another christmas eve here in throop (pronounced without the “h”) a small town in pennsylvania right near scranton. spent the day in the back of a workshop, not santa’s but my uncle’s. he owns an electrical business that has been in the family since my great grandfather came over from spain so every christmas he holds a party for all his old “buddies.” which really meant my aunt, sister and i being the only girls amongst a bunch of the most endearing older gentlemen ever collected- chowing down cold cuts, drum sticks, hard rolls and black and white cake. my sister and i sat on old stools in the back of the workshop with them hearing them talk of the old days, tell jokes mock each other, and laugh till it hurts (which for their age surprisingly takes a while). a couple hours passed and it was time for them all to gather their coats and head home and for my sister and i to walk the block back to my uncle’s house.

i got my key ring out, that by now is beginning to resemble that of a janitor’s, though i don’t know many janitors that have a hello kitty, jesus, and a hawaiian key chain my friend bought me that flashes “tough guy.” i opened my uncle’s door and walked right into his blue lazy boy chair, put on law and order svu and fell asleep. awoke from my cat nap to find my aunt and her husband digging into the leftovers from the party and reheating them in the microwave. after we all had the grub we had for lunch it was time for the beginning of the celebrations.

you see my uncle’s birthday is on christmas eve so we always get cake. and so it went we got out the blue iced cake and sang happy birthday as a family for my uncle then we all gathered in the living around the tv and watched a christmas classic: rudolf the red nosed reindeer with the almighty burl ives. just a normal christmas eve eating cookies off paper plates, bottles of perrier instead of cocoa, and not enough chairs for everyone leaving a few sequestered on the mustard yellow carpet that’s been here since my grandparents first moved into the house. it’s 11pm an hour and christmas will be here. it’s one of those surreal moments before the storm where it’s hard to believe that its really here. but as old saint nick says “santa clause is coming to town”.

for f*cks sake