Janet

Profile

Username:
juliansmom
Name:
Janet
Location:
Belleville, ON
Birthday:
03/21
Status:
Not Interested

Stats

Post Reads:
20,301
Posts:
35
Last Online:
> 30 days ago
View All »

My Friends

> 30 days ago
> 30 days ago
> 30 days ago
> 30 days ago
> 30 days ago
> 30 days ago
> 30 days ago
> 30 days ago

Subscribe

Julian's Mom

Entertainment > You'll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid
 

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid

I feel as though I should provide a little update before I copy and paste that Christmas thingie from Randy solitaire’s blog. But then that would be a post in and of itself, no? So maybe I’m better to just go ahead and fill this fun little thing-a-ma-gig out and leave it at that. Which is what I’ll do since my computer time is limited (and always precious).

Okay, now we go…

Favourite colour: Pink! Oh yes…pink. I have a pink Christmas tree in my dining room and all of my Christmas decorations in the dining room are pink themed, as well. The living room is more traditional…green and red. The first Christmas after Troy and I separated, I bought that little, pink tree (and it is quite little) and new decorations because even the idea of bringing up the tub of old decorations was too painful to bear. I figured that nothing could be more different…and more of a fresh start…than pink.

Favourite Decoration: That’s a really tough one. Because that’s the thing with starting over and new traditions and such…the memories of the old are still there, aren’t they? The first Christmas that Troy and I were married, we bought a nativity scene. I still have it. I gave everything else away to a friend but I couldn’t part with the porcelain set. It is still my favourite, I think, although I am pretty fond of a red “Believe” stand up sign thing I got last year.

Favourite Hymn: Hands down, “Oh Holy Night”. It makes me cry. Not sure why, but it does.

Favourite Secular Song: “Here Comes Santa Claus”…only not just any version…the Jackson Five version! It is so fantastic (although it also makes me want to cry, slightly, because MJ was a Jehovah’s Witness as a child and did not celebrate Christmas but still had to put out a Christmas album which is sad). I’d try to explain it but wouldn’t do it justice. It’s just really funny and you should listen to it (if you haven’t already).

Favourite Classical Song: Although I am not a huge fan of the song, “Deck the Halls” in general (and does that count as classical? Probably not…but whatever…this is supposed to be fun) but there is one version of it, sang by Willie Nelson that I absolutely adore because it is so organic and pure and just beautiful. Funny story….

I worked in retail for many, many years. One Christmas Eve, that song came on over the sound system and my eyes teared up because it felt so pure in the midst of all that consumerism. Just as I was choking back a little cry, this woman came out of the fitting room and said, loudly, to her friend, “Jesus Christ! That sounds like fucking open mic night at the bar!” I had to laugh. One man’s garbage….

Despised Song: “I’m Dreaming Of A White Christmas”. I live in Ontario. I don’t have to dream….

Tree topper: A star that blinks red and blue. It used to be an angel, but the whole separation, make over thing turned me onto stars…

Christmas Singers Male: Michael Jackson! Ha!

Christmas Singers Female: I don’t think I have one. I just sat here for five minutes thinking. You couldn’t see me do it, but I did. Nope. Don’t have one.

Reindeer: Um, Rudolf, of course. That poor thing. Makes me want to kick some reindeer ass when I think of poor Rudolf….

Story: Away In A Manger. I know it’s a song, but my mother used to tell it to us as a story. She would tell us about Mary riding on a camel, cramping with the pain of labour (as a side note, did you know that the Muslim telling of that story has Mary as a single mother? She travels alone to birth Jesus and relies on the kindness of strangers who give her fruit along the way to sustain her. I’ve always loved that particular telling of the story, even before I was a single parent. Muslim women pray to Mary when they are “with child” that they will have the strength to sustain them through labour) and arriving at the stable and then she would tell us the story of “Away In A Manger”. I was an adult before I realized how she had elaborated on it before she would sing it to us. This is also why I don’t like the song that much…it always feels like they’ve left parts out.

