You haven’t lived until you’ve taken four young hockey players out for lunch….and have been put on the spot to offer a good answer to the question

 How am I supposed to know which bathroom to use when they only say inboard and outboard?

Ummm…well…so…actually…I’m not really sure…

And then, go figure, the 7 year-old (mine of course) starts giggling and makes matters worse by saying, “Ohhhhh…I get it…cause like one has…you know…a…well…”

Super.  Who wants dessert?

I’ve been on vacation for over two weeks…and have been fortunate enough to catch up with a variety of friends on a variety of evenings for holiday cheer and good times.  This video may or may not sum up my interaction with bartenders (minus the pregnant part) as I can’t seem to come up with a “go to” cocktail.

Friends of mine happen to own both the Improv Asylum, on Hanover Street in Boston, and Laugh Boston, in the Seaport District.  Both venues are fantastic for a great night out and some pretty serious laughs!  If you haven’t been….you really should!

Matt Catanzano has preformed at Improv Asylum for years and is now part of the hysterical duo of Simply Unemployable.  This, “Holiday Bartender,” is their newest video. And I laughed…and laughed.

While I don’t celebrate Hanukkah I have been lucky enough to be invited in to the homes of some friends who do…and it has been lovely to witness the tradition and special family moments.   When I was still teaching, I also had many parents volunteer to come in and share the story of Hanukkah with my students and enjoyed watching the wonder in their eyes.

So, I mean no disrespect, but this is still funny….

Normally, I’d love a run in with George Clooney, but not so much hanging all large as life in the bathroom at a restaurant.  Not even just in the bathroom but actually like right above the toilet.

Weird.

Ok, I know that Christmas is behind us, but I love this video so I’m throwing out one more Christmasy post and then I’ll move on.

This beautiful pup with a red collar was found in East Gloucester. Anyone know who might be missing her?

Well, hmmm.  Not sure what I’m supposed to tell you to do on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day….other than treasure your time with friends, family, and loved ones.  Enjoy every moment….and be in the moment.  Have a happy holiday, create memories, share some magic, and savor the minutes together.  Please also take some time to reflect on those who are not enjoying their holiday season…those who are sad, sick, hurting, lonely, cold, or hungry…those whose downward days are only more punctuated on these days that we consider special. 

The weather, while not like last year’s 70 degree Christmas, should be in the 40s so get outside, listen to nature, walk the dogs…..and continue the spirit of giving by leaving small treats outside for the wildlife.  We like to sprinkle bird seed and cover pine cones with peanut butter and seed for the critters. Sometimes we drop fruit and vegetables on our favorite paths in the woods.

As the last part of “Christmas in Rockport”, Santa will be visiting Dock Square at 12:30 in the afternoon we hand out baskets full of treats to the town’s children and to give them the opportunity to say “Thank you” for all of his hard work during the holiday season.  The boys will write “Thank you” letters and deliver them to Santa Christmas morning.  It has always been a nice tradition….rather just writing lists of what they want for Christmas…they also get to thank him as well.

So, I get the whole Ugly Sweater Party phenomenon and, while I can’t say that I’ve ever been to an Ugly Sweater Party, I think the idea is super fun and funny.  Especially during the holidays!

But, I kind of thought that the idea was to find a sweater that was actually being sold as a real sweater….that is kind of over the top and/or ugly….and then wear it proudly….which is why it’s funny.

So, I’ve been surprised to run across “ugly sweaters” being marketed and sold as, in fact, “ugly sweaters”…and for more than a pretty penny.  Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?

I’m also thinking that if I were to be on the hunt for an ugly sweater, I’d be hitting consignment shops (older ones) or the Salvation Army and hunting for a true gem or a diamond in the rough (something straight out of Aunt Milly’s Teacher Holiday Sweater Collection)…not logging onto, say, Dick’s Sporting Goods and buying one all easy peasy.  Isn’t that like cheating?

Hadn’t seen this yet…  pretty funny.

