Ah YESSS!!! Here comes one of my favorite holidays: Halloween. It’s such a great holiday, dedicated to fun, the acquisition of industrial quantities of candy (even if you are too old to trick or treat, you can stand there with an enormous bowl of it, to hand it out, and eat half of it yourself….just checking it out!!!). Kids get to wear silly costumes, so do adults, the whole thing has always seemed like so much fun to me. And as I’ve told you, we’ve had some memorable costumes in the family. One of my favorites was my oldest daughter’s orange dyed face (she was a pumpkin that year), which wouldn’t wash off for 2 weeks (and she had to explain at work, since she was in her 20’s by then). » read more »
Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category
July 4th in Paris
Posted on July 9, 2012
Hi Everyone,
I always give a small dinner party in Paris on July 4th, for close friends. It just seems fun to celebrate it, so the day doesn’t go unnoticed while I’m in France. Usually, I do it at home and serve hamburgers. This time, I did it at one of my favorite restaurants, where the food is very French. But I had red, white and blue flowers on the table, with little American flags in them. And being a child at heart, I LOVE party favors, and use any excuse to have them: Halloween, Easter, Valentine’s Day. I love silly light up things, things that sparkle, little teddy bears, wind up chicks on the table at Easter. For July 4th, » read more »
Filed Under Holidays, Paris, Uncategorized | 4 Comments
Resurrection
Posted on April 2, 2012
As you know, I don’t like intruding on anyone’s thoughts about religion, as it’s a very private thing. But certain words resonate for all of us, whatever our beliefs, and as much as I like the whimsical side of Easter (my family and I wear bunny ears every year at Easter brunch, and I can never resist chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies and eggs!!!)—-but in spite of that less serious note, the concept of ‘resurrection’ resonates deeply for me every year. » read more »
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The Big V
Posted on February 13, 2012
Recently someone shared with me that they’d been told that I like ‘atmosphere’ when I write, I supposedly burn scented candles, keep the lights low, play soft music, drink some wine and a lot of coffee, and get in the mood to write. I don’t know where they heard that, but I was just stunned when they said it. I’m very leery of candles, and extremely careful of them, because I was in a fire at the age of 5. I emerged unscathed, but with a memory of it that has never left me, I have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in every room. I’ve never liked drinking, and haven’t had a drink since I was l7, I haven’t had real coffee in about 30 years (it jangles me), I can’t write if there are distractions (like noise or music), and I like bright light while I work. It shows that you really can’t believe all that you read. The person who described that scene to me was quite shocked that none of it is true, and the only ‘mood’ I get in when I’m writing is that of discipline, intense » read more »
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A Christmas Story
Posted on January 9, 2012
Hi Everyone,
I hope you survived the holidays, that they were better than expected, and if not, that you’re happy they’re behind you, and we can move ahead into a new year.
I’ve been busy. My children were home for ten days, which was absolutely wonderful; we had a good time together. And although we all dreaded this Christmas, as the first one without their father, we got through it, and it turned out to be much sweeter than expected, with a few tears and many bittersweet memories, and some real fun too. (We played games at the dinner table on Christmas Eve this year, with some fairly rude prizes, and laughed a lot. Irreverence and laughter was the perfect antidote to sadness, and carried the day.) And being together as a family was a real blessing. » read more »
Filed Under Holidays | 16 Comments
Round Two: New Year’s Eve
Posted on December 26, 2011
There are two days of the year that I find particularly challenging, and have had some serious battles with: Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve. We all know and are told how we’re supposed to feel on those two days: madly in love on Valentine’s Day, surrounded by bouquets of flowers, with enough chocolates to keep you with a mouthful of chocolate for a year, or if you’re a single woman, maybe an engagement ring. And married or single, the man you love is supposed to come through on Valentine’s Day and prove that he adores you. Yeah, well, good luck to you!!! Most of the men I know, married or not, either forget the day, or avoid it like the plague. And as one of my men friends says, guys just don’t care about chocolates and flowers. (I won’t tell you what he said they really do care about, you can figure that one out for yourself, but it was neither chocolates, nor flowers, no surprise there). So let’s face it, the chances of Valentine’s Day being fabulous are not fantastic. I got one marriage proposal on Valentine’s Day which resulted in 18 years of marriage and 8 kids, so I figure I used up all my tickets on that one, and Valentine’s Day hasn’t been too impressive ever since. I can live with it. » read more »
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The Big One: Round One
Posted on December 19, 2011
Whatever your religious or non-religious convictions, the holidays hit most of us pretty hard. I know very few people who can thread their way through these loaded days, go on with their golf game, reading the newspaper, or cleaning their oven, without being at least somewhat impacted by these important days. (And if you can get by without being shaken up by them, more power to you!!!). It’s not just about the hype of what we’re supposed to expect, or how great it’s going to be (maybe), or the present you desperately want (and you get a poinsettia instead, or a fruitcake—I HATE fruitcake!! It’s not chocolate. If I’m going to pile on calories, let it be on something chocolate, not dried fruit). Our expectations start building in our childhoods, and even as adults, there’s a little kid in us that wants it to be perfect, for Santa to know just what we want and show up with it, and all the people we love to be nice to us. Sometimes all of that happens, and sometimes it just doesn’t, and when it doesn’t, we get sad. And important holidays seem to magnify everything we feel: Either REALLY happy, or really sad. » read more »
Filed Under Family, Holidays, Uncategorized | 10 Comments
Uh Oh…….Here They Come Again!!!
Posted on November 21, 2011
Hi Everyone,
For the past several years, I’ve been spending Halloween in Europe, and finally this year, the inevitable happened….with one ‘child’ (my youngest) a senior in college, four others in their early twenties, and the oldest three grown up and married…..NONE of my children dressed up for Halloween this year. I never thought that day would come, and just thinking about it, a bevy of their costumes come to mind….the Octopus in Little Mermaid…..the Little Mermaid herself….(the hooker in “Pretty Woman”…oops), witches, nuns, the year my oldest daughter dressed up as a pumpkin, with green dyed hair and an orange face, and then couldn’t get the orange dye off her face for 2 weeks…her boyfriend dressing up as her dog, dropping plastic ‘fleas’ all over the house….vampires, fake blood, and finally, my own Grand Finale dressed as a Whoopi Cushion a few years ago. Definitely, some memorable moments. I’m actually really sad to see this era end. But there it is….no more Halloween costumes for us. It took a while, many, many years in fact. And for all those years, they started planning their Halloween costumes as soon as summer came to an end. » read more »
Filed Under Family, Holidays | 9 Comments
Great Expectations: “That was then. This is now.”
Posted on May 16, 2011
I recently had an interesting experience about motherhood, and really more about expectations, and what happens when we let them go.
One of my favorite holidays is Mother’s Day—because I get celebrated, get presents and don’t have to get a year older. Wow! Talk about a great deal. And my kids have always given me fabulous mother’s days, and having nine kids made that a pretty exciting day. But kids grow up, mine live in three cities, all are busy with lives and careers, some have kids, and it’s not as easy anymore to get together for Mother’s Day. » read more »
Filed Under Holidays, Kids | 3 Comments
Valentine’s Day
Posted on February 14, 2011
Now there’s a big subject. A BIG subject. Valentine’s Day. And people think I know about these things. I’m not so sure I do. I’ve told some of you before, I got off to a rocky start with Valentine’s Day, I was the only girl in 3rd grade who didn’t get a Valentine. It sucked. But I was only 8 then, so at least there was some excuse. And since then, I had one marriage proposal » read more »
Filed Under Holidays | 4 Comments