Deck the Halls

I tried to post this on 11/26, but the post never happened. Better late than never...

Thanksgiving was much less stressful for me than I thought it would be. Since I've had almost no free time, I was beside myself as to what to prepare for my soon-to-be in-laws, since the last couple of times I got overly ambitious and they arrived 30-45 minutes early to watch me frantically put finishing touches on things in the kitchen. Ray's mom, ever condescending (but well-meaning), keeps saying, "She's just a baby. She'll learn," which grates on my very last nerve, considering the fact that they come EARLY before I'm ready for them. Last time she said that, my dad spoke up for me and said, "No, she actually did a really great job." Thanks, Dad!

But I am learning. This year I told them to come at 5:30, planning on dinner to be ready by 5:00. They arrived at 5:15, and I was ready for them with appetizers. I was still putting finishing touches on the food, but everything was cooked and almost ready to put on the table. I was hoping she wouldn't make any more condescending remarks, but at the end of dinner, she said, "You're learning." Well, I guess she's right. I just wish it didn't bother me so much when she said it.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, Caroling season is in full swing. I started caroling at a Big Department Store in the middle of Philadelphia (I'm taking a page from Adam875's book and trying for at least SOME anonymity), and although the whole story of how I got the gig needs to be left for another post, it is actually quite a nice gig. They have a secure dressing room for us to take our breaks in, and we're pretty much left to our own devices. We have been wandering through the store, found out that although almost nobody shops in Menswear, there is a really cool place for us to stand and sing so that a good portion of the first floor can see and hear us.

Almost everyone who hears us actually stops and listens for the whole song, and sometimes even hangs out for two or three songs before they go back to their shopping. The parents are really pleased to point out to their kids, "Look, Timmy, Christmas carolers." And one of my fellow carolers commented that we were probably the only people on Black Friday that the shoppers weren't angry at. Shoppers would push and shove their way through the crowds, but when they saw us coming, they would smile and move aside.

We did have a strange incident, however, of a couple of teenagers we passed as we were walking to the escalator. They saw us and said, "Hey look, immigrants!" Immigrants? Um, how do you get immigrants from four people wearing Victorian-era outfits? Maybe immigrants who stepped out of a time machine. Those kids must be products of the Philadelphia public school system; obviously well-educated.