Wow…just one week after launching this blog, I’ve already broken my own personal commitment of updating it at least once a week. I can try and make excuses (e.g. I just had my fourth chemo treatment a week ago and it took me an entire week to fully recover), but really, I just haven’t had a whole lot to say. Then I remembered that it is December.
Ahhh…December. I know that it’s beyond cliché to say this, but I really do love the holidays. Between the lights and decorations, the music and cheesy Rankin/Bass Christmas specials (I absolutely cannot get enough of Mr. Heatmeiser – he’s second only to the dancing in the Charlie Brown Christmas special), the parties and get-togethers, I just love the festive spirit the holiday season brings. And, in NYC, it seems like the festive spirit is in overdrive – especially in Midtown (we live right on the far western edge of Midtown near Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center) where we get the craziness of Rockefeller Center and Radio City, the decked out lobbies of business offices and of course, the stores. I always get a little sad in January when everyone takes down the lights and decorations; at least in December, it may be cold but at least it’s festive. In January, it’s just cold…
Eric and I have yet to put up our tree; we will most likely do that tomorrow. However, we have put up the rest of our holiday decorations – consisting mostly of various snowmen. The snowman has always been my favorite holiday icon, a sentiment that is shared by me, my mother and my sister. There’s just something much cuter about a snowman than say, Santa. They’re both fat and happy, but something about Santa has always creeped me out – I feel the same way about clowns. I do, however, know where my bias against Santa stems from, and I have my parents to thank for it.
When I was a kid, my mother always decorated my bedroom for Christmas. My favorite decoration was this little plastic snowhouse that lit up from the inside. I suppose that it was the North Pole. I always loved it because it looked so warm and cozy; I would imagine sitting in while drinking hot chocolate looking at the chubby little snowman through the window. My least favorite decoration was this:
Yes everyone, this is the world’s creepiest Santa Claus. This grotesque representation of Père Noël terrified me every December throughout my childhood (this was actually tied with the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz in terms of terrifying me). With his red cheeks, weirdly offset vacant (and slightly different colored) eyes, and gold-tinted beard, this Styrofoam monstrosity stared down at me while I tried in vain to sleep. At first, I was too short to reach it to take it down, and then later, I was too embarrassed to admit to my parents that I was afraid of the Santa head in my room. The only good thing was that my mother hung this behind my door, so if I gave up my privacy and slept with my door open, I wouldn’t have to see this ghoulish menace…to this day, I still sleep with my bedroom door open.
As I got older, I started decorating my bedroom on my own and conveniently “forgot” to hang up the Santa head (however, I always put the plastic snowhouse right next to my bed). Fortunately, my parents didn’t hang it up in the house either. Years passed and the Santa head disappeared from our annual holiday decorations. When I was in college, I finally admitted to my family how much that Santa scared me and we’ve laughed about it every Christmas since then – gone but not forgotten.
So, imagine my surprise when I opened a package from my parents last week and saw those repugnant blue eyes staring back at me. Yep, the Styrofoam head that traumatized my childhood every Christmas was back…and was every bit as horrifying as I remember. Oddly, I just can’t get myself to throw it away despite the fact that I still find it incredibly creepy. While Eric does not find it quite as scary as I do, he does like to place it in different spots around the apartment, so that I am always surprised – his little contribution to increasing the festive holiday spirit.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Ahhh…December. I know that it’s beyond cliché to say this, but I really do love the holidays. Between the lights and decorations, the music and cheesy Rankin/Bass Christmas specials (I absolutely cannot get enough of Mr. Heatmeiser – he’s second only to the dancing in the Charlie Brown Christmas special), the parties and get-togethers, I just love the festive spirit the holiday season brings. And, in NYC, it seems like the festive spirit is in overdrive – especially in Midtown (we live right on the far western edge of Midtown near Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center) where we get the craziness of Rockefeller Center and Radio City, the decked out lobbies of business offices and of course, the stores. I always get a little sad in January when everyone takes down the lights and decorations; at least in December, it may be cold but at least it’s festive. In January, it’s just cold…
Eric and I have yet to put up our tree; we will most likely do that tomorrow. However, we have put up the rest of our holiday decorations – consisting mostly of various snowmen. The snowman has always been my favorite holiday icon, a sentiment that is shared by me, my mother and my sister. There’s just something much cuter about a snowman than say, Santa. They’re both fat and happy, but something about Santa has always creeped me out – I feel the same way about clowns. I do, however, know where my bias against Santa stems from, and I have my parents to thank for it.
When I was a kid, my mother always decorated my bedroom for Christmas. My favorite decoration was this little plastic snowhouse that lit up from the inside. I suppose that it was the North Pole. I always loved it because it looked so warm and cozy; I would imagine sitting in while drinking hot chocolate looking at the chubby little snowman through the window. My least favorite decoration was this:
Yes everyone, this is the world’s creepiest Santa Claus. This grotesque representation of Père Noël terrified me every December throughout my childhood (this was actually tied with the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz in terms of terrifying me). With his red cheeks, weirdly offset vacant (and slightly different colored) eyes, and gold-tinted beard, this Styrofoam monstrosity stared down at me while I tried in vain to sleep. At first, I was too short to reach it to take it down, and then later, I was too embarrassed to admit to my parents that I was afraid of the Santa head in my room. The only good thing was that my mother hung this behind my door, so if I gave up my privacy and slept with my door open, I wouldn’t have to see this ghoulish menace…to this day, I still sleep with my bedroom door open.
As I got older, I started decorating my bedroom on my own and conveniently “forgot” to hang up the Santa head (however, I always put the plastic snowhouse right next to my bed). Fortunately, my parents didn’t hang it up in the house either. Years passed and the Santa head disappeared from our annual holiday decorations. When I was in college, I finally admitted to my family how much that Santa scared me and we’ve laughed about it every Christmas since then – gone but not forgotten.
So, imagine my surprise when I opened a package from my parents last week and saw those repugnant blue eyes staring back at me. Yep, the Styrofoam head that traumatized my childhood every Christmas was back…and was every bit as horrifying as I remember. Oddly, I just can’t get myself to throw it away despite the fact that I still find it incredibly creepy. While Eric does not find it quite as scary as I do, he does like to place it in different spots around the apartment, so that I am always surprised – his little contribution to increasing the festive holiday spirit.
Happy Holidays everyone!
3 comments:
Christmas and Halloween together at last! Just like bacon and chocolate, as well as nuts and gum!
Mmm... nuts and gum...
Did I ever tell you that you're a fabulous writer?!! Oh and I can't believe I'll get to see the creepy Santa...
Santa looks eerily like Socrates...
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