Fiesta de Navidad

After the taco eating, we got down to some serious partying. As the meal ended my aunt made me stand up in front of the group while she read a small tribute. (I should say this is the same aunt who, when my cousins and I were little, would organize the annual Christmas "show" where we would dress up as elves and sing songs. Thankfully, video technology didn't exist and no one was into 16mm film so there's no real evidence, aside from some non-digitized photos.)

Yes, she made me wear a crown.

When I left for Iraq, my attractive wife, aunt and mother all had bracelets made with my name on it. My aunt didn't take it off for the entire time I was over there. After her small speech I ceremonially took it off her wrist. I was very, very touched. Then I took off my mother's bracelet. My attractive wife had already taken her own bracelet off previously.

Then we went inside for a chaotic family picture. When my authoritative grandfather ran the show prior to his passing away in 1987, we all posed for a very formal picture after dinner but before opening the presents. Back then, we fit into roughly three rows: fathers standing, mothers sitting, and grandchildren sitting on the floor. With the family now spanning four generations, we just try to get in the same picture frame. We decided to try standing in my aunt's staircase. I didn't think it would work but was I ever wrong.

Photo courtesy of the Taco Man!

Then we started our family's infamous gag gift exchange. Back in the day, we actually gave gifts to each other but, as the family kept growing, this became increasing difficult to do, not to mention costly. For a while, we had a cousin-only gift exchange where we would buy one gift for another cousin based on a random draw. At some point, we gave up on that and just went to a gag gift exchange which is much more entertaining.

The prize gift in our family is the Boxing Nun. She made her first appearance several years ago and was an instant hit with three generations of Catholic-educated people in the audience. There's something about the maniacal expression on her face combined with the articulated boxing gloves that move in and out menacingly when she's held. I wrote in my Iraq blog how the cousin in Mexico who took her home last year, sent it to my aunt who then sent it to me in Iraq. She stayed most of 2008 with me there. Everyone in my family looked forward to her return from abroad.

This year's gift exchange actually featured two nuns. One was from a previous year and had a little damage to one of the arms. This was referred to as, "the Domestic Nun." My nun was, "the Iraqi Nun." Unfortunately, due to a packing error, my nun remained at home so I had to make a valuable coupon that the winner would exchange for the actual nun at a later date. The coupon was wrapped in a box.

Like all gag gift exchanges, gifts can be "stolen" a number of times (we decided on five times for this year's exchange) and that a gift could be stolen twice during a round. There were some good ones this year, as you can see below. Both nuns were stolen five times each and two lucky cousins went home with them: my cousin, Edith went home with the Iraqi Nun, and my cousin Beto went home with the Domestic Nun.

Beto Takes Her Home!

Cleaning Slippers -- Convenient!

The Mexican Version of "The Clapper"

...And the Perennial Favorite, "Meat Stick!"

Amidst the gift exchange chaos, Jack found some time to be ultra-cute with his Bisabuela (Great Grandmother).

After the gift exchange, my aunt asked each of us to say something that we were thankful for in the past year. I said I was thankful for being home.

Christmas Taco Miracle

My aunt Marta, who traditionally hosts my extended family's Christmas party in San Diego, asked me what I wanted this year in honor of my return from Iraq. I told her, "tacos." When my cousins and I were little, we often went to taco stands in Tijuana, where my grandparents lived. We had a nickname for these stands, "Tacos Parados" (lit. Standing Tacos) because few of the stands back then had seats. They were the best damn tacos you've ever had (trust me). A few years ago, my aunt hired a taco guy to come to her house for a party in honor of my grandmother's ninetieth birthday. It was delicious.

I figured my request was in vain since we would be holding the party on Christmas Day. No so; my aunt guilted a trusted Taco Purveyor into coming over after telling him I had served a year in Iraq and that my only Christmas Wish was a good taco.