If you are looking for a simple and kind of old school Christmas gift….check this out.  It is one of the Schrafft family’s favorite past times for sure.  Freddy and I first discovered “Shut the Box” while wasting away a rainy afternoon on Nantucket with a few Bloody Mary’s at what used to be the Atlantic Cafe.  We probably played for hours…and looked forward to popping a squat at the bar and playing a few rounds during later trips to the island.  We were both sad to discover a few years later that the Atlantic Cafe (the A.C.) was no longer there…nor was Shut the Box.

Several years later a friend of ours bought me one of our own for Christmas.  I had totally forgotten how much fun it was.  I actually then purchased one for my classroom as it turns out that it’s a great way to learn simple addition math facts.

We introduced the game to Thatch and Finn a while back and they immediately took to it as well.  We’ve clocked some hours playing on the coffee table at home, by the pool at various hotels, and in front of the fire up north.  The boys look forward to it as kind of our thing. I like that it is part luck of the roll…and part strategy. For me it’s a win, win, win with the boys.  They’re practicing their math reasoning, we’re spending some quality time together, and (my personal favorite part) truly anyone can win!

The same friend who bought it for me years ago, sent me a link this fall when a “Four Family Family Shut the Box” became available on Zulily.  So, I obviously bought it for them (us) for Christmas.

They started to play at halftime during yesterday’s Patriots game….so I took a quick video.

Here’s the gist….

1.  One player goes until they can’t go any more.
2. You roll two dice at a time and add up your score
3. You then decide which slots of the box you want to close….to add up to the same number.
4. For example…if you roll a total of 9…you can close just 9, or 8 and 1, or 7 and 2, or 6 and 3, or 5 and 4….or even three slots, like 5 and 3 and 1.
5. You keep rolling and selecting which slots to close….until you roll a number that you can’t make with your remaining numbers.
6. You add up what you have left….and that becomes your score.  For example, if you can’t roll a 7 and you only have slots #8 and #3 left…you can’t go…and your final score is 11.
7. Obviously, the lower your final score the better.

Every once in a while you actually “Shut the Box” and close all the slots…getting a score of zero.

When one person is done, they record their score, and then the next person goes.  We usually play 5-10 rounds and add up our total scores.  The person with the lowest total wins.

At least 6 cars were just involved in an accident heading north on 128 right in front of Sudbay’s.  Just because the temperature has risen,  doesn’t mean the roads are safe.  Be careful.  I missed getting a photo even though my husband is driving….but I worry about the cars heading towards to accident not being able to stop quickly enough!

If I were Santa….this is what I’d be doing on December 26th.

Typically, we save all of the holiday cards that arrive in our mailbox for just one year.  The boys love opening them each night and we keep them on display until it is time to pack up the other holiday decorations and Christmas tree ornaments.  We then pack them away carefully and look forward to seeing the cards again the next year.  After looking through them 12 months later, they are then recycled….even though it hurts a little to do so.

That being the case, I was surprised when my husband brought a large pile of cards down from the attic this year that were actually much older.  This stack of cards was from the year 2000.  16 years ago.

16 years, it turns out, is a long time in Christmas Card years.  For example, during the Christmas season of the year 2000, we were very recently engaged….but were not married and had no children.  We had, in fact, not even sent out Christmas cards that year….but we had received a lot.

Going through that stack of cards ended up being rather bittersweet.  A lot had changed. Some for the better, some for worse.  Addresses…landscapes….faces….family dynamics….hair color….hair lines….furry friends….and more.  Some single friends are now “coupled.” Some couples without children….now have several.  Some married friends are now divorced….and some remarried.  And, the hardest to discover, some (too many) of the cards were sent by friends and family who have since passed away.  Worst of all are the family photos now missing a member….whose void is hard to believe.

Much love to all who are missing someone special this holiday season….and to those who know those voids all too well.

Poor Santa seems to be having a hard time getting started today.