How was Thanksgiving ten days ago? Somehow it was and now it seems like Christmas is basically here. Which isn’t really true but it feels that way. We had a lovely Thanksgiving. Telfer and I love cooking Thanksgiving together but we have learned after 12.5 years of marriage that it is, perhaps, better to work on separate projects. I have a flurry approach to cooking while Telfer is more composed. I think you can imagine. The company was so wonderful: the Duerre clan, Maresa, Nana and Chris and Mendy. The adults barely, barely outnumbered the children. Jane ate a whole can of olives by herself. I am not kidding. It was just a good day. The one horrible moment was when I thought one of my chickens (Pip) had been killed by a neighbor dog. I had a total freakout moment – running outside with just socks, with the stovetop on, literally crying over my chicken. She’s fine. Another thing to be thankful for! And of course I am thankful for my girls, and Telfer and our family and friends too.
And now we are hurtling through the Christmas season. We watched Elf for the first time with the girls. I love that movie. It makes me laugh. However, watching Elf with the girls was so interesting. They watched with no sense of disbelief or irony or cynicism. They did not think it was funny and kept looking up at me when I laughed. Buddy the Elf’s adventures in New York. Yes, of course.
And now, Ryan the Elf is back from the North Pole. My girls really love Ryan. I will spare you pictures of his every move but here’s his first four days back at our house. Jane was telling me and Cate how she needed to ask Santa Claus to bring her a pink sea otter for Christmas and Cate says “NO JANE, first you have to tell Ryan that you want a pink sea otter and then HE tells Santa what you want.” Cate clearly has a finely honed sense of how this all works.
Andrea Y. Griffith 