Christmas this year was a bit intense.
1.) Weirdly, Advent was actually more or less organized and 'properly' observed this year.
This is extremely unusual for us.
I'm used to realizing about five days into Advent that I should probably actually, ya know, do something, digging out a wreath, and playing catch up for about a another week before getting distracted again and then suddenly skidding into Christmas Eve.
This year, I actually managed to get out both a 'real' Advent wreath and a felt one before the first week of Advent was over, do a semi-involved craft involving the stove with the kids with no injuries, and watch some daily devotional videos with the kids every day as part of our morning prayer. I actually more or less felt on top of things.
(I bet you can see where this is headed...)
2.) Then things began to fall apart.
Two days before Christmas, I decided to get a tattoo.
It's an orange and red flaming skull with devil's horns and a snake tongue. It takes up the entire top half of my back.
Kidding. That would've been way too expensive.
It's actually on my inner forearm, and it looks like this...
I'd been playing with the idea of getting one ever since I figured out that this had happened, as a promise to God and to myself that I'm not walking away from my faith. I also want a sacramental, like a medal or crucifix, that I know my toddlers can't rip off my neck or otherwise destroy.
So when my brother Nick floated the idea of getting sibling tattoos and said he'd be interested in a cross, I showed him what I was looking at, and he said that he really liked that design too. When he came home for Christmas, he insisted that it was time to go get them.
And that's how I found myself sitting with my 21 year old brother in a tattoo parlor covered with pictures of naked ladies and various stylized animals, feeling extremely outside of my comfort zone (seriously, I think the only other time I've felt that nervous was my wedding night).
The experience itself was actually pretty good. The people in the parlor, both the artists and the other clients, were very friendly. Both Nick and I used the same artist, and he turned out to be very easy to talk to and very patient with our million and a half questions about the tattooing industry and art form (we were raised to ask a ton of questions whenever we're in a situation that we're unfamiliar with), as well as very talented with his medium. Turns out that he's a second generation tattoo artist, and that he also works with watercolors and colored pencil to sketch out designs (some of which were absolutely gorgeous).
The actual tattooing wasn't as painful as I was afraid it would be, though I think it was painful for Nick. He decided to get a similar design to mine, but he got it about three times as big, add a bible verse, and he got it on his ribs. Turns out the rib cage is one of the most painful places to get tattooed-- even the artists were like, "oh man. Going all in, huh?"
The artist said that most of his clients, as is the case with most other artists in the business, are repeat customers-- people who have already gotten tattooed by him and are returning for more. And a lady there with her son that we chatted with before we went to the back for our tattoos said that tattoos are addicting, "oh man, even hearing the machines, I want to get another something."
I honestly wonder if the reason people go in is for the community as much as it's for the actual work done, similar to how mani-pedis seem to work for the main character in Legally Blond. It's a community of people to talk to who all share an experience together and who are a captive audience, so to speak.
Food for thought.
3.) The day after getting my tattoo, I came down with a sore throat and serious congestion.
It was Christmas eve, and I had baking to do.
We had my family's Christmas get together to attend that evening (it's the one time of year that we make and eat tamales, and I was NOT going to miss it if I could help it).
It was pretty miserable. I got the baking about three quarters of the way done, went down and took a nap with the two year old while Chris took Nick and the four year old to my parents'. I headed over a couple hours later.
I survived by downing painkillers, drinking peppermint tea, not moving from the couch, and heading home about two hours earlier than I usually would have, where I promptly developed a fever, a backache, and the type of dull, achy headache where you become kind of detached from what's going on around you.
Chris made me open my Christmas gift early, and it turns out he got me a set of heating pads. These turned out to be absolutely heaven sent and saw immediate use.
4.) Because I was sick, our Christmas tree this year was kinda disappointing.
Our normal family tradition is to wait until the kids are in bed, then set up and decorate the Christmas tree and lay out the gifts, so that the living room is turned into a magical Christmas tableau when the kids wake up. We don't do Santa at our house (just isn't a good fit with the personalities in our family), so having that bit of Christmas 'magic' helps make up for that.
