Small Celebrations
When I was a kid one of my favorite things to do on Christmas was to go with my family to the movies. We didn't live near relatives and my Dad is Jewish anyway so there were no big Christmas gatherings for us to attend or worry about. I can't say that Christmas at our house was joyful, mostly I remember the tension and stress that would help me hate Christmas, but then we'd knock off the holiday crap and go to the movies. Which were always empty back then. Sometimes we would be the only people in the theater and I remember thinking that was just about as perfect as a Christmas could get. 
Christmas day can be one of the best times for nonreligious people to go out in the world together. Yes, many things are closed, but those that aren't are generally mellow and fun. So yesterday, after the smallest and best little family time opening the few presents we shared (mostly for Max but a little something for each of us as well) and after having a truly wonderful and rich frittata of shitake mushrooms, Swiss chard, and caramelized onions topped with smoked gouda cheese...we headed to the woods with Max, Philip, me, my mom, and the dogs.
What's better about going to the woods instead of the movies is that it's free. Oh, but there's more: my kid can yell as loud as he wants and have sword fights with his dad, dogs are allowed and romping in the woods with their people is almost as good as it gets for any dog on earth, the walking is healthy, as it the fresh air, and there are rarely other people there which makes it feel a little like we're the only people in the world which might get lonely and depressing if it was actually true but for a couple of hours it's total heaven.
Watching the dogs fly from puddle to puddle is one of my very favorite parts of any walk in the woods. They remind me what pure joy looks like. Obviously I need to be reminded of this frequently.
There was the merest dusting of snow on Christmas morning and the dogs loved it as much as we did but there were only patches left by the time we took our walk and none of my pictures of it made the cut. Even Max had a roll around in it just to savor the tiny gift. We are horribly snow greedy though and want more.
When I see the dogs flying around as though they had invisible wings I want to do that too.
My gift from my mother was a book about how to forage mushrooms safely. We are very keen to learn all about fungi now, even non-edible kinds. So our eyes were open to the possibilities. 
My mother is an artist and it seems obvious that she is also a naturalist because the colors in nature are stunning and the texture everywhere is full of surprises and endless variations.
I am not an artist but being raised by my mother has instilled in me a natural interest in plants, trees, weather, earth, and the ravishing art in the wild. Though somewhat dormant in me it has been coming to the surface more and more and as long as Max continues to be interested in walking in the woods as a family I am letting my interest reach its full potential.
Because my boy is so passionately in love with playing video games and so committed to not playing outside on his own, any opportunity to get him interested in the outdoors is a huge bonus and a great contrast to his digital universe.
I am training his eye to see underneath the surface just as my mother trained mine.
When I have little exposure to everyone else's frantic Christmas shopping and insane baking and partying obligations I quite enjoy our little inward small celebration of the holiday. It has nothing to do with Christ for us and everything to do with going inward in order to grow before spring, to be together intimately and enjoy lights, decorations, a little locally made chocolates, and enjoy small indulgences we normally don't allow ourselves. When I am not being exposed to other people's rushing and crazy expectations of giant gatherings and a million presents under the tree, or wishes coming true, this is an enjoyable small celebration for us.
Today we are taking advantage of my day off (it's my usual day off but I'm not obligating myself to anything but hanging out with my guys and my dog) and going to the beach. It will be really cold there which is how we like it. Cold but sunny. We'll climb the dunes and Max will bring the metal detector his Grandpa Lars sent him for his birthday and he'll look for treasure while I find a relatively dry spot on the rocks to lay down on and just listen to the ocean. Then we'll eat some snacks we will bring and then as a very special treat we will have a pint and some fries at the Pelican Inn. We used to make a habit of eating dinner there after the climb up the dunes but we can't afford that anymore. So we'll have a small treat to crown our small weekend of celebration.
When I have little exposure to everyone else's frantic Christmas shopping and insane baking and partying obligations I quite enjoy our little inward small celebration of the holiday. It has nothing to do with Christ for us and everything to do with going inward in order to grow before spring, to be together intimately and enjoy lights, decorations, a little locally made chocolates, and enjoy small indulgences we normally don't allow ourselves. When I am not being exposed to other people's rushing and crazy expectations of giant gatherings and a million presents under the tree, or wishes coming true, this is an enjoyable small celebration for us.
Today we are taking advantage of my day off (it's my usual day off but I'm not obligating myself to anything but hanging out with my guys and my dog) and going to the beach. It will be really cold there which is how we like it. Cold but sunny. We'll climb the dunes and Max will bring the metal detector his Grandpa Lars sent him for his birthday and he'll look for treasure while I find a relatively dry spot on the rocks to lay down on and just listen to the ocean. Then we'll eat some snacks we will bring and then as a very special treat we will have a pint and some fries at the Pelican Inn. We used to make a habit of eating dinner there after the climb up the dunes but we can't afford that anymore. So we'll have a small treat to crown our small weekend of celebration.
Comments (10)
Angelina,
I sent an email to your verizon email address, is it still valid?
Posted by tonia | December 26, 2009 6:57 PM
Posted on December 26, 2009 18:57
Love the photos - the action "splash shot" is great, as are all the fungi and lichen shots. We went to see "Holmes" yesterday!
