Everyone has a tradition at this time of year, whether it's putting out cookies for Santa, listening to that old Tony Bennett Christmas CD, or watching The Grinch.  I've discovered that I actually have little traditions that I do throughout the year for no apparent reason other than, well, they've just happened.  Here are just a few:

1.  On Christmas Eve, I drink a bottle of wine straight from the bottle.  OK, I know it sounds really depressing and lame, but I promise, it's a good thing (well, relatively speaking.  Obviously, a bottle of water would be a healthier choice, but much less fun).  This tradition started a few years ago when, on Christmas Eve, three dramatic events happened in my life.  First, I drove my car onto a rock (yes, ONTO, not INTO).  Second, I realized the guy that I was dating was a total tool and I dumped his ass.  Third, I got closure for the first time from my ex (er, not the newest ex I'd just dumped, the one I was married to...THAT ex).  The entire day called for wine and I joyously obliged.  I carry on this tradition every Christmas Eve now and thank the universe for helping me become a better person on that day. 

2.  On Thanksgiving Eve, I meet my friends at the Surly Girl Saloon.  This tradition also started a few years ago when my friend Lisa and I were sad and lonely the day before Thanksgiving.  Looking for a little cheer, we headed to one of the only open bars and started calling up random people.  The group ended up being eclectic and diverse, but we had so much fun.  So every year, we meet up there again and the group is always colorful.  Loves it.

3.  On my birthday, I make my secret recipe super fatty pasta dish.  I'd eat this recipe every week if I could, but the amount of calories would ensure that I'd be a candidate for The Biggest Loser in no time.  Mmm...all that delicious butter, cream, mushrooms and shrimp poured over a bed of linguine...it makes me wish it were my birthday right now.


What are your traditions during this season and throughout the year?

Look, I'll admit...I'm pretty "Bah, Humbug" about the holidays, but there was a time I was much more warm and fuzzy inside.  A time when I ate rainbows for dinner and crapped kittens and sprinkles.  During those times, I received some pretty special gifts that I still remember to this day (though I may not have them anymore).  Here they are in no particular order:

-Lion Earmuffs (that came packaged in a real cage!) 
I was probably eight or nine and I LOVED those things...they had little lion heads and wrapped around themselves to fit in a tiny black cage that had a key so you could lock and unlock it.  I was a pretty imaginative kid, so I think I wore the earmuffs less than I just sat and played with them for hours.  Loved.

-Kitchenaid Mixer 
This gift was totally unexpected one year (since they're not the cheapest of kitchen appliances), but I got it at a time when I was trying to be super domestic (and failing miserably), and I used that thing just about every day.  I guess it made me feel better about my kitchen skills.  Somehow, it has since disappeared.  I'm not sure how one misplaces a twenty pound mixer, but I did.

-JCrew T-shirt 
My family wasn't the richest of families growing up, and I remember being in high school and never having "brand name" stuff.  I mean, it was fine, but it was sometimes hard to watch my friends with new clothes all the time.  One Christmas, my grandma must have known that JCrew was the coolest thing ever to wear circa 1995 and got me a really cute long-sleeved grey t-shirt from there that had a tiny red "JCrew" written on the front.  It wasn't super pretentious, but it made me feel better that next week in school.

It's funny how it's never the super-extravagant gifts that one remembers, but the ones that particularly speak to you at a certain time of life. 

What are some of your favorite Christmas gifts?
Posted by The Naked Redhead