The holiday season is upon us. Literally. Thanksgiving is only weeks away, and Christmas is right around the corner.
For John and I, this time of the year is always hectic. I know it's hectic for everyone, but I feel it's doubly, or even triple-y, hectic for us. Not only do we have Thanksgiving and Christmas, but November 11 is our "dating anniversary", December 11 is my birthday and December 8 is my nephew's birthday. Plus, John's sister and brother-in-law also have birthdays in December.
Regardless of the craziness the holidays bring, I cannot wait for this time of year. It always seems to arrive quicker and pass faster with each year, but I still count down the days like a small child.
This year, especially, is going to be a special holiday season. For John and I, it's our last "single" Christmas. This time next year, we'll be preparing for our own holiday season in our own home. When I think about how we'll decorate our future home, what kind of traditions we'll do, I get really excited. There is so much to look forward to.
John and I will have been together four years next week. This Christmas will mark our fifth together. So far, we have mostly participated in my family's traditions. When we first met, John was amazed at the "togetherness" of my family. We have a lot of traditions, and we take them seriously. John's childhood, while still very good, was very different. When I asked him "How would you describe your family's holiday traditions?" his response was, "MY family's traditions? Nonexistent." I think you get the picture.
We generally eat Thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house, where there is, naturally, turkey, stuffing, potatoes, green bean casserole, and of course my mom's French Apple Pie.
In the days before Christmas, my mom and I make our traditional Christmas dinner: Tortellini. We make the pasta and filling (pork) from scratch, and we spend a day listening to Christmas music and drinking pink wine while we assemble quart after quart of tortellini. We also, of course, decorate the tree and the house to the nines.
We (usually) spend Christmas Eve with my family. For as long as I can remember, my family has gone to church and then either hosted or gone to Christmas Eve dinner with the same family we have been friends with forever. My dad (still) reads Twas the Night Before Christmas. Cookies are put out for Santa (what, he still doesn't come to your house?), stockings are filled, and we all go off to bed buzzed on our cocktails of choice and full from a great meal.
Christmas morning is spent leisurely opening presents. We have always opened presents together, taking turns, so everyone can see what everyone else got. We have an order, usually youngest to oldest. We have breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, raisin and oatmeal toast, juice and coffee. The rest of the day is spent rocking out to Christmas music, playing with new toys, taking a walk around the neighborhood, and just being together. For dinner, the tortellini is cooked in chicken broth and served like a soup, best eaten with a little Parmesan cheese, homemade bread and a good wine.
These are just a few of my favorite holiday traditions John and I have been participating in that I hope to carry over into our family. I love these traditions, and I hope (I think) John does too. With that said, I definitely want to create some traditions unique to us and our family.
What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? How did you blend your family's and his family's traditions? Did you create any of your own, and if so, what are they?
(All this talking about the holidays has me super ready for them. Although, Christmas cookies and fudge and all the other goodies aren't going to help me look good in my wedding dress. Maybe I should ask Santa for willpower this year.)
Friday, November 5, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
#20, or where has Pinot Noir been all my life?
This blog, for those who care, was originally about more than just my wedding. It was about something bigger, something more potentially life changing. Well, I seem to have fallen off the bandwagon (as I am wont to do, really), but I'm putting my foot down now. Let me just have a glass of wine.
But not just any wine. Red wine. Something that, up until a couple days ago, I hated. First of all, it's served room temperature, and I really hate that. I like my drinks hot or cold, depending on what it is, i.e. coffee or tea either way, water cold, hot chocolate, well hot. Second, the taste. For me, red wine always looks really good. I mean, it's a gorgeous drink, a really beautiful color, and god knows I love the look of wine glasses. So all in all, very pretty. It looks like it should taste fantastic, and I suppose to many people it is. But you know when you see something that looks really good, and you are really excited about until you actually take a bite, and you find it's nothing like you expected, and you really don't like it? You know that face you make when that happens? That's the face I make when I drink red wine.
But there is something so romantic about it to me. I've always thought it was a really adult thing to do, to go to a restaurant and drink red wine. I don't know why I think this, but it's something I associate with being an adult (I know, there are teenagers across the globe drinking cheap Merlot out of plastic cups who are definitely not adults). It's a sophisticated drink. To me, it says, "I'm an adult who knows what I'm talking about." Even if you really don't (and I know most probably don't, but bear with me).