Posted by Anonymous | December 26, 2009 7:07 PM
Posted on December 26, 2009 19:07
...uh... that was me, didn't mean to leave it anonymous.
Posted by Lucille | December 26, 2009 7:08 PM
Posted on December 26, 2009 19:08
We also have a quiet Christmas with our own little traditions--many less now that my son is grown because my husband didn't "grow up" with the two of us. Almost all of our celebration is centered on food now--baking all the once-a-year treats. I've never understood the mall-centered Christmas or why people let themselves be burdened under obligatory gestures. The current crop of evangelicals have ruined whatever spiritual associations with Christmas I once had from my childhood.
My creed is closer to yours. Observe and celebrate the small wonders of the world in front of us...the "radiance of the ordinary" (the title of a favorite book of mine).
Posted by mss @ Words Into Bytes | December 26, 2009 7:34 PM
Posted on December 26, 2009 19:34
Certainly sounds wonderful to me. I wish mine had been as full of nature.
As it was I spent a wonderful day with my parents who I don't get to see very often so, special just a different type of special.
Kind Regards
Belinda
Posted by simply.belinda | December 26, 2009 7:35 PM
Posted on December 26, 2009 19:35
It sounds like you had a wonderful day. I just had to tell you I love the pictures of Max and the dogs, they seem like they were having the time of their lives. I hope you had a good day at the ocean! I'm also looking forward to hearing about your adventures into indentifying mushrooms, please keep us updated on how it goes.
Posted by Janice | December 27, 2009 7:30 AM
Posted on December 27, 2009 07:30
Tonia- it's still valid, I just don't check it every single day- I'll be sure to check it in just a bit! But the one I mostly use now is: angelinawilliamsononeatgmaildotcom
Lucille- Well? How was it? I just read a write up about it and it seems like it could be really good but they messed with a pretty solidly loved classic for which people have some serious expectations...were the changes good or did you find they went too far?
MSS- I generally don't do any holiday baking but we did make peppermint bark as a family and really enjoyed it and I would like to bake more for the holidays...but not like so many mad-people I know who go crazy and get stressed trying to bake a billion dozen different cookies. Baking is like decorating though and doesn't have to cost much and can be something the whole family enjoys. A real non-commercial aspect to the holiday. I think it's sad that the spiritual aspect of Christmas is mostly gone for you from how you remember it as a child but what's nice is that being an incredible individualist such as you are allows you to find what's still relevant regardless of the new evangelicals.
Belinda- it really does sound like a nice Christmas if you get to see loved ones you don't often see. And aren't you surrounded by nature? (Although I read your blog I don't seem to understand if you have a property in town or in the country?) The whole American culture of the fabled "White Christmas" must seem really funny to you who has always had Christmas in midsummer!!!!
Hi Janice! It really was. The day before was really emotional and full of having to face dark stuff and realize anger and YUCK! But Christmas day was mellow, fun, and trouble free so I'm really thankful that I could put all my troubles on hold to enjoy my time in the woods and with my family. My camera, which I love, takes some great pictures but it doesn't stop action well which it turns out I don't mind because the blurry action shots always give me such a sense of motion and when it comes to dogs and kids I feel like it also somehow captures their freedom of spirit. I will certainly share the fungi adventures here. I hope to have many more. This foraging in the woods is very cathartic and fun for us and so there will be lots more. The beach was crowded (!!) but we had a great time anyway. I hope your Christmas was exactly how you like it to be- whether hectic or mellow!
Posted by angelina | December 27, 2009 9:33 AM
Posted on December 27, 2009 09:33
I knew going in that Robert Downey Jr wouldn't be competing with Jeremy Brett, so I had an open mind. I really liked it! It was a whirlwind of steampunk action and Rachel McAdams looked damn hot in men's pants!
Posted by Lucille | December 28, 2009 2:46 PM
Posted on December 28, 2009 14:46
Hi Angelina,
I am reasonably surrounded by nature at home, Christmas though was spent away.
I live on the fringes of a pretty suburban area. I am awesomely luck in the fact that I have state forest at the bottom of my block which means I have access to lots of green and wildlife.
Considering I hadn't even seen snow until I was around 22 the concept of month of snow let alone a White Christmas is just totally alien. That said since our roots also go back to England people the more hardcore decorators here do strange things like spray canned snow on their windows. At the other end of the scale we also have Christmas Carols about Santa wearing shorts.
What can I say?
Down here we are all kinda strange.
Kind Regards
Belinda
Posted by simply.belinda | December 29, 2009 12:59 AM
Posted on December 29, 2009 00:59
Love the pictures in the woods...dogs flying, kid ready, everyone bundled up against the cold. While I don't really like the cold and snow, I enjoy a brisk walk in it once in a while. My son took the grandkids up to the snow and they had a blast. Something about kids, snow and nature. Glad you little family had this outing and what is up with the beach being crowded...was it a clam tide?
Robin
Posted by Robin | December 29, 2009 10:17 AM
Posted on December 29, 2009 10:17