Due to the fact that I’m a Jew, and I am still coping with grief, I have an incredibly complicated relationship with this time of year. Last year, the holiday season was horrible. I was bombarded with Christmas greetings and music and messages and, more than once, I ended up in a puddle of tears…
I’m not going to lie – this Christmas season was hellish for me. For one, I obviously don’t celebrate the holiday and when it’s shoved down my throat everywhere, I get irritated. Anyone who says there’s a “war on Christmas” and that people don’t say “Merry Christmas” anymore has never been a Jew in December.…
We discovered a minor leak inside the Winnebago the day after Thanksgiving. It’s in the spot where the coach and the cab meet and it’s midway down in a corner area. Since we’ve only owned it for a month, even though it’s 12 years old, I was fairly dramatic about it. (“I can’t believe she’s…
Read more Leaking roofs, leaking eyes, and Christmas annoyances
Lately, my conversations with my mom have gone a little like this: Mom: “I sure would love to come out and visit again.” Me: “I’d love for you to see western Washington in the fall.” Mom: “I’d really love to come out and celebrate Christmas with you.” Me: “No more Christmases for me, remember?” Mom:…
This post is hard for me to write, but it’s a long time coming. I’ve spent the last several years on a spiritual journey, and I’ve ended up in a lot of dark corners, dead ends, and places that feel suspiciously like Knockturn Alley (from the Harry Potter universe.) I always enter a new part…
Read more Why I’m hitting the “pause” button on my involvement in Christianity
Merry Christmas! To anyone that reads this, I hope that your Christmas (if you celebrate it) was beautiful and completely free of stress. As for us, we couldn’t have asked for a more low-key holiday. Honestly, as the sun slips away and darkness arrives once again, I find myself maudlin.
I made these today and was instantly whisked back to my childhood. I was full of memories of watching my mother make these for the holidays, the scent filling first the kitchen and then the whole house. The rich smell of the nutmeg was a signal to me that Santa was coming soon!
I’m taking a break from dinner preparations to get this post up. I’m having a “Transplant to Seattle” Thanksgiving dinner today at my house, and I’m hosting a few of my co-workers and their spouses who also uprooted their lives this year and moved out here to join our team. Being two thousand miles from…
