Christmas 2018

Yesterday my family celebrated Christmas together and it was one of the best holidays we've ever had!  It was a wonderful day and it began with opening presents.  I was given strict instructions to be at my parents' house at 8:00 am and, of course, when I got there we still had to wait for Sean and Tashena!

According to tradition we all take turns opening one present at a time, starting with the youngest (Sean) and working our way to the oldest (my Mom).  It is so much fun watching everyone open their presents, especially Sean and Tashena.

Tashena's big presents were some white Nike shoes to match the red ones that she got for her birthday (she needs shoes to match her home and away basketball uniforms), a backpack for all of her athletic gear, the nicest water bottle that I have ever seen, a hoodie, an electric blanket, and a bunch of smaller items.

Sean has lots of different gaming platforms and he got a bunch of new games for each of them.  He was so happy and he spent the rest of the day either downloading or playing games.

I got a new camera, AirPods, Seasons 1-3 of Mr. Robot on DVD (because I am a little bit obsessed with Rami Malek), the companion book and the soundtrack to Bohemian Rhapsody (because I am really obsessed with this movie), an initial necklace, and a new Kyle Korver jersey!

After opening presents, Marilyn and I went to see Mary Poppins Returns which was just delightful once again.  In the evening we had a wonderful dinner and then played another epic game of Shanghai rummy.  It was honestly the best day ever and I am so glad that I got to celebrate with my family!

Christmas Eve 2018

Yesterday was such a great day!  I slept in really late and then spent most of the morning wrapping presents (I usually don't leave it this late).  In the evening Marilyn and I took Sean to see Aquaman which I enjoyed even more than the first time!  Then, as per tradition, Sean and Tashena got to open one present.

They always get new Christmas jammies and we make them put them on and pose.

Then we all played Shanghai rummy.  Whenever we play this game it gets really out of hand and last night it was so crazy that someone threw a projectile at someone else during the first round!  It was actually so much fun!

Gingerbread Houses 2018

Saturday night we had our annual gingerbread house decorating party with Sean and Tashena.  It is such a fun tradition!  This year we got really fancy kits with that came with a lot of extras like colored frosting and fondant!  I had a lot of fun with the fondant!

Various stages of construction.

Tashena's house.

Sean's house.

Marilyn's house.

My house.

Our gingerbread village!

Elf The Musical at CPT

Yesterday I went to see a matinee of Elf The Musical at CPT and it was so much fun. This show tells the story of Buddy (Ben Heder), who has been raised as an elf at the North Pole after crawling into Santa's bag when he was a baby. After discovering that he is really a human instead of an elf, he decides to travel to New York City to find his Dad (Andrew Gemperline) and ends up giving Christmas cheer to his new family, his girlfriend Jovie (Niki Waite), and all of New York City. The singing and dancing in this show is fantastic and I especially liked the choreography in "Sparklejollytwinklejingley" as Buddy helps the tap dancing Macy's employees decorate the store for Santa and "A Christmas Song" as Buddy takes Jovie ice skating in front of Rockefeller Plaza (on a rink that was so realistic it actually looked like the actors were skating). Santa Claus (Randy Honaker) narrates the story as if he were reading a Christmas book to the audience and I liked the use of a giant book with projections illustrating different scenes. The costumes worn by the elves, including Buddy, at the North Pole are colorful and whimsical and Santa's suit is incredibly elaborate (in contrast, I found the costumes worn by the New Yorkers to be rather bland and sometimes ill-fitting). Heder is really charming in the lead role, giving Buddy an innocence that is really heartwarming. I also really liked Waite as Jovie because she gives her a bit of vulnerability.  It is an adorable show and you would have to be a cotton headed ninny muggins not to enjoy it.  Unfortunately, the run ended yesterday but you can go here for CPT's 2019 season which begins with Lend Me a Tenor.

The Nutcracker 2018

I am now officially on winter break and I am so happy to have a little bit of time off!  I celebrated the end of the longest week in recorded history by going to see Ballet West's The Nutcracker last night and it was wonderful!  This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions and, even though I have seen this ballet more times than I can count, I always look forward to every scene!  The party for Clara and Fritz is enchanting, the Nutcracker coming to life is magical, and the dance of the Snow Queen and her snowflakes is dazzling.  When Clara and her Nutcracker Prince travel to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy, I love all of the divertissements devised for Clara's entertainment but my favorites are the Arabian dance because it is so exotic and the Russian dance for the sheer athleticism!  My favorite scene in the entire ballet is the Grand Pas de Deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier because Tchaikovsky's music and William Christensen's choreography in this section are unbelievably romantic.  Emily Adams and Adrian Fry danced their roles beautifully and I thought they had a lot of chemistry.  The sets and costumes were completely redesigned last year and I really like the changes because the party scene incorporates rich jewel tones and the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy is more exotic.  I also really like all of the special effects, especially when the Christmas tree grows in size and the fireworks display during the finale.  I love all of the children in the cast because they are so exuberant, particularly Mother Buffoon's children.  I highly recommend this lovely production because it is sure to become a Christmas tradition (go here for tickets).