December 24th, 6:00 a.m.: Arrive at work. Yes, you read that correctly; I was at work at six in the morning on Christmas Eve. The good news is that getting to work early means leaving early, and I was done with my duties and able to begin my holiday weekend by 2 p.m.
December 24th, 6:30 p.m.: Begin final descent into the Burbank airport. On this particular Southwest flight we were treated to free cocktails, and one of the flight attendants sang "White Christmas" to us over the P.A. system right before we landed. Talk about Christmas spirit.
December 24th, 7:20 p.m.: Arrive at the South Pasadena home of 4-year old Mikey Jet. I'm usually not in Southern California on Christmas Eve because I generally work on Christmas Day, but this year was different. As a consequence, I discovered that we spend some Christmas Eve time at my brother and sister-in-law's place. Visiting them is always fun because it means playing with my nephew Mikey (be warned: he'll wear you out after about an hour). On this particular visit, Mikey and I read Goofy and the Gondola, one of the strangest children's books I've ever encountered. It did feature Mickey Mouse and Goofy, and they were on vacation in Venice, where Goofy was trying to find a job. Of course.
December 25th, 11:00 a.m.: Be thrilled that the torrential rain that pounded the Southland just a week or so ago has stopped and take a run/walk down Los Feliz Boulevard.
December 25th, 12:30 p.m.: Take a quick trip to the neighborhood grocery store, which is open, for Perrier sparkling water (can never have too much) and an extra bottle of champagne. Just in case.
December 25th, 2:30 p.m.: The Christmas party officially begins. Christmas Day is spent at my sister Fabulous Patti's place in Los Feliz, and we always have music, food, drink and lots of holiday cheer. Last year we even had a dance party, but on this Christmas, my older nephews were allowed to watch basketball when they arrived. So the Lakers took the place of any dancing.
December 25th, 6:30 p.m.: Enjoy a Christmas dinner that includes chicken, sushi, mac & cheese, stuffing, haru maki, green beans and cupcakes. Diversity is the name of the game in my family.
December 25th, 9:15 p.m.: Bid the last of the guests goodbye, except yourself, of course. My mother and I always stay with Fabulous Patti, so we didn't have to leave. But my other sister, brother, sister-in-law, various nephews, niece and other friends were on their way home before 10:00.
December 26th: Enjoy last day before returning to San Francisco. That should include another run/walk, mimosas, biscuits, bacon, and general merriment.
Happy Holidays, my lovelies! I hope your Christmas was a smashing good time.
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