are ten of them, off the top of my head:

1. Food is the answer to every single one of life's trials and triumphs:  funerals, sickness, new babies, moving in or out, you name it - everyone has macaroni and cheese, squash casserole and a pudding, cake or cobbler ready to bring over.
2. We can run a red light and with a straight face defend ourselves by insisting it was a slow yellow.  (We say it "yella" but you know what I mean.)  Tickets for running red lights are pretty much unheard of in these parts.
3. It is assumed you are from around here unless you happen to speak first and your accent betrays you.  Upon being introduced, you may hear the question, "Now who are your people?"  If you don't have people from these parts, you'll both prod around until you find some mutual acquaintances.  If the search is fruitless, you will be asked/told "You ain't from around here, are ya?" It's a rhetorical question. Just smile apologetically.
4. They replace the Christmas clearance items with garden seeds at the store.  We don't do winter.
5. Meat 'n threes.  The meat will be barbeque, ham, or chicken.  The three sides will vary, depending on the eatery and the time of year.  But there are no bad choices among the sides, so go ahead and pick three.  Sweet tea will go well with this dinner.  Save room for homemade pie.
6. Crepe myrtles bloom all summer and fall.  Sorry y'all can't grow them up north or out west but do come visit us in the summer and enjoy the view.
7. We take tradition and history extremely seriously.  Drive down the main thoroughfare of any southern burg or city and you'll find the oldest homes will be beautifully maintained, even if there are shanties and shacks a block over. 
8. Snow never loses its novelty.  It spellbinds and captivates us.  Literally it captivates us: we can't drive in it, and we barely know what a snowplow or salt truck is.
9. We believe fireworks are not just for the 4th of July.  They're also for Christmas, New Year's, and really anytime you feel like setting some off.  That's why we sell them year-round, alongside beer and gasoline and cigarettes at every convenience store.
10. SEC football.  Yes, football is played in other parts of the country, but the combination of fierce loyalty and the rich history and traditions of southern football combine to makes the SEC like no other.  Basketball runs a close second although there are some decent yankee teams.

But most of all I love the South because it accepted and nurtured me.  It took a while for my roots to sink into that hard red clay, but I'm a happy transplant. Whenever I finally shuffle off this mortal coil, just please dig up some of that red clay to bury my remains.