Movie: “One Magic Christmas” which starred Mary Steenburgen and Harry Dean Stanton. He was the Christmas angel, Gideon. I used to watch that movie as a child. My Dad taped it for me from the television. It is still my favourite. But I do love, without a doubt, “A Christmas Story” with Raphie. That Dad cracks me the fuck up. And that little brother, too. It was the subtle humour, more than the obvious stuff, that made that movie so good…for me, at least. Like the bully have yellow eyes…so help me he had yellow eyes!

TV Animation: Arthur’s Perfect Christmas. I adore Arthur. Long before I even thought about having children, I loved Arthur. And I used to watch Arthur’s Perfect Christmas on PBS every year…still do. Only now, of course, I watch it with my little people. I am really big on educating children about different cultures and their celebrations and such and am always disappointed in the public school system for it’s neglect of Canada’s mosaic during the holidays. Arthur’s Perfect Christmas introduces children to several different faiths and winter celebrations without the dreaded undertone of Christmas being the most important.

Dinner: When I was a new vegetarian as a teenager, my mother used to encourage my sister and I to make something fancy for Christmas dinner that was vegetarian so that we wouldn’t have to make due on mashed potatoes and cabbage. One year we made these crepes that were filled with a spinach, cream cheese and nutmeg filling. And oh my, they were good. Really good. I crave them every year but never feel like all of the fuss they take to make. Actually, being vegetarian gave me a whole slew of favourites that we wouldn’t normally have tried. My aunt also made this really kick ass potatoes to give us something a little bit more substantial than riced potatoes. I’ve had really good Christmas dinner at a truck stop. And I’ve had sandwiches from a gas station on Christmas Day, too. It’s not really about the food…

Dessert: When I was a little girl, Christmas dinner always happened at my grandmother’s house (my father’s mother). She made plum pudding. Unfortunately, it raised the bar so high that nothing else will ever come close. Her last Christmas with us, she wasn’t able to do any of the cooking and instead, tried to talk my Aunt through the plum pudding procedure. It was good but it wasn’t Grandma’s. None of us have ever attempted it again and instead have let the plum pudding rest with the memory of my grandmother. Shit. Now I’m getting all teary-eyed. Anyway, because there is no plum pudding anymore, I make an apple pie that my other grandmother used to bake. It’s called “Cream and Crumb Schnitz Pie” and it is so, so, so good.

Beverage: While I try to stay drunk for most of the holiday (ha! Only kidding. I’m drunk most of the time in general….) I really love apple cider. I buy a big jug of it every year and every year, I’m the one who finishes it because nobody else loves it as much as I do. I love it when a plan comes together….

Snack/Treat: Cheese ball! Oh how I love cheese ball. I just buy them from the store because it’s usually cheaper than buying a bunch of different cheeses and obviously a lot more convenient. I have been known to sit at the table, after company has left, with a box of crackers and a knife and sliver and slice away at the cheese ball til it’s all gone. Okay, now I’m not only teary-eyed, I’m also hungry.

Childhood Gift: Every year, my parents made my sister and I a Christmas present. One year it was doll beds and that was pretty awesome. But the best gift was the humungous chalk board they made us and attached to our basement playroom wall. That was never topped.

Adulthood Gift: My daughter’s life. Five years ago, my middle daughter, Erica, was really sick with an ear infection. We took her back and forth to the clinic where the doctors prescribed antibiotics. They didn’t work. The infection spread, eventually turning into a very deadly blood infection. We nearly lost her forever, with the ER doctors telling us that if we had waited even one hour longer before bringing her in, it would have been too late. She stayed in the hospital for about a week…one of the most terrifying weeks of my life…and came home late on Christmas Eve. Just looking at pictures of her two year old self to this day will make my throat knot. She was so sick for so long and we didn’t know it until it was almost too late. Having her home, ALIVE, was a gift.

Best Santa Claus: That’s a weird question. Me, I guess!

