Saturday 9

Saturday 9: First Christmas (2024)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The song mentions snowmen and snow on a windowpane. Has it snowed near you yet? Yes. More than once. We ended November with the snowiest Friday that month has ever seen here in Chicago. More snow fell after that and we're expecting up to another inch this weekend. So YAY! White Christmas!

2) Diane Keaton sings that hearing "I'll Be Home for Christmas" makes her miss someone she loved who won't be coming home at all. Is there a Christmas song that reminds you of a loved one? The wretched "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" reminds me of my favorite uncle. He looooved it. Especially the line, "As for me and Grandpa, we believe." It is not representative of him. He was a clever, sophisticated man. Yet Elmo & Patsy got him every time. So every time I hear that vomitous song, I smile despite myself.

 

3) After the song was first released for Christmas 2024, Diane said she appreciated how many people posted on her Instagram, sharing their "First Christmas journeys," explaining how they navigated the first holiday season without someone special. What have you recently posted on social media (other than this blog post)? Two Facebook friends – one a former coworker, the other a member of my movie group – celebrated 12/12 birthdays. I wished them each many happy returns of the day.

4) Diane appeared in the Broadway musical Hair and sang in movies like Annie Hall and The First Wives Club. Still she didn't consider herself "much of a singer." How about you? What's something you do, even though you're not completely comfortable doing it? Signing people up for the rewards program at the card shop. I have to enter the customer's name and email address myself. Chicagoland is very diverse. Normally I embrace this, but admit I stumble over the spelling of surnames like Czajkowski and Carrasquillo.

 

5) This was Diane's first and, sadly, her only record. She was nervous doing it, but it helped that the lyrics was written by her friend, Carole Bayer Sager, and that both Carole and her writing partner, Jonas Myrin, were with Diane in the studio. Tell us about a friend who came through for you. Last month, my friend Joanna went out of her way to make this a happy birthday for me. She knows it's been hard for me after the deaths of two close friends last year. It was so kind of her.

6) After her 75th birthday, Diane said she was excited that new ventures were coming her way and she found herself saying "yes" more often. In addition to recording this week's song, she accepted an unexpected offer from Look Optic to design eyewear. Have you recently tried something you've never done before? OR What's something you'd like to try? More than a decade ago, I tried to learn Spanish. I was interrupted by a health challenge. Once I got through it, I just didn't return to Spanish lessons. I should!

 

Now for some questions about the holiday season ...

7) Do you display the holiday cards you receive? Yes. I have 9 taped to my door so far. Looking at them makes me happy.

8) This is a big time of hear for necklaces, hats and headbands decorated with jingle bells. Will you be wearing any bells this season? No.

 
9) The website Morning Save included these three items on their list of this season's popular gifts. Would you rather receive: a. cup holder/phone mount for your car; b. sherpa lined clog slippers; c. set of three stainless paring knives with rosemary green plastic handles? Slippers. What's not to like about slippers?

 

 

 

I think I want a divorce

Monday will be my last workday of 2025. I have very mixed feelings about this.

Months ago, I put in for vacation from 12/22 to 12/29 because I didn't know a) what day Elaine would want to go to The Music Box Theater to see It's A Wonderful Life, which has become an important holiday tradition for us and b) when I would be traveling to Michigan to celebrate Baby Violet's first Christmas. 

Around Thanksgiving, I heard that two very lovely young women – Dierdre and Madeline – were coming home from college to work Christmas break. I told our store manager, Helena, that I was OK with her giving some of my hours to the girls. I emphasized that it wasn't that I don't care about the job, it's that I understood how much Diedre and Madeline needed cash. After all, they are making their eating money for the last semester, whereas I'm really working for the state tax deduction. She said she understood. 

So I guess it stands to reason that I'm not working. Didn't I engineer that way?

Yet when I looked at the schedule through January 2 and didn't see my name, I got worried. Is this because I complained to Helena about Caroline? Or simply because I asked for the time off and said I was okay with fewer hours?

Probably the latter. But the fact that the former even occurred to me is an indicator of how unsettled I've become at this job. I hate that I'm thinking about the card shop when I'm not there, and not in a good way. The workplace vibe is different since the cast of characters changed a bit last autumn. I'm not happy there. I like the physical structure – it's a quaint shop. We sell pretty, fragrant things. Our customers are, by and large, happy and friendly. It's us I don't care for anymore. I don't like the team. It's not a comfortable fit anymore.

I don't want to work there as it is. I want to work there as it was. 

Looking back on my working career, I have found myself here before. I believe in the work but not my coworkers. I always stuck it out before because I felt I had a responsibility to my client and, oh yeah, I was highly paid. I feel no such obligation at the card shop and while I like the money, I don't need the money. When my financial advisor ran the numbers and laid out my retirement, he didn't even take my current salary into account. 

I find myself fantasizing about quitting, about using that time to volunteer on upcoming political campaigns and the food pantry. Maybe after two years it's time to retire again and let a new chapter of my life begin.

But maybe I'm in a mood. I don't want to walk away from something I have enjoyed – something that has enriched my life by teaching me new things – on a whim. On the other hand, I don't want to stay too long at the fair.  

Here we are at Christmas. Rumor has it corporate may be making changes to our little shop before summertime. Maybe the decision will be made for me. 

I'm going to monitor my mood. I'm going to discuss it with my shrink. I'm going to pray on it. I don't want to pull the trigger too soon and regret quitting. On the other hand, I don't want to waste my life dreading a job that really – in the scheme of things – is not worth the agita.

 

  

Photo by Siora on Unsplash 

 

I like the beard

Yesterday I had another dual crown lengthening.* The oral surgeon and I have been down this route at least twice before. This was our smoothest procedure yet – minimal bleeding, my face isn't swollen, the anesthetic and pain meds worked.

What disturbed me was my reaction to the surgeon. A man I've seen at least three times since 2023. 

When he came into the room, it was like a rom-com. Under the harsh fluorescent light, surrounded by picks and scalers and drills, I heard music swelling and birdies singing. I was in love.

He's grown a salt-and-pepper beard since last year. It's changed his look completely and for the better.

My reaction was disturbing, but not unpleasant.

 

*From Healthline: The periodontist cuts the gums to pull them away from the teeth, exposing the roots and bone. In some cases, only the gum tissue needs to be removed. The surgeon then washes the surgical area with salt water before suturing. They suture the gums back together, sometimes placing a bandage over the area for additional protection. 

Photo by Caroline LM on Unsplash