Tis The Season

December has arrived, and with it comes all those sneaky little holiday missions. Work heats up with company Christmas parties, my family negotiates schedules to choose the day we will share a holiday meal together, and the mercury on the thermometer drops so the white stuff can fly. Yes, it's a busy time.

It seems that the past weekend many people chose a tree. I saw a big, beautiful, full tree on a snowmobile trailer that spilled over the edges of it with its gloriousness. I would love to see that tree when it arrives home and gets decorated. That man is going to get a prize gift from his wife this year when she sees him unload that! I'm waiting to do my tree. My best friend will arrive and stay the week before Christmas since there's a free flight to use by December 20th. It's my not-so-secret joy to have a man who doesn't get flustered by my insistence that we move it, spin it, cut one more branch, tilt it, rearrange it one more time. I knew when I met him that putting up a Christmas tree with him would be wonderful. A man who pulls out his laptop to check his Streets and Trips only minutes into being lost, and waits patiently in traffic must be disguised as a saint of Christmas trees. And he is. I will wait for him to get here so we can weave another memory into our friendship.

There's the killer molasses cookies to make, the to-die-for almond cookies to bake. I want to decorate the house, all but the tree. I power shopped Monday and am already over budget with a few gifts left to garner. What can I say? It's the Santa in me. I want my chores to be done early, though I have to admit that this to-do list I have is one I relish. I don't like that Christmas is so commercial, but I do love giving gifts. I also love making good food and decorating the house with my cherished Christmas things.

The restaurant where I work does a fair amount of holiday entertaining, too. It's good and it's bad. Since regular diners see the parking lot so full, they are inclined to think it will be a 2-hour wait and choose another restaurant, so that's not good. We run our butts off some nights for parties who get to choose their own tip amount, and some choose poorly. Saturday night was like that. We had a 40 sectioned into a "U" around the fireplace. The host wanted his guests to have anything they wanted, open bar, appetizers, dessert, everything. Other waitresses assured us this guy was a great tipper! When he paid the bill (and raved about everything being perfect), he left roughly a 12% tip. When a party like this takes up most of three waitresses section, leaving them each with one or two tables besides the party, it can cramp your style to get just $30.00 for the first few hours of your work shift. Ugh. I think if Lee hadn't gotten us all so excited by saying he was such a generous tipper, we wouldn't have been quite as disappointed.

I had a local couple stop in for dinner. They got good service and tipped more than I think they usually would, to my delight. But as sometimes happens, the best part of their visit wasn't the tip, it was the comment my hostess came back to give me after they'd left. "They said you were the best waitress they've ever had, anywhere! What did you do for them?" I laughed and told her I couldn't tell her. In reality, I think they said that because they were impressed that I kept their water glasses filled when they were slugging down water. I simply did what good servers do: bring the things the customer needs when he needs it, and take away what the customer doesn't need when he's done with it. Good waiting is really that simple. Well, kind of. You still need to anticipate needs. I like to arrive with a doggie bag when I know they are done, but want to take the rest home. I wrap food for people, rather than just throwing doggie bags on the table. Diners love to be pampered, and whenever possible, I spoil them with that one insignificant detail of placing their food in a take out container. They love it. Apparently, the Timm's loved it too. I'll carry that compliment a long time.

I'm finishing up some major projects at home as we head into the holiday season too. I've been refinishing the kitchen cupboards, a long and arduous job. I'd been avoiding the area by the sink since it has approximately one zillion corners tucked into the six half-shelves and window frame there. It is with great pride, joy, and relief that I can report that I have finally completed this beast! You see, I needed to have it done before I could do my holiday decorating. I won't put out my favorite Christmas heirlooms amidst the flurry of dust this chore creates. This gives me the green (and red) lights to forge ahead on decorating my house! I love my Christmas stuff and can hardly wait to see it all again. The Christmas music is already in the cd player. Let the games begin!

Yep, it's a busy season! My blogging has become rusty, and my writing seems a bit banal lately. I'm plodding through this not-so-creative time by being a workhorse in the home, and planning some very nice surprises for those dearest to me. Perhaps the few who read here will understand this. Comes a time when sitting at a computer doesn't cut it, you just need to get hands-on in your life and go do! I believe the physical activity is my battle against the winter blah's I've been fighting so hard. Christmas is a time for celebration. We celebrate family and the birth of Jesus. We celebrate friends. We celebrate our traditions that help us remember who we are and where we came from. We celebrate with cookies, and gifts, and music. I hope the season is full of whatever celebrations touch your hearts. What I hope, is that you slow down enough to enjoy the parts that make the whole and remember the real reason we do all this silly stuff.

Merry Christmas!