Happy Halloween

Pumpkin on my windowsill.

I’ve Been Slimed?!?

On Saturday, the In-Laws came over for a Christmas feast prepared by Moi. I baked a Butternut Squash Lasagna using a 5 bay leaf cinnamon tomato sauce. Yes, I must admit, it was DELICIOUS!!! But I saved the best for last.
I baked a homemade Pumpkin Pie. I can’t do dairy so I used a vegetarian’s best friend to substitute for the heavy dairy that usually goes into a pumpkin pie. The In-Laws are meat and potatoes kind of folks. Father-In-Law took one bite and said:

I’VE BEEN TOFU’ED!!!

O Christmas Tree!

Fond Holiday Tradition

Last night Hubby and I decorated our Tannenbaum using the loot we bought from the Christmas Tree Shop. It’s one of those old fangled real trees that we picked up in Lunenburg. Growing up, my family never used real Christmas trees.

I remember Mother dragging the beat up rectangular cardboard box from the attic and, with a reverence reserved for solemn occasions, she would place the metal tree spine into the base. It was our job (my bros and me) to separate the plastic branches into the “A”, “B”, and “C” groups. Next, we placed the “A” branches into the “A” slots, “B” into the “B” slots, etc. on the metal tree spine. Then the real fun part was adding the lights and decorations. At this point, Mother broke out the box of wine and let us kids go crazy. The nativity scene was placed at the base and I used to play with the figures just like a doll’s house. Mostly I had the donkeys and sheep saunter around the manger, braying and baa’ing at the Baby Jesus.

Some years passed before Mother thought of a brilliant idea. We took down the tree just after New Year’s Day and, instead of dismembering the tree, she covered it with a plastic garbage bag (keeping the decorations intact) and my bros dragged it up to the attic. Mother was always thinking ahead.

We grew up in my Grandmother’s house and she had her own tree. I swear it was one of those silver tinsel trees with it’s own color wheel. Even in the mid-1970s, it seemed very retro.  I have no idea what happened to it.

The real tree standing in the corner of our living room is a balsam and, so far, the cats have been ignoring it. Last night, Hubby and I drank Madeira in the glow of the Christmas tree while listening to the ice storm outside. Now, THAT’S a fond holiday memory.

It glows!

“Over the river…

…and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go.”

Monadnock from Fitzwilliam

That’s exactly what I did for Thanksgiving this year. Grandma-in-law lives in Fitzwilliam, NH and just down the road from her house is a lovely view of Mt. Monadnock. (At its summit Hubby proposed to me in March ‘07. Brrr.) She hosted 13 of us moochers for a feast of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and other delectibles. Since I don’t eat meat, Grandma cooked up a lovely piece of breaded fish just for me. (A very thoughtful and generous gift.)

The highlight of the day happened right after we sat down. Everyone was just digging into their meal when someone mentioned that Grandpa (who passed away before I met Hubby) would have loved this. At the mention of Grandpa, the overhead lights flickered. Everyone paused and looked up. This same person reminded us that the exact thing happened last year at the mention of Grandpa. There were nodding heads in rememberance. It was slightly spooky but oddly comforting at the same time.

After the meal, some of us walked along the public dirt road to a frozen lake with a view of Monadnock. The ladies in the group played bocce ball using small stones with the lake as the court. My childlike curiosity came alive when I noticed, in an unfrozen section, a small whirlpool doing its thing by a submerged access tunnel leading underneath the dirt road. Cool.

The frozen lake with storm clouds.

Back at Grandma’s it was time for desert. Hubby had to work until 2 p.m. but made it to NH while we Massholes were chuckin’ stones on the lake. We left as it was getting dark but the food made us grateful for family and tradition. More pictures can be found at my Flickr space.

ARGH!!

Yesterday I was in the Body Shop and the store was decked out for the holidays AND, since last week, I have heard CHRISTMAS SONGS!!! STOP THE MADNESS!!!

H/T: Lucianne.com

Thoughts on Halloween

I really don’t have a problem with Halloween. Growing up we never got into the ghoulish aspect of the day but me and my brothers were all about the candy. The more chocolate bars in my plastic, orange, pumpkin head (with black, plastic handle), the better the holiday was in my little (nonplastic) adolescent head. I must be a throwback to an earlier time, but I still believe Halloween is a cool holiday for LITTLE KIDS. The closer you are to graduating high school, the more ashamed you should be for dressing up, no matter how creative the costume. 

I sound cranky, I know, but to me the expansion of Halloween celebration into adulthood indicates delayed adult behavior first seen by my Gen X comrades. I really don’t get the “I don’t want to let go of my childhood” psychosis. Hubby totally disagrees with me. He LOVES Halloween though he does not dress up. (THANK GOD!)

I’ve been so out of the loop when it comes to contemporary Halloween ”stuff” that I was in for a shocker when I visited the Halloween Outlet in West Boylston, MA. Gone are the days when a sheet (one your mother declared was beyond redemption, never to set foot on any bed again) with two eye holes would suffice.

This place has a make up station, just like Macy’s, where an employee demonstrates how to apply wounds of varying sizes, with or without the nails, bolts, knifes, or meat cleavers sticking out. No need to raid your parent’s closet. Buy a complete kit to be: a hippie, Ben Franklin, naughty nurse, Willem Tell, renaissance woman/man, etc., etc., etc.

The most amazing items were the animatronics. “Krazy Kristen” is a zombie who glides back and forth on a track, shaking her head and screaming. (I wondered how the employees can deal with the recorded screaming and laughing. It must be like living under a flight path.) My favorite animatronic was the projectile vomiting redneck.

It's only $5,600

So, what will I be doing for Halloween? Visiting the in-laws as they distribute candy to the neighborhood kids. My brothers-in-law are planning a fright show involving chainsaws and detached limbs for the little princesses and Iron Mans walking up the driveway. I will be dressed up, as I have been for over 20 years, as a Canadian.