Most of the time I feel like I'm just pretending to be an adult. I'm 23, almost 24. I have two degrees. I manage to make some money freelancing while job hunting. I can do my own laundry without losing socks (a real triumph), and I'm getting married, but I still feel like a kid. Whenever I go out with John's friends, who are all slightly older than me, I feel like I'm masquerading as one of them.
Which, in some ways, is kind of funny, because I don't know I've ever seen any of them drinking red wine. I'm pretty sure I've seen more of my age friends drinking red wine than his, but still, this is how I perceive it.
So, the other night, I decided to go out on a limb and give it another try. While at the grocery store, I purchased a bottle of Pinot Noir.
The (Illustrated) Story of Us: Pinot Noir & Me
I chose this specific type of red wine because I really like Pinot Grigio, so it seemed like a good place to start. I chose this brand because I really like its Pinot Grigio. And it was seven bucks, and that's about all I was willing to spend.
I carefully read the bottle. As you do. Well, at least as I do.
And then I took a sip.
And another.
And another.
The verdict?
I liked it. Even better, I really liked it. I might even say I love it. I could go as far to see it might be my new favorite drink, but my love for vodka tonics is long and strong, so I don't know about that. But I definitely enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.
I was honestly I little surprised it was as easy as this. I don't know if it was the kind of wine, the brand, the fact that no one is breathing down my neck asking, "Did you like it?" or what. But regardless, I like it. Maybe it's psychosomatic, but I really don't care. Even if I never find another kind of red wine I enjoy, I'll always have Bella Sera Pinot Noir.
And no, I don't automatically feel like an adult, but I do feel a little more sophisticated, a little more exciting, and adult-ish. Which is better than pseudo adult any day.
But not just any wine. Red wine. Something that, up until a couple days ago, I hated. First of all, it's served room temperature, and I really hate that. I like my drinks hot or cold, depending on what it is, i.e. coffee or tea either way, water cold, hot chocolate, well hot. Second, the taste. For me, red wine always looks really good. I mean, it's a gorgeous drink, a really beautiful color, and god knows I love the look of wine glasses. So all in all, very pretty. It looks like it should taste fantastic, and I suppose to many people it is. But you know when you see something that looks really good, and you are really excited about until you actually take a bite, and you find it's nothing like you expected, and you really don't like it? You know that face you make when that happens? That's the face I make when I drink red wine.
But there is something so romantic about it to me. I've always thought it was a really adult thing to do, to go to a restaurant and drink red wine. I don't know why I think this, but it's something I associate with being an adult (I know, there are teenagers across the globe drinking cheap Merlot out of plastic cups who are definitely not adults). It's a sophisticated drink. To me, it says, "I'm an adult who knows what I'm talking about." Even if you really don't (and I know most probably don't, but bear with me).
Most of the time I feel like I'm just pretending to be an adult. I'm 23, almost 24. I have two degrees. I manage to make some money freelancing while job hunting. I can do my own laundry without losing socks (a real triumph), and I'm getting married, but I still feel like a kid. Whenever I go out with John's friends, who are all slightly older than me, I feel like I'm masquerading as one of them.
Which, in some ways, is kind of funny, because I don't know I've ever seen any of them drinking red wine. I'm pretty sure I've seen more of my age friends drinking red wine than his, but still, this is how I perceive it.
So, the other night, I decided to go out on a limb and give it another try. While at the grocery store, I purchased a bottle of Pinot Noir.
The (Illustrated) Story of Us: Pinot Noir & Me
I chose this specific type of red wine because I really like Pinot Grigio, so it seemed like a good place to start. I chose this brand because I really like its Pinot Grigio. And it was seven bucks, and that's about all I was willing to spend.
I carefully read the bottle. As you do. Well, at least as I do.
And then I took a sip.
And another.
And another.
The verdict?
I liked it. Even better, I really liked it. I might even say I love it. I could go as far to see it might be my new favorite drink, but my love for vodka tonics is long and strong, so I don't know about that. But I definitely enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.
I was honestly I little surprised it was as easy as this. I don't know if it was the kind of wine, the brand, the fact that no one is breathing down my neck asking, "Did you like it?" or what. But regardless, I like it. Maybe it's psychosomatic, but I really don't care. Even if I never find another kind of red wine I enjoy, I'll always have Bella Sera Pinot Noir.
And no, I don't automatically feel like an adult, but I do feel a little more sophisticated, a little more exciting, and adult-ish. Which is better than pseudo adult any day.
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