A Very Barry Christmas

Ok. What is the deal with Barry Manilow? The guy is getting creepier by the minute. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fanilow. In fact, it was my first concert...I remember it like it was yesterday, there at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah. I remember listening to those 8-tracks in my mom's yellow chevette, driving up to Lake Tahoe on the weekends (we lived in Reno at the time). It was always a toss up between Barry, Dionne or Barbara. Barry had my number though so I cried many tears in protest against any other option. (Ask Laura if you don't believe me). Anyway, so the guy disappears off the face of the earth for the last 20 years and now all of sudden he's making this huge comeback. Nightly concerts in Vegas, tv commercials, an entire episode of Will & Grace devoted to him for heaven's sake. And it's not like he's aged well and has this great "new" presence. It's the same old stuff, only cheezed out to a much higher degree. And he's gone all diva too, with the plastic smile, champagne brunches and lavish hotel demands. Weird. Everytime I see him, I can't help but feel like someone is playing a cruel joke on him. This is a good example of what I'm talking about. Notice the distinct difference between then and now.

Let's face it, the guy is not aging like fine wine. It feels so forced, which makes the whole scene even worse. Last week Barry was here in SF doing a special show with Brian Boitano. Yes. The figure skater. The Brian Boitano Skating Spectacular. Here's a current photo from his web site.
How did his eyes get so blue? Am I the only one who thinks this is odd? I'm not sure why it's bothering me so much. Maybe it's just one thing from the 70s that I would like to keep in its original form.

Yuletide doubts??

Around Thanksgiving, I got really excited for Christmas. I fully planned on breaking out the decor the day after and getting the yuletide cheer going right away. It didn't happen, however, and after that, I kind of lost the Christmas spirit (and it wasn't even December yet). Since then, Tosh put the lights up on the house, got the decorations out from the rafters and we started to pull a few things out here and there. We never really got completely engaged, however. It was haphazard at best. A few days ago, we went and got our tree. That brought things up a notch but still not completely there. Then, yesterday I decided that I did need to make at least one trip to the mall. I heard one store was opening at 7 am so I thought if I went that early I could avoid the rush of consumption mongers that ruin everything about the true meaning of Christmas. There's nothing I dislike more than a mall at Christmas. But alas, I had to do it, at least one trip for just a few little specifics. As I had imagined, there was no morning rush. The workers were all still sipping their coffee and discussing how early they had to set their alarms. They had nothing to do but wait and chat. That pleased me. There's nothing that breaks my heart more than a sales clerk at Christmas who is frenzied, grumpy and rude because they are so tired of being treated like dirt from all of the frenzied, grumpy and rude shoppers. So anyway, it was nice to go into the store, have plenty of time and space to browse at my leisure and contemplate my gift purchasing experience. Around 10, it started to get a little busier and I was getting the feeling that I should leave while I still felt so pleasant. While I made my way toward the exit, I