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December 2017

A HighBall With Andy’s Mom

It was the first and only Christmas I’d get to see Andy’s Mom. The year was 2000 – which in many ways seems a lifetime ago, and then again just like yesterday, so vivid is my memory of this night. We were stopping by Andy’s parents’ home to drop off gifts and wish them a Merry Christmas. It was my first time meeting his mother – I’d only just corresponded with her via a shared love for reading at that point (I’d given her a copy of ‘The God in Flight’ by Laura Argiri and she wrote back her notes and opinion of it. A rather bold choice of mine, considering all the gay sex in it, but she was unbothered and unfazed by it – only remarking that some of the more graphic moments might be better left out.) I knew then that we’d get along famously. Though I may have jumped the gun a little on that first meeting.

We sat down at their little kitchen table. Andy’s Mom asked if we wanted anything to drink. (He’d told me it would be ok to request an adult beverage, or I never would have suggested it.) I said a highball would be great, then proceeded to take it a little too far. What I planned on saying, and the sentence that was formulated in my head was, ‘Andy says you enjoy a good drink’ but what came out was, “Andy said you liked to drink!”

She looked at me for a second, then bent down to her son and whispered, “I’ll let that go since it’s Christmas.”

It was the perfect first meeting, and sadly one of our last, but it remains a fond Christmas memory, a way of holding onto our past, of bridging our time with lost loved ones. And it still makes Andy and I chuckle whenever we think about it.

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Andy Getting Dog-Kissed

This is one of my favorite photos of Andy. He is in the red, getting kissed by the dog. It’s a veritable winter wonderland, and would make a lovely vintage Christmas card if he sent any out. (A far cry from the cards I typically send out…) I love the red building in the background, lit up by the sun and echoing Andy’s red coat. It’s the perfect encapsulation of holiday warmth, childhood innocence, and snow-day exuberance. I even like the scratches on it – they prove that this photo was much beloved by others as well, perhaps held in their hands and passed around with joy and laughter.

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A Christmas Song to Set the Season Right

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping at your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

This weekend marks my Holiday Stroll with Kira – a tradition we’ve managed to keep intact since 2011 or 2012. It’s grown into something entirely too structured and planned-out, a notion I realized last year when my elaborate itinerary, printed out of thick green yardstick, fell completely by the wayside and we ended up doing perhaps two out of ten things. This year, I have no formal schedule (though I may make a loose one – a life wholly lacking planning or foresight is a life not worth living). We shall play it largely by ear. The only definite is that I’ll be cooking dinner for Kira in a double-purpose evening (celebrating the season and her much-belated birthday). Cross your fingers that I can manage a roasted chicken. 

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright,
Tiny tots with their eyes all a-glow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.
They know that Santa’s on his way
He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh,
And ev’ry mother’s child is gonna spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.

We will also, at some point, watch ‘The Man Who Came To Dinner’ and pause it during the ice-skating scene to enjoy (or force down) a couple of baked sweet potatoes (see the movie for the reference). The general goal of this year’s holiday stroll weekend is to keep things closer to home, finding a way of slowing down and relaxing at the condo rather than bustling about when the weather can be so changeable. Kira and I haven’t seen each other since early fall, so quality quiet time will not be a bad thing. The condo is already done up in its holiday garb (the decorations extend into the bathroom this year) so all we need to do it show up and enjoy. (See, planning pays off.)

And so I’m offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although it’s been said
Many times, Many ways
Merry Christmas to you.

Enjoy this first weekend of December. We’ll regroup and rehash how it all went in a little while. 

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