Good holiday spirit

On Dec. 4, I made a huge mistake. At the end of the year party (bonnekai) for Benny's office, everyone kept asking me about the plans for Olivia's first Christmas. I told them repeatedly that I wasn't in the Christmas mood, didn't plan on doing anything special and didn't even want to decorate. She is 9 months old, she'll never know the difference, I reasoned.

The mistake I made was announcing my anti-Christmas plans within ear shot of Benny.

The next morning Olivia and I came home from her Saturday morning Alligator Steps to blaring Christmas music, ornaments scattered all over the floor and Benny holding up Olivia's stocking and asking "Where does this go?"

I told myself I wasn't going to help him decorate the house. But he marched on in a happy elf way. Finally I gave in and started to hang the Chinese Christmas paper lanterns I bought at the 100 Yen store in Tokyo in November. And I pointed and told Benny where to put things he pulled out of the box. It's hard to ignore someone when they are singing, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" over and over again.

Benny even convinced me to buy a real tree, one of the last ones on the lot.

I had previously refused to purchased a fake tree with the reason being why should we spend money on something that we will use for 3 weeks and store for 11 months.

Come Christmas morning, it was nice to smell the tree and take Olivia's picture in front of it.


I admit it -- I was grumpy and I'm grateful that Benny forced some good holiday spirit down my throat. I needed it.