Ups and downs of family holidays

Ah, the Christmas break is half-over (or half begun, for you optimists) and I've come to some realizations about holidays with one's family and away from one's extended family.

Firstly, the blessings: that we can have a wonderful quiet holiday and feel fulfilled among ourselves without traveling, shlepping, winter driving or mountains of presents. The following picture is a daddy reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" as the bed time story before Pere Noel came to visit:
This was the first year that M and I have had ever on our own and it was peaceful, calm and reflective. We even got a chance to go skating, as per our tradition whenever we've been at the lake--but this time at Place St. Catherine in the heart of Brussels--lovely.


Another blessing: that our children were able (for the most part) get along with each other AND share the jointly received toys with grace and patience--at least on Christmas day...

Yet another joy: that technology has advanced sufficiently to allow video conferencing and frequent inexpensive telephone calls with the ones we love, so that we weren't too isolated or isolatory for those who love us too.

And finally: that we've made a modest collection of friends here so that our yuletide celebrations were not just with the four of us--that we got out, shared glogg, had friends in and shared lots of laughs and good times.

Food this season has been luscious as well: Barbecued lobsters and champagne (thanks so much, JJ for that bottle of bubbly...) for our lucky 13th anniversary of our engagement on Christmas eve, decadent turkey with all the trimmings including Grandma's ginger shortbread on the day of our lord's birth and a suite of creative and delicious leftover recreations (Tandoori Turkey, anyone?) that are now over, regretfully.

But alas, there were also drawbacks. The first: giving gifts to little relatives without receiving the moist, spontaneous, enthusiastic hugs immediately after and later that day while engaging them in play with the new dumptruck or imagination-inducing object.

Another: that the symphony of competing conversations only possible with those who have only a few times a year to catch up, have exciting news (job/house/family changes) cannot be experienced virtually no matter how advanced a video camera and high-speed modem can get.

Yet a third: that those who are gaining in years who have fewer and fewer celebrating years to share truly miss us and our children...we pray we don't miss the chance to tell them in person how much they mean to us.

And regretfully, there are always the "hangovers" to suffer afterwards--not the alcoholic kind but the letdown from the euphoria kind of hangover...toys break, one's patience gets lost, the fridge needs cleaning out, waistbands don't fit, marking piles don't get any slimmer, report cards need to be written and children get bored with their own company without school friends to enjoy...I hate to say it, but I'm looking forward to going back to work, and I think M is looking forward to getting his routine of rehearsals, audition calls and the children out from underfoot.

Sigh. All good things do come to an end. Good night, Christmas and good morning New Year!

Mensa Word List: Hip Lash

What does one call the injuries one gets from an elevator that suddenly jerks or when an articulated bus (where one happens to be standing at the extreme rear) hits a pot hole with its last axle?


It's not whip lash, because the injury isn't to the neck or head, since the position one is in is standing: it affects the waist because one's knees are typically locked--according to me its called HIP LASH...ask me how I know! I'm sure this would qualify for the mensa word list (for example, Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period), as it's only a removal or insertion of one letter to create a new meaning of a word or phrase. Any other suggestions, wordies?

So back to the Hip Lash I incurred: Think of instant compression of the Thorasic-Lumbar directly into the saccral-coccix....yet my feet never actually left the "ground". Those of you who have traveled in a bus on cobblestones, particularly in front of the Royal Palace on the way to the European Commission Buildings will know EXACTLY what I experienced today...AARRRRGH!

Matthew and I were laughing and almost crying at the same time because it was so rediculous with our "bus surfing"! Due to the crowds, the boys were seated but the adults had long ago given up their seats to other transit riders, inspite of our Christmas packages. When this extra-long bus went around a corner Matthew and I became intimate in an instant way...not that I minded, but it was a public place, recall! I think the 1.60 Euro I spent was a better ride than any I've had in a carnival or fall fair...now if only it came with included padding and contraception?

"Now, that didn't take long!"

We're now reconnected--ALERT!! You can now call our Toronto line again and get us in balmy Brussels--and please do!

Ah, the benefits of international telephoning via the internet...for just the low, low price of 35 CAD a month the Rose-Zadow family has two email addresses, unlimited calls to all Canadian area codes 416, 647, 905 and 287 and a voice mailbox...but with priviledges come responsibilities--like being polite to those "GD telemarketers"!!

IT TOOK A WHOLE 120 MINUTES BEFORE BELL CANADA REGISTERED OUR LINE TO THE FIRST-- "Hello, my name is Rashid and I have noticed you enjoy making international calls. Would you be interested in our special, limited time offer...?"

Here's my response, a bit cocky: "Um, thanks so much for your time, Rashid, but you see, you're calling me in BELGIUM on my Voice-over-IP phone, and I get free calls all over the world with this and SKYPE, so I have no interest whatsoever in your service. Good luck with the next call you have to make!"... Was that too polite? Should I have told him to take that headset and shove it in his curry hole? Perhaps a bit rash..."Um, Rashid, don't you want to wait tables in a tourist trap in Goa instead of doing this job? Aren't the hours better? You can at least see your friends when they come in for a coffee after their 1 a.m. shift is over..."

I will stop being sardonic (oops, and should I be much less R......t?) for a few sentences to tell you that we're launching into Christmas with a great amount of energy...here's a pic of our modest tree and our youngest... there's not much under the tree yet, but I'm not off work for another 3 days, so haven't done ANY shopping for those I love...soon. There is a great department store called Inno (similar to Holt Renfrew) that I'll visit if only to see what I can get cheaper elsewhere...starting Friday at 4:00 p.m.

Now for our holiday dinner...I am really hankering for the turkey. We missed it at Thanksgiving, though the school did one for the American festivity and it was really good with the pumpkin pie, stuffing (tho' because of the Belgian chef at school, it tasted a bit too much like herbes de Provence--sound familiar, Mary?) and all the trimmings. This will certainly fill a few of the corners of our tummies--or at least my eldest--have a look at those abs! Honest, we're feeding him...he's just burning those calories like a young boy should!!