My parents, attractive wife, Jack and myself drove down to San Diego on Christmas Day. We arrived early since I was informed I would be a guest of honor, side by side with the matriarch of the family, my ninety-three year-old grandmother (or, as we've always referred to her, "abuelita"). When we arrived the Taco Man already was set up and cooking. I introduced myself and personally thanked him for sharing our Christmas. For all Mexican families, the big night is actually Christams Eve so he told me it wasn't all that much of a sacrifice. For years, especially when my grandfather was alive, Christmas Eve was our family's big party night too and included a huge dinner, visits from an especially Hispanic looking Santa, and opening presents.

Upon arriving, I greeted my abuelita and thanked for all the rosaries she said on my behalf when I was in Iraq. It was great to see her (at ninety-three, there was no guarantee she would have survivied for another year for me to see her). When I saw her, such fears evaporated; although sitting, for the most part in a wheel chair, she was a spry, alert and focused as ever.

The forecast called for sporatic rain so we set up folding tables and chairs under the awning and close to the side of the house. We ran out of suitable table cloths so we ended up using Sesame Street bedsheets. My cousins had a blast "laying" it out, as you can see.

After a suitable amount of greeting each other (I hadn't seen most of them all in over two years), my aunt announced it was time to eat. I was asked to go first and I served up three carne asadas with everything (cilantro, onions, guacamole, and salsa). For the non-Mexicans out there, these tacos are not the Gringo hard shell type. They are served on small corn tortillas, which more or less, hold together an over-stuffed taco well. It. Was. Delicious. The perfect chaser for a year of institutional food in Iraq. I ended up eating five in all. I paced myself.

Oh yeah, Jack enjoyed the tacos too. But not as much as me.

Christmas Train

We drove down to Los Angeles to visit my parents for Christmas this year. I won't bore you with the details of the drive down from Northern California. It was about what you would expect with a three year old boy trapped in a car seat for eight hours.

On Christmas Eve, we walked down the street to visit my parent's neighbors who had a remarkable electric Christmas train set up around their Christmas Tree. Jack rode in a red wagon that my father keeps at the house for him and Jack's twin cousin boys who visit from Denver.

The train had five cars (including the cabose) all of which featured moving parts. It was like the "It's a Small World" ride at Disneyland. Elves popped out of coal tender, danced around a Christmas Tree, and ice skated on a small frozen pond. The train controls had buttons for a whistle, bell, and Santa yelling, "Ho, ho, ho!"

Jack loved it. It was the perfect sort of thing to see and play with at someone else's house; Jack is a little bit too young to fully appreciate something like this without ultimately destroying it.

Santa at Sizzler

Tonight we went to the local Sizzler's with our neighbors. Call it a pre-Christmas get together without all the cooking fuss. It was quite the bargain; dinner for my attractive wife, Jack, and myself for under $40.

We arrived just before five p.m., after the senior crush (which Sizzler's refers to as "Honored Guests" on their menu) and ahead of the regular Sunday night dinner crowd.

The food was good and the salad bar "endless." As we were finishing up, an African American man walked by with his family dressed in a red sweat pants, a red San Francisco 49ers sweatshirt, and a matching 49ers Santa hat. Jack said, "It's Santa!" as he walked past.

Jack wanted to meet him so we walked over to his table where he was eating with his wife and son, who was sporting an authentic elf hat. I said, "Excuse me, sir. My son wants to meet you because he thinks you're Santa."


He said, in a booming voice, "Well, well, well, does he?" and put him on his lap and asked what Jack wanted for Christmas. Jack became a little shy, but with some coaxing, said he wanted a light saber (although he pronounced it, "life saver") and offered, "General Grievous is a bad guy."

"Santa" asked if we wanted a picture and I snapped one after we walked back to our table. As we finished the photo, his son came over wearing his elf hat and we snapped another. It was a pleasant addition to our bargain dinner.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner tonight here at home. Last year, I spent Thanksgiving in Baghdad, Iraq. The Embassy Dining Facility (DFAC) did a wonderful job decorating and serving food nearly continuously from from about 1100 to 2000.

Thanksgiving, Baghdad, Iraq, 2007

Of course, I was thankful at the time to be in a (relatively) safe location, with new friends and good food. But tonight, I am especially thankful to be back in one piece and with my attractive wife, loving son and my parents. At Day Care, Jack made a Thanksgiving Wreath to commemorate the holiday. Such a simple piece of artwork is very touching to me this year. I'm pretty sure Jack has little concept of Thanksgiving this year but I still think it's pretty touching.

Jack's Thanksgiving Wreath, 2008

This year, I invited my friend Mike and his friend Sarah over as they didn't have any special plans. Chasing Jack throughout the house while playing host was fun but it wasn't until all the guests had left, the dishes cleaned up and Jack was asleep in his crib that I began to think about what I was thankful for.

Thanksgiving, Jack with guests Sarah and Mike, 2008

I'm thankful for my families: the one I grew up (my mother, father, and younger sister) and the one I have as an adult (my attractive wife and son, Jack). I am happy to share a bit of both this year at home.

I am thankful for my friends (like Mike, whom I've known for ten years) who supported me with treats, movies and good wishes while I was deployed.

I am thankful for the love I have received from my parents. Their support and common sense approach to raising both my sister and I contributed greatly to the person I am today. I can only hope to pass some of that on to Jack.

I am thankful for my attractive wife, who endured a year long separation from me, in only the fourth year of our marriage, while being a single mother to Jack during his "terrible twos." Sometimes I think I had it bad in Iraq but I thought of how tough it was for her to be working full time and taking care of Jack.

I am thankful Jack has accepted me back into his life. I feel as if I never was away and I am very happy for that.

I am thankful for very good friends. In my youth, I used to think friendship was intensely personal, that it required day to day nurturing in order to endure. I know now friendship takes many forms. I have many friends who I don't see much. My best friend (and best man/god father to Jack) falls in that category but I know we'll be close to our dying days. Other friends, like my co-workers in Iraq, I likely will never see again but we bonded under the most uncommon of circumstances. And we will always have that most uncommon experience to ruminate about.

But mostly, I am thankful to be home. Time to get on with the business of living.

Puffy

A few days ago, my mom was teasing her hair in the morning. Jack walked by the downstairs bathroom, saw her, and exclaimed, "Nanni! You're hair is puffy!"

Nanni & Pa Visit!

My parents, whom Jack calls "Nanni and Pa," are here to visit for Thanksgiving. It's the first time I've seen them since returning from Iraq at the end of October (I saw them both when I was on leave last May).

We ate a great brunch after picking them up from the airport early this morning. When we got home, they gave Jack a new pair of Lightening McQueen slippers which Jack loves a lot.

Halloween

So this was Jack's first real Trick or Treat Halloween. He had two costumes to choose from: 1) a fireman (courtesy of "Dewey" and "Day-day", our neighbors) and a 2) a cow (courtesy of one of his cousins who wore it a few years ago).

Jack choose the fireman much to my approval. Thankfully, it didn't rain as much as the news predicted. We visited our condo association neighbors first. Day-day gave him a chemical glow stick much to Jack's excitement.

Then my attractive wife and I walked with Jack to an adjacent (and much quieter street). Many houses had wonderful decorations and even a few light and sound effects. Jack was pretty excited about the whole Trick or Treat concept, especially the promise of candy.

Jack would knock on the doors and then yell, "Trick or Treating!" Most people thought his costume was pretty cute. One lady said, "Oh, you get extra!" After getting candy, Jack thought the next logical step was to walk inside the house. We had to grab him each time and explain getting candy was not an invitation to walk inside. Nevertheless, most people thought it was funny.

The real treat was the last house we visited where the guy who answered the door was a real fireman getting home from work. He really liked Jack's costume and let him ring a fire bell attached to his front gate. He said goodbye to Jack by saying, "Have a safe shift!"