Our Christmas tree angel is a little tipsy. I’ll include a picture here so you know I speak the truth. It may be that she’s just tired of being on her perch for so long. Since Nov. 6, to be exact.
I suppose some people think that it’s way too early to decorate for Christmas, but I have an excuse. We have for years celebrated “Thankmas,” combining Thanksgiving and Christmas for our midwest offspring, since Bing and I, and now just I, go to California to celebrate Christmas with our youngest grandchildren. Now I realize Nov. 6 is still about three weeks ahead of Thanksgiving, and purists might frown at seeing Christmas lights twinkling when there’s hardly been time to put away their Halloween costumes.
I’ve never been very fond of purists, no matter what traditions they espouse. I always feel a little intimidated when told I’m doing something that isn’t quite right. As in, “Well, you know, dear, one never wears white slacks after Labor Day.” I make a point of wearing white slacks after Labor Day, just to spite them.
I managed to put together a fine Thanksgiving dinner, in case you were wondering. I know you probably expected to hear of a culinary disaster or two, since I am prone to them, but nothing went awry. The turkey was perfectly done, the gravy delicious, the stuffing and potatoes, and the rest of the meal were quite edible. Okay, the potatoes were a little runny. More like potato soup, really, but there’s nothing wrong with potato soup, right? Anyway, the dinner was a far cry from the first Thanksgiving meal I ever made.
Bing and I were newlyweds and living in Kansas City. We invited two other couples to celebrate with us. Someone at work told me the best way to cook a turkey was in a sack. So that’s what I did. It came out horribly pale, steamed instead of roasted, the resulting gravy was like lard and just sat unmoving in the gravy boat. Bing said he’d watched his mother make stuffing lots of times, so he chopped up dried slices of bread with great abandon.
I cut the roof of my mouth trying to chew his dressing, and after one bite, everyone else pretended they couldn’t possibly eat any more, they were so full.It was not our finest moment.
Meanwhile, I’m praying our Christmas tree angel won’t continue to tilt to the point that she topples to the floor. I had to climb on a step ladder to put her up there, and I don’t care to do that more than once a season. The ladder is a little unsteady, but don’t tell our children that. They get upset at the littlest things.
I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. I trust your turkey wasn’t steamed and your dressing didn’t break your teeth off.
Who could ask for anything more?
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