Blog & News

…isn’t this how everybody celebrates X-mas Eve?

It’s long been a Snively family tradition to partake of fondue on X-mas Eve.  The tradition began when I was a wee little thing and had fondue for the very first time on an X-mas eve.

It was the coolest thing ever – chunks of raw meat piled on one’s plate that she gets to spear with long forks then submerge in a vat of boiling oil – sweet!  Then of course there’s the plethora of dipping sauces, silly rules (like you have to kiss the person on your left if you lose your meat in the pot), and the inevitable lively discussion that ensues over the interactive meal.  I was so delighted by this custom that I begged my family to do it on every X-mas Eve and it became a tradition that I’ve continue to uphold  ever since.

This year we had another orphans holiday with friends who couldn’t be with their biological families and it was magic once more.  Eggnog and champagne flowed as we sat around a makeshift dining table that stretched across our living room.  I can hardly remember the wide range of topics explored in the particularly animated discussion, but from the head of the table looking down at my fellow fonduers, I kept getting this warm happy feeling inside – is there any lovelier scene than a bunch of friends sharing food, drink and lively discourse?  What a truly wonderful tradition.

After the big feast, Circus and Catherine set up their famous chocolate fountain for dessert and we all watched the original animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas special, chiming in with our own sing-a-long of “Dah Who Doraze” and such.   At that point in the alcohol consumption, a dance party naturally ensued, this year complete with full party conga-line (hence no picture, alas.) and Bryant’s ill-fated “Candle Dance” (moral of the story – he who’s been consuming eggnog and champagne for hours might not want to dance with a plate of lit votives on his head.)

Holidays seem to bring out the best and the worst in people. Some can’t wait to go home and hang with loved ones, some dread it all year.  Some celebrate in small, intimate ways, others in large bawdy orgies of all sorts.  Each holiday was born to celebrate a specific occasion – a significant religious milestone, the beginning of a new year, the commemoration of a cherished family member or war veteran or historical figure, etc. In all honesty, for me, most holidays have really come to mean the same thing.  It’s an opportunity to take an occasion and make a point to remember to celebrate life with loved ones.

This year’s fondue party was particularly special.  A year ago Circus and Catherine had given me and Agustin a Daruma doll. With it, one is supposed to make a wish, draw in one  eyeball and when the wish comes true, draw in the second.  I love the concept -  a concrete item that represents one’s dream, to sit on her shelf as a constant reminder of what she’s striving for until it is achieved.  Agustin put me in charge of L’il Dar.  The problem was, a year ago I didn’t have any idea for what I should wish.  Poor Dar sat eyeless on my bureau for a year – serving not as a reminder of a dream, but as a reminder that I didn’t know what my true dream really was.  No single thing seemed to fit.

Shortly before Circus and Catherine arrived the other night, however, I passed by my eyeless friend once again and realized I’m in a very different place than when they first brought him over.  It was finally time.  I finally know what I want.  I’m pleased to announce, our darling Daruma finally has an eye!

I’m glad I waited.  Perhaps it’s silly, but I didn’t want to take making my wish lightly.  I’ve found the times in life when I’ve specifically defined something I truly want, I’ve been able to achieve it.   I didn’t want to wish for anything unworthy or that I wasn’t truly certain of.  Last year at this time I was filled with doubts and uncertainty.  This year I am filled with hope and aspirations.   It felt like a rite of passage marking in L’il Dar’s first eyeball.

By night’s end it felt like we’d been through something again.  I made several mixed CD’s of holiday tunes.  A favorite quote as partiers bobbed to the merry carols was Bryant exclaiming,  “What?!  Did he just sing Merry F*ckin’ Christmas?!”   Tom Waits crooned, “Christmas Card from A Hooker,” The Waitresseses had us all happily bobbing along with Christmas Wrapping , and even Monty Python and Nerf Herder (funny link for NF fans)added to the eclectic yuletide cheer.  I managed to sneak in a few punkified ballet moves during the Vandals‘ cover of Dance of the Sugar Plums and I wonder if anybody even noticed my beloved  Spike Jones‘ vaudevillian version of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite (with lyrics!  if you haven’t heard it, download at once!)  Isn’t it amazing how songs and smells can transport one immediately back to her childhood?

I never felt closer to Sheila E. as I did the other night when she belted out “The Glamorous Life.”  Decked in my macabre elf hat, velvet gown and sparkling stilettos amid our fabulous pack it felt like we were all nearly there.  I may still not be able to afford a tea pot, but sometimes this feels like a glamorous life to me.  Thanks to all for a night of glitz, glee and good friends!