Well, I was way too sick to do anything except lay on the couch and then in bed, and my husband doesn't really enjoy or feel confident decorating the tree, especially when there's a sick wife he needs to take care of and the prospect of playing Call of Duty with his best friend/ brother-in-law (Nick) that he only gets to see once or twice a year.
Luckily, it's the type of tree that comes pre-lit, so it still looked pretty Christmas morning.
 |
| Yeah, it's pretty tiny. We don't really have room in our double wide trailer for a big one. |
And the kids and I ended up putting the decorations on a couple days after Christmas, so we're "celebrating the season" this year, and it became a "liturgical living" activity.
It still counts as Christmas until Candlemas!
5.) Christmas Day
I was feeling well enough (though still kinda weak) to attend mass and brunch at my In-laws'. We also managed a visit to my Oma's house. The kids (and Chris) liked their presents, there were biscuits and gravy AND waffles at brunch, there were no riots, and I sat on the couch a lot.
All things considered, I think it went pretty well.
6.) Christmas Season Management
Purely out of a desperate need for order among the general crud (Chris is fighting the same thing I had), the copious amounts of sugar, and the fact that I've almost completely lost my voice for the last three days, we've more or less forced ourselves back into our normal daily routine.
Bedtime we've more or less managed to keep the same, but the fact that both adults are sick, or have just been sick, means that we're kind of housebound and the kids are starting to bounce off the walls a bit.
We're planning on doing one or two more family get-togethers in the next couple weeks or so. Hopefully that will help.
7.) Random (Completely Unsolicited) TV Show Recommendation
So I wrote this blog post about a year and a half ago about Jesus movies...the good, the bad, and the cheesy.
I have another one to add to that list, somewhere between The Passion of the Christ and Jesus Christ Superstar in quality and artistic merit, but more like The Miracle Maker in tone and scope.
It's a TV show called The Chosen written and directed by Dallas Jenkins (son of the guy who did the original Left Behind movies) and distributed by Vid Angel. Only the first season is out so far.
It's not perfect, but Chris and I were both surprised by how much we un-ironically enjoy it. The characters are actually written instead of ripped out of the Bible verbatim, including Jesus. He actually comes across as someone who, you know, acts like a human being instead of like an angsty cult leader.
This depiction of Christ laughs and jokes (at one point he sees one of the apostles dancing badly at a wedding and remarks, "yeah, even I can't help you with that."), forms friendships and connections with the people around him instead of remaining aloof, and has an active and very visible relationship with his mother (!!). It's obvious that this version of Christ sees his ministry as a personal one (there's several scenes of him just having down to earth, earnest conversations with people instead of the sterotypical 'sermon given in a semi-trance' moments we usually get in these film depictions), and that absolutely makes the story leap off the screen, because it makes you actually want to spend time with this character.
Maybe it's because it's a TV series instead of a film, but the filmmakers are able to devote time to character development and really take the time to savor and explore these stories in a way that makes you want to drag out your dusty old Bible and re-read them.
Watch this clip, especially the bit AFTER the guy is actually healed, to see what I mean...
It does have its flaws. The main characters are all well cast, but some of the minor one-shot characters have some not-so-great acting moments, and there are several times where Chris and I hit the pause button and go, "Actually, they wouldn't have said or done that thing theologically or historically, because...(insert long explanation of Jewish theology, obscure fine point of Christian theology, or ancient cultural context)."
But overall the show is very well done, and I keep finding myself wondering how they'll choose to depict certain stories in the Gospel (the Transfiguration? the woman at the well?). It's got me hooked and wanting more, which quite frankly for a "Christian" show, especially one about the life of Christ, is pretty darn astounding.
You can watch the whole thing for free here on their app. Well, sort of free. It works on a donation scheme where people who watch the show can pay for people who come behind them to watch it. I've never had a problem watching an episode though.
See the rest of this week's quick takes here.
Comments
Post a Comment