It’s Christmas Eve, and at this moment I suspect that at least some of you are making your way into the crunchy snow and towards Midnight Mass services. To the religious scholars of the world, this is probably the most appropriate practice in celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. For heathens such as myself however, I adjust this remark and say that everyone needs to observe the holidays in a manner that feels most appropriate, or bearable to them. For some, this could mean yawning (I mean praying) through an insightful homily, for others this means staying at home with a glass of wine and watching the newest installment of MTV’s train wreck, “Jersey Shore”.
Not that it’s anyone’s business or that anyone even cares what I did with my Christmas Eve Day, but I’m going to give a synopsis of my churchly activities. Each of them really does encompass what I find most beneficial for my soul, and this also provides me with an added bonus of sitting in my warm bed and getting to sleep in time to hopefully run in the morning before the eating festivities commence.
Before you all worry that I am spending this holy night voyeuristically watching Newark’s finest talk about their latest spray tans, rest assured that I left the room after five minutes of unwavering confirmation that I am better off not owning a television. Besides, I already went to my prescribed religious services throughout the day and feel quite peaceful in the remaining hours until Christmas morning.
Not that it’s anyone’s business or that anyone even cares what I did with my Christmas Eve Day, but I’m going to give a synopsis of my churchly activities. Each of them really does encompass what I find most beneficial for my soul, and this also provides me with an added bonus of sitting in my warm bed and getting to sleep in time to hopefully run in the morning before the eating festivities commence.
1. I went to yoga this morning. It was fantastic. You don’t need a photo of me doing this, nor do you need me droning on about how my bandhas felt nurtured after an hour or so of controlled breathing. I should, however, have snapped a shot of my view outside the studio window. It was of the D’Angelo’s Sub Shop, and I finished class wondering to myself, “Why do I crave a chicken stir-fry pocket?”
2. I love to cook, and after yoga I came home and decided to make some banana bread. Unfortunately, the incisive observation of my first boss sprang to mind (“ASWO, you like broad concepts”) as I one again was reminded that I don’t have the attention span for baking. While the bread did cook successfully, in true Megan form I wasn’t paying attention from the beginning of the process. Upon giving the batter a final stir, I looked down and thought that the bottom of my mixing bowl was starting to separate. Hmmm…somehow I got through the entire process without realizing that I had pulled out and used a bowl that had a smaller lid sitting in the bottom of it. Don’t ask. I scraped it off and threw my batter in a pan. The brother was impressed (in a bad way) and took a photo with his cell phone.
3. It’s still too snowy outside for me to run, and I’m not coordinated enough to hazard a jog on snowshoes. If this had been the case, you can bet that I would have gone for a run today on the Shining Sea Bike Path. I had to settle for driving along the Mile Five portion of the Falmouth Road Race instead. No photo. I think I have given up snapping and driving for today at least.
4. The last ritualistic event was heading out to my brother’s hockey scrimmage at Gallo Ice Arena. Like a little kid, I always pile into the back of the car with extra coats in hand to watch my brother roar to the rink with about 30 seconds to spare before he has to be on the ice. It’s fun to watch his razor sharp driving skills as I glance over at my Dad and see him wonder to himself when John’s luck is going to be trumped by errant road kill or police.
I know that this video looks less than impressive, and I did a lousy job of showing my brother only at the very end of the video (he’s the goalie). Still, it shows how we (or more typically my father) are the only people who go to “watch” these skates. We don’t look like we are having a fun time- but really, when you look at church services, does it look like the congregation is having fun either? The three of us willingly went to watch the hockey action, and it was a great afternoon.
It’s always really cold in there, thus the sporting of many layers is compulsory. In the video you could see that my father wears a “hat” that is actually a welding helmet liner, and Jill obligingly sports a coat and thick gloves that my dad still uses to build God-Knows-What around the Hatchville Shipyard. Look closely at the sleeve and you can see how my Dad “remembers” measurements on the fly (and you people make fun of me for writing on my hand!).
None of this couture is pretty to look at, but everything helps to make Rink Rat life a little more pleasant. For what it’s worth, I wore the welding hat OVER my pink hat while watching last night’s match, and let’s just say that I didn’t get any requests for my phone number when all the players filed off the ice.
a. Bonus ritual that doesn’t really apply to me. When we got to the rink, the players who had the ice before my brother were given “bonus minutes” that delayed his start time. I only have rink tolerance when it comes to watching people I care about- thus a New England ritual was decreed to be in order and we headed out to get something hot to drink while we waited for the action to start. I don’t think I need to explain this one any further.
So there you have it. I’m ready for bed and ready for whatever tomorrow, December 25th is going to bring. Don’t worry, I’ll have my camera, and hopefully some stories that I will be able to recount without completely alienating my core readership (Merry Christmas dear family!).