Almost Last Minute Shopping
Well, folks, I’ll likely be out and about most of tomorrow wrapping up (hee hee) some almost last minute shopping.
In my defense, this is because I need to buy what we’ll eat over the holiday weekend–we’re all about freshness around here, so you can’t go to the market too far in advance.
Right. And I have some other, um, stocking stuffers to get.
So, for those looking to waste precious holiday time learning useless information to impress your relatives/friends/co-workers, I’m your girl. And Snopes.com is your primary source.
Enjoy!
- Why do we deck the halls? Is it lucky to be born on Christmas Day? Time to sort out those Christmas Superstitions.
- What’s the deal with the Lords-a-Leaping? Was the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” created as a code?
- Yes, he’s the reason for the season, but was Jesus *really* born on the 25th of December?
- They’re a quick sugar rush and a potential weapon if you lick one end to a very sharp point, but are candy canes religious in origin?
- Simply a shortcut, or is writing “Xmas” offensive?
- Because we heart our friends in Canada, Britain, New Zealand, and Australia, here’s some background on Boxing Day.
- What’s a yule log anyway?
- How can I make the gift of all gifts–the fruitcake?
- The great American soft drink can be found in nearly every corner of the world, but did Coca-Cola also come up with the image that we associate with Santa Claus?
- Even after learning all of the above fun facts, do I *really* know enough about Christmas? Take this quiz to find out.
Ain’t Snopes grand?
Love Thursday: Topping the Tree with Love
A few years ago, I found this plush, padded, bedazzled heart in a crafty kind of store and bought it, having no idea what I might do with it. The answer came the following year, when I had my first tree, mini as it is, and was without a top.
Fellow expat and blogger Delinissima wrote about the difficulty in finding a star to top the tree here in Italy. I don’t know why they’re anti-star either, but there aren’t a lot of choices out there.
So, I had to do some creative rigging up with twisty-ties, but I think the heart does the trick– along with reminding me that Christmas is a time to love and appreciate all that is right with my world. And yes, that’s our little Bonsai Garden/Christmas Village out of focus behind the tree.
I wish everyone a Happy Love Thursday and Happy Winter Solstice.
Now go out and enjoy the shortest day of the year!
National Association of W Lovers
Over at Red Red Whine, Guinness Girl was tagged to make a list of ten things she loves starting with the letter G. She then generously offered up other letters for fellow bloggers to play, and I have received “W.”
If you’d like to play along, use the first letter in your name and then please leave a comment directing me to your list.
And, incidentally, if you think I’ve made up the title of this post, get thee to Sesame Street!
Now, the list:
1. Wine. Well this is kind of an obvious one, isn’t it? I love red and tolerate white, but I use white more for cooking than for drinking. For the most part, we imbibe P’s father’s homemade brew, which, thankfully, does not at all resemble vinegar like so much of the paesano wine around here does. The second most popular in our house comes from Cirò, another Calabrian town. Yeah. We keep it real.
2. Whiskey. Staying with the alcohol theme, I do love me some whiskey. Preferably Jack Daniel’s. Preferably with Coke. Yes, I’ve been known to bring this with me from the States even though they have it here. It’s cheaper there, in case you wondered.
3. Winter clothes. I would live in turtleneck sweaters, jeans, and boots if it were at all possible. As I live in southern Italy, alas, ’tis not.
3. Words. Writing. Writers. These are grouped together for obvious reasons, but also because I didn’t want to be considered a cheater for my very first meme as a blogger. I am fascinated by words, how they evolve, who uses them, and why. I love putting them together in ways that no one ever has, sometimes making them up myself, and, most of all, I love reading other writers doing the same thing. I’m a wordgeek and proud.
4. Walking. I used to live in a city, so walking was a forced kind of exercise, and I didn’t always appreciate taking a stroll. Here, though, I’ve learned to love it, especially when accompanied by Luna. Our favorite routine takes us down a mountain road that, 10 kilometers later, would land us in the next village. Although we haven’t gone that far just yet, on this Road Less Traveled, Luna and my mind both run free. Lovely.
5. Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Although Willy Wonka, not so much. He’s kinda (a lot) creepy. But oh how I long to lick the wallpaper and have the Schnozzberries taste like Schnozzberries.
6. Wendy’s. The fast food chain. I’ve already mentioned this, but let me add specifically how much I enjoy Wendy’s fries dipped in an Original Chocolate Frosty. To die for. Someone, somewhere, please do this for me and report back with the tales of glee.
7. Watching movies with P. We watch only in Italian, so he acts as my real-time interpretor. It’s quite handy. Yeah, there’s the closeness and bonding time, blah blah, but really it’s more about the live dictionary thing for me. Shh.
8. World Wide Web. Three W’s for the price of one. This little invention made my moving to another continent, an ocean away from everyone I knew, a heck of a lot easier. I can’t even imagine what it was like for people like my ancestors who left their homes and were able to exchange only letters and photos at the most.
9. Weekends. No explanation necessary.
10. Women friendships. As I’ve gotten older, I appreciate more my relationships with other women, my mother included. Bottom line is that we get us, and no matter what else is going on in life, I know that certain women will always have my back. Grazie!
And now some things I don’t love starting with a W:
W, a.k.a. Dubya; war (beauty pageant answer); weapons of mass destruction (assuming they exist); washing windows; whiny adults (children have a certain leeway with me); “wazzup” just in case anyone is *still* saying that; weathergirls in Italy (yes, we have them); weddings; and winkers who insist on winking even though they physically cannot close only one eye at a time.
OK, who wants to play?
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Calabrian Stuffed Lasagne
This stuffed lasagne from Calabria is made with a tomato-based meat sauce and includes hard-boiled egg, ham, and cheese. Stuffed with goodness!
Read on...Sunrise Over the Ionian Sea: Buon Giorno!
*Unfortunately, this was not taken this morning, as it’s cloudy, damp, and quite nasty here today (again). I found this picture while going through some old photos last night and wanted to remember warmer, sunnier times.
FYI, what you are seeing is a scan of an untouched photo taken with a throwaway camera.
Buon giorno a tutti!
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
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