Saving Christmas with the Delayed-Extended Christmas Plan

So, you’re done with Christmas.  And maybe you are really done with Christmas, as in “I’m never doing Christmas again.”  If this is you, here are 5 ideas for saving next year’s Christmas, all wrapped up in the Delayed-Extended Christmas package.  Take a look.  Modify as needed:

First, a couple of preliminary items:

1.  There comes a time when buying gifts for far flung family needs to be ditched.  Not that you don’t love them all dearly but you see them maybe once a year and in between times your correspondence is spotty to say the least. (Facebook posts about them enjoying their morning orange juice on the patio doesn’t count as genuine correspondence.) You have no idea what kind of coffee they like or if they even drink the stuff, or what color their kitchen is, or how many more place mats they (don’t really) need.  You can be honest with each can’t you?  You want what you want and so do they.  Go buy yourself a gift and pretend it’s from them and they can do the same in return.  Perfect!

2.  For those of you close enough to actually get together for Christmas drawing names is the best idea ever. You can concentrate on one person.  You will  love it when friends, or strangers like the grocery clerk trying to make polite conversation,  ask, “Have you got all your Christmas shopping done?” and you can smile and say, “Yup”.

Now to the delayed-extended part of the holiday:

3. Every year it’s a tangled jigsaw puzzle of dates and obligations trying to find a time when everyone can get together.  Stop the confusion. Celebrate after Christmas. Everyone can do this, plus you can do some last minute shopping the day after Christmas with no guilt.  You will still be in the holiday spirit, while everyone else is bah humbugging it in the customer service line exchanging stuff they got but don’t want or need.  Plus, you may find a couple of motion detector singing birds for half off (like I did and which my son-in-law loved finding in his Christmas stocking).

4. After the family has gathered take time to enjoy the event.  Go into the forest and chop down a tree (or pick one up in a Christmas tree lot for free). String some cranberries and popcorn and cut out snowflakes to decorate it.  Bake some Christmas cookies.  Eat!  Then, the next day celebrate Christmas with a big breakfast, gift opening, and later the big Christmas dinner. Followed by more eating.

5. And lastly but not leastly, do this away from everyone’s home.  This is the crowning piece of brilliance for the delayed-extended Christmas.   Gather at a lodge in the country or a cabin in the mountains.  This will necessitate bringing  a LOT of stuff with you (like the Christmas tablecloths and napkins, the  food processor and Kitchen Aid,  and most of the pantry) but it makes for a more relaxing atmosphere because you’re not messing up any one family’s home or routine.  You will  ALL be messed up and off your routine, making it fair and equal.

I highly recommend this plan.

Best wishes to you and yours.  And a Happy New Year!

Christmas Burritos

The Spanish students did a rousing Spanish version of Jingle Bells and of course, Feliz Navida when they serenaded us recently at school.  But something was left out.  They didn’t sing the burrito song.

I’m not sure why there’s a Christmas song about burritos.  If we’re going to sing about burritos seems like tacos and enchiladas should be included. But that’s being picky. The song has a catchy tune and beat that sticks in your head and encourages you to dance along.

I first heard this song a couple of years ago, just before I went to Mexico for Christmas.  Once in Mexico I realized this was my chance to find out why there is a Christmas song about burritos, sans salsa.  So when my daughter, whom we were visiting, invited some Mexican nationals for dinner, I asked them about the Christmas song, the one about a burrito and a tuqui, tuqui, tuqui, the only words I recognize.  They smiled politely, said they didn’t know this song, and slowly edged their way toward the door

Clearly I was going to have to do my own research on this song. Which means one thing.  Google. So I typed in Mexican Christmas song burrito. And there it is.  It’s about a little burro, not a Taco Bell burrito, which explains the lack of reference to tacos and enchiladas.  Other than that I still have no idea what the song is saying but the tuqui, tuqui, tuqui part is stuck in my head.

Come on, join in!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wrc6Q7acME