Thursday, December 23, 2021

Notify, Holiday Edition

Greetings, merry makers. 

Here's hoping all the gheorghies are about done with the shopping and prepping and can start to hunker down, be around loves ones, and enjoy the festivities.

I myself am not close to that.

While my Christmas shopping has pretty much been done for a few days now, I decided to throw an open house on Christmas Eve for a few friends and family to pop by. As such, the scramble to buy and prepare food, beverage, and decorations goes on and on. My to-do list is still long and distinguished. 

Who knew that people would actually be available on December 24 for some nog and grog by the Yule log?

I failed to mention it to you, but all gheorghies are welcome. Last names and numerical indicators have been whited out, but if your sleigh is nearby, come on by.

Why would I subject myself to this overly hectic stress and rather steep expense?

I may have mentioned this more than once here, but this year I am spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning with my daughters for the first time since 2008. Divorce sucks any way you slice it, but this part has always been one of the worst components for me. I cannot overstate the seasonal depression that I inflicted on myself because of missing them in this 24-hour period year after year. It's just a night, just a morning, I know. But it has sucked not seeing the glee and awe in their faces from ages 6 and 8 through 17 and 19. 

But through a confluence of events, this year is different. And the three of us are thoroughly excited. Add in the Whitdog's superfun gf and we got ourselves a throwdown coming tomorrow night.

Grateful is not a string enough word. Ecstatic. So much so that I am grinning through all (most) to the nuisances to get things ready to sparkle tomorrow evening. I've had carols and holiday tunes on the Sonos speakers throughout the house for days. I bought a full-size tree for the first time in years. I've gone a bit overboard on gifts for the girls, and we're all wont to do now and again. And we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye.

Merry Christmas, friends. I love the gheorghie gang.

Such gratitude makes us want to pay it forward, or give a little back. It makes me think of an enormous outpouring one holiday season 37 years ago. Since you can't listen to the extended version (with Phil Collins crushing it on drums) on Spotify, here's a little Not-ify for you, Geldof style.


And here's the documentary on the making of this song, which is still my favorite holiday tune of them all, edging out Bing/Bowie's LDB and Dino doing Let It Snow³.

Peace, gheorghies.

17 comments:

  1. awesome - beyond happy for your happy.

    and very much questioning your choice of favorite christmas tune. that's some treacly shit right there.

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  2. Seems I’m up for day 8. Finally done with Xmas shopping and wrapping so I should be good to post tomorrow.

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  3. This is some good shit. Enjoy.

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  4. are you answering a future question?

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  5. I also went overboard for the kids this year. Not for any reason other than it’s a better year than 2020 and I’m grateful to be able to do it. We always split Xmas with our oldest because of my wife’s first marriage and it always sucks but it’s great to have her and for her to want to be with us.

    Super happy for you, Whit. Even more so. Is that I’ve met your kids (who are very kind and cool). Have a blast tomorrow night. I FaceTime you from New Orleans next week.

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  6. This year we went underboard. zdaughter found her baby teeth in my desk drawer and immediately realized that we've been lying to her about all these unseen benefactors. As a result we told both zkids that they will get one big gift they want and a bunch of socks and other crap they need but don't want.

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  7. Cheers Whit!

    As to the rest of you, cheers as well, but with a bit less enthusiasm since it’s not your post.

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  8. What a great feel good story! Cheers Whit good for you.

    Ima bout to feel good when I drink this Treehouse Very Hazy 🍻

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  9. What fun! And really joyous for you to celebrate, Whit. I know I’m only “GH: TB adjacent” but living close by, it’d be fun to drop in — being Christmas Eve not really plausible (work and all), so raise a glass for us and enjoy this wonderful year!

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  10. Thanks, guys. You all make me feel good. And Mark, that was a fun mixing of worlds. To be repeated.

    Donna, the welcome mat is always open!

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  11. Christmas Eve snow, another Gheorghemas miracle. Less miraculous is zwoman's dog's continuing refusal to observe daylight savings. The dog is confused by snow too,

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  12. no snow here. i am doing some early morning gift wrapping. we're having my cousin's over tonight, despite the fact that the whole state has covid (including my brother, for the second time and my buddy connell, for the second time) so we've got some serious house prep and cooking to do today . . . but my dog understands daylight savings-- she is still sleeping.

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  13. I tried to buy some traditional Italian holiday desserts from a bakery yesterday. The shelves were almost completely empty, except for a few gingerbread men and one semi-Christmas-y looking cake that had “Happy Birthday, Ginger” written on it.

    I imagine the next phase of the covid apocalypse will feature middle aged men fighting in the parking lot over this cake, streamed via instagram with the community placing bets on the winner through online sports books.

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  14. Additional Italian humbuggery comes from Bishop Antonio Staglianò of Noto, Sicily, who told a group of kids recently that Santa isn't real and his outfit was designed by the Coca-Cola company. Not wrong, but also not very nice.

    Merry Gheorge-mas!

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  15. New post dropping soon. I’m the absentee Dad who shows up with gifts on Xmas eve.

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