Christmas

November is almost over which means that it's been Christmas for a few weeks now.  It's been a different holiday season for me so far, but not really in a bad way.  It's been warmer, obviously, but I've enjoyed it.  I kind of like doing my Christmas shopping in jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and a puffy vest, as opposed to a ground-length puffer parka with a wool hat and mittens layered over knit gloves.  Ok, there's a some exaggerations in that last sentence... the worst of which being me implying that I've done any kind of Christmas shopping.  Either way, I've almost enjoyed the weather.  Whenever I see that it's snowing in Michigan I get the same look on my face that I do when I (every month) think I'm pregnant: mouth agape, eyes bursting from their sockets, head shaking slowly side to side.  Luckily neither of those things will happen while I'm in Houston... probably.  I mean, it did snow here a once few years ago. ;)

Christmas always gets me on a tradition kick.  My family's not big on tradition, but we always had some associated with Christmas.  Getting to Catholic Church 3 hours before mass to get good seats (which are the ones in the back, by the way) then eating Pi's take-out while opening one present and watching whatever Christmas movie was on basic cable on Christmas Eve is probably the best one.  I plan on carrying this one with me for a while because why would you ever willing stop a tradition that involved Chinese food?  But that's the only one that I can think of.  All of the other "traditions" that we had were just things that you do with little kids, like leaving out milk and cookies for Santa.  No grown-up traditions.  So I'm making new traditions.  New city, new state, new marriage, new house, new job, new friends, new traditions.  The only thing is that these new traditions don't have very solid ground to take root in.  This year we are moving into our house a week or two into December, which means that we probably won't even get a tree.  We certainly won't put up lights or wreaths or angel-shaped jelly decals.  And even if we were here... do traditions even count as traditions when they're only between two people, not within some jumbo-sized family?  Instead of making our own traditions this year we'll go home to Michigan and do other traditions there.  At least they'll be someone's traditions so maybe I can get my tradition fix that way.  Also I'm hoping someone will announce a pregnancy over the holidays.  No one in particular, though.  Just not Heather.  I can't handle that yet.

PS I fixed the link to flickr in my last post.  It should work now.  If not, tell me.