A December to Remember

Christmas is well behind us and now we look forward to other holy days. I had every intention throughout the season to post my usual negative nastiness about all the little things I hate about this holiday; the commercialization of Christianity, black Fridays, and every other sort of offense. However, this December hit me hard as no other has for quite sometime.  The month started off with the death and despair of family members, with the defining of friendships, and with the depression that comes with emptiness. Nonetheless, I would not allow myself or my family to be overtaken with grief; we would not wade in a December of despair. The season for us was a mixture of funerals and festivities.

December began with the death of my grandfather. We decided to take my oldest to the funeral to instruct her about loss, life, heaven, and Christ. A day later we would celebrate her sixth birthday with trips to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm. On the home front, I was unwillingly coerced into hanging Christmas lights and decorating our house, but was afterwards delighted to do so when pondering it as a symbol for Christ   being the light of the World.

 I did my best to maintain our annual tradition of going to the Christmas light lane in Alta Loma with old friends the Aguiars and the Hollands.  But I recklessly planned, deciding to go during my work schedule, leaving me only a couple of hours to sleep.  On top of that, we missed the Aguiars and the Hollands were unable to attend because they were dealing with their own health issues. We rushed through the lights so I could get home at a decent hour, and there were hoards of other Christmas well-wishers making the scenes unenjoyable. Nevertheless, I maintained tradition.

We also went to downtown Riverside’s Festival of Lights with our friends the DeShazos. We met up at Tio’s Tacos where the other half of our group received food poisoning to be extracted later that evening. All of us decided to take the kids on a carriage ride where we felt like we had been transported into a Seinfeld episode. The horse kept flatulating throughout the entirety of the ride, thus gagging us throughout the duration of our ride.

I was finally able to attend the play Santa Claus Conquers the Martians at the Maverick Theater in Fullerton. We went with Amy Walton (her husband ended up getting sick the day of, or maybe he was just playing sick to get out of going). The theater was small, but they served beer which made up for the cramped space. The performance was everything I was hoping for and more; a little bit campy and hilarious. It was a good deal like being at a SNL skit that ran for over an hour.  Four thumbs up! The theater also does a rendition of Night of the Living Dead and The Hobbit (which I might take Faith to see once we have read the book).

My wife and I attended a Christmas party with many precious faces from our past,. I was more or less a zombie, just arriving after a long days work, but still it was good to see so many people I remember so fondly. And it was nice to see my lovely wife so lovely.

As a family, we watched Christmas movies, read the Holy Gospels account of the incarnation, and absorbed ourselves in the Royal Hours service at an Eastern Orthodox Church.  We sang Lord Have Mercy, crossed ourselves in the Name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and stood attentive at the Gospel readings.

I finally took my family to the Newport Beach Boat Parade. We caravaned with the Deshazo's and realized when we got there that no one really knew where they were going, as far as trying to find a spot to watch. But it worked out well, we found a nice little parking lot where the Piaggio's taco truck had set up. They offered Brazilian / Argentinean tacos and other delicacies. The only bummer about the site was that it was the tail end of the parade, so we had to wait hours to see anything. But overall, it was a great time hanging out with friends. 

We participated in another family tradition,  it was our family’s turn to assist my grandmother in the making of Swedish Potato Sausage. Faith, my six year old, helped grind the potatoes and onions. Then we used my grandmother’s ancient sausage stuffer (as she snobbily refused our invitation to bring our more efficient technololigically advanced Kitchenaid mixer…tradition) to push through the meat and potatoes into pig intestines.

I was supposed to work Christmas Eve and Christmas, but was fortunate to be able to take off both days at the last minute.  Thus, I was able to see my girls’ faces burst into beautifully radiant glows as they ripped open presents.  I was able to spend my days in the good company of family, eating, embracing, laughing, and loving.

Kellee and Faith finally persuaded me to take them to the ice rink in downtown Riverside. Not that I joined in the fun mind you. But me and Verity did watch and cheer them on excitedly. For her first time, Faith did pretty well, though she only managed a couple of laps around the rink all the while holding the sides. But, I can't complain, she did much better than me. My first time on an ice rink, I busted my head wide open within the first ten seconds. Now you know why I have such an aversion to ice.

It took awhile, but we were finally able to meet up with the Aguiars. We went to my favorite taco stand, Viva Villa, where I finally mustered the courage to try the Buche. Our children exchanged gifts and we exchanged the warmth of friendship. As we caught up with each others lives, our children terrorized the establishment, but no one seemed to mind.

At the end of December, Kellee and I finally had a chance to sit down and watch It’s A Wonderful Life. By the end, water welled in my eyes. The movie hit home, like George Bailey of Bedford Falls, I am the richest man in town.