Memorable Moment: What? Erica almost dying isn’t good enough? Okay, okay. I’ll think of another one. How about going into the grocery store with Erica the day she came home (we had to stop at the mall because the stupid hospital pharmacy was closed and we needed new, much, much stronger antibiotics for Erica) and the Christmas carols stopping…mid chorus…and Seal’s “Love’s Divine” playing? I’m getting shivers just writing about it. “Then the rain storm came over me…and I felt my spirit fall…” Oh wait. That was still about Erica. Okay…another memorable moment. The year my sister and I bought and stuffed a stocking for my mother. She never had a stocking as a child. In fact, she had a really terrible childhood in general and most of her Christmases as a kid were filled with police officers and abuse and trauma. Christmas is really tough for her and was even tougher when she had to put on her best face for us kids. So, anyway, my sister and I got her a stocking and stuffed it with cheap perfume and chocolates and stuff and gave it to her Christmas morning. I’ll never forget the look on her face before she burst into tears.

Outdoor Activity: Making snowmen.

Best 12 Days: I kinda hate that song. Oh shit! I should have used it for despised song! I forgot that I don’t like it. But the idea of five gold rings doesn’t sound too bad. Or all of those lords a leaping…Can Shemar do some leaping?

Tree? Yes! Two of them!

Cards? Yes, with pictures of my children in each.

Lights? Usually, but not this year. I do have lights on my trees and a few little light up figurine things in the house, but none outdoors.

White? Fuck, yes, it will be white. I can only remember one green Christmas and it was glorious, I tells ya. Glorious.

Fruitcake? Nope. I haven’t had fruitcake in years. Maybe I should get some this year…

And on that sugary note, over to you!

posted on Dec 13, 2010 4:36 PM ()

Comments:

comment by firststarisee on Dec 15, 2010 5:29 AM ()
making your mom a stocking got me all choked up! I always have to do the stocking stuffing and so I have to pick out for myself what goes in my stocking!
comment by elkhound on Dec 14, 2010 5:46 PM ()
Stockings are my favourite part of Christmas. I put a lot of effort into them because I think they're so fun.I got choked up remembering that Christmas with my Mom.
reply by juliansmom on Dec 15, 2010 7:37 AM ()
I made a fruitcake once. It turned out to be a great doorstop. LOL
comment by jondude on Dec 14, 2010 8:22 AM ()
I saw one for sale at the dollar store. I don't think even I would stoop that low...
reply by juliansmom on Dec 14, 2010 11:01 AM ()
Some of this brought tears to my eyes.
comment by elderjane on Dec 14, 2010 7:34 AM ()
Your most recent post did the same thing to me.
reply by juliansmom on Dec 14, 2010 11:00 AM ()
Great answers. I enjoyed your taking the time to do the back story behind them.Have a Merry Christmas.
comment by redimpala on Dec 14, 2010 7:14 AM ()
Thanks...I tend to be pretty long winded.
reply by juliansmom on Dec 14, 2010 10:59 AM ()
I love "O holy night" too. I have probably 25 copies of it done by anyone I can find. Celine Dion who I normally can't listen to does it best in my opinion.
comment by meranda on Dec 14, 2010 7:06 AM ()
Now I want to check out a Christmas Celine Dion CD...thanks for the tip.
reply by juliansmom on Dec 14, 2010 10:59 AM ()
YEAH!!! You did it! And here I thought some of my answers were long! But I enjoyed your details. Here's wishing you another memorable "#######" Christmas. (See, I can say it too!)
comment by solitaire on Dec 14, 2010 6:52 AM ()
Randy, your list was so far from long....one word answers are NOT long.And *some* of my answers were one word...

I don't actually say, "Merry F.u.c.k.i.n.g. Christmas". Oh wait. I probably have....
reply by juliansmom on Dec 14, 2010 10:58 AM ()
comment by crazylife on Dec 13, 2010 9:11 PM ()
I don't play Internet games--all you have to do is read my blogs and you would find out all my answers to the questions!
comment by greatmartin on Dec 13, 2010 4:47 PM ()
You're such an active blogger Martin.I'm glad you had time to read, though!
reply by juliansmom on Dec 14, 2010 6:22 AM ()

Comment on this article   


35 articles found   [ Previous Article ]  [ Next Article ]  [ First ]  [ Last ]