Generally it makes sense to write about a family
holiday event after it happens, if at all.
Crazy Uncle Louie face down making snow angels on the shag carpet. Teetotaling Aunt Bessie accidentally getting
into the spiked punch and using her false teeth as castanets, or the kids
making a surprise skating rink by damming up and flooding the garage. This is good stuff you cannot make up. A few humorous anecdotes, a bit of wit and
wisdom, an encompassing comment on the universality of humankind, and wishes of
peace and prosperity in the new year.
These columns practically write themselves.
My family and friends are less colorful. These are nice folks, and I love them all,
but I cannot remember any of them doing anything zany enough for me to write
about. This year may be different, as
there are a few added ingredients. The
“perfect storm” analogy has become so cliched it is used to explain school
board election results, a pot luck with only potato salads, or an entire HR
department getting matching tattoos.
Still, while it may not be a storm, or close to
perfect, my doppler radar indicates this may be a memorable holiday. I have always been one to surprise JoAnne
with extra people for dinner because I thought the resultant mix would provide
either kumbaya warmth or degenerate into an uncomfortable evening of back
biting and name calling. As a fan of
chaos, I am looking forward to this holiday season.
I am writing now because I will probably be
involved in home repair, or at the very least, carpet cleaning and will
certainly not be in a reflective mood by this time next month. If all goes according to plan, we will have
eight dogs beginning the third week of December and through New Year’s Day.
The “cousins” are coming! They are daughter Rachael’s three rather
large and very friendly dogs. She and
her husband Daniel are wisely leaving the country and we get the kids. Our boxer and border collie (Cowboy and
Hannah) love to romp through our very small house with their cousin. Henry and Jane are a sweet puggle and border
collie pair that come over most days as they live nearby with their mom, a
close friend.
These seven know each other well, but the piece
de resistance will be Sadie, a chocolate lab from Minneapolis who will be the
surprise guest of honor. Our dear
friends Jay and Cheryl have just retired (Cheryl from the U of M) and are
coming to stay with us. They are driving
Miss Sadie. Our son Ben and
daughter-in-law Erin have real lives and will sadly arrive dogless. A few brave human friends are invited, but
much of the time we will balance on the tipping point with the dogs
outnumbering the people, which is fine with us.
Tom H. Cook is a sometimes writer who lives on a busy
street in Redondo Beach, where firetrucks are not uncommon. AAAARROOOOO!
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