Four Weeks To Go ~ Blog 25

Muhahahahahahahahahaha.

As a kid, Christmas lasted about an hour and a half. The fun part was from 5 a.m. 'til, at the latest, 7 a.m. Wrapping paper went flying. Our stockings had Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and jelly beans.

As a childless adult, Christmas is trickier to navigate. Some would argue it's not age appropriate to ask for table hockey games that are somehow the exact same price they were 25 years ago. (Seriously, are they somehow immune to price inflation?)

I have been rightly accused of being Grinchy because I don't want presents at Christmas time, and for a long time I've acted the part. When we lived in Utah, it was easy to be bugged by Christmas because it made me aware of my religious differences with my Mormon friends. The Wife and I toured incredible light display at the Salt Lake Temple one year, but I felt out of place. We never saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir do holiday music because, in part, I don't know the vast majority of the songs they sing.

Boston is more familiar. The 50-foot Christmas tree at Quincy (pronounced 'Quin-zee,' to TW's annoyance) is awesome, with a light show coordinated to the music from the Boston Pops. Downtown is bustling with shoppers and sales.

Then there is the literal Grinch. The Broadway musical based on the Seuss book is in town; TW and I went to the show Saturday night with our new BFFs from the neighborhood. It was a delight, though you honestly don't realize how few words you know to the song, "You're a Mean One, Mister Grinch," until you try to sing along with it.

"You’re a foul one Mr. Grinch

You’re a nasty wasty skunkYour heart is full of unwashed socks,Your soul is full of gunk Mr. Grinch"


After the show, we walked around the corner to diner, then walked to Finale, a Boston restaurant that specializes in chocolate deserts and hot toddies. We road the subway home.

It occurred to me during the show: What if I actually like the Christmas season, I just don't like buying or receiving presents? That's not even a complete statement. It's not that I don't want presents, it's that I don't want anything (or, at least, nothing I'm willing to admit to on this blog).

The Grinch was fun. The Christmas tree at Quin-zee is huge (TW asked if they chopped down a giant redwood in California and shipped it here). I bought several pairs of pants for myself during a Christmas sale.

Maybe my heart isn't two sizes too small, after all.