OC

"The" season is really here, isn't it? It's past St. Nicholas, no devil took any of my nephews away, back at in the semi-pagan Czech lands... I did manage to buy some Christmas gifts, although I was even prepared to go home empty handed... and while spending money I've discovered the candy of my youth in Target! Yey! I finished the whole bag in one afternoon somewhere between Bed Bath and Beyond and Michael's and was absolutely not ready to face the crowds in the mall. Partly from feeling uneasy after eating so much sugar. It was dreadful and i managed to sneak through only three more stores, not buying anything at all. Later that weekend I decided to try to make gingerbread cookies, the second time in my life. They smell nice and can be really good. They are one type of cookies my mom never made and so I am kind of pioneering the road. SO far no accidents and will ice them later in the week. Keith's tree is already decorated, sitting in the living room, mine is semi-decorated too
Half of my mind is already at home and I am thinking about being with my folks and my sis... It will be the first time we'd have the Christmas dinner in other place than my parents' and I am looking forward to it. It does not mean we won't have to make the potato salad and bring it with us, which will be fun.
I remember having Christmas with Luis, once in Bethesda, one year in Laramie, once he came with me home, to Unicov (it was really brave of him). It was really nice to see someone from the other hemisphere observing how central-European keep these small traditions of cookies and the tree and carp for dinner... and I did enjoy tremendously preparing the Christmas eve for him, when I did.
I guess I do enjoy these things and in a way it is my expression of care and affection, I guess like my mom's. So when I go home, I have to let her pamper me, as long as she can. This year again I'll be a guest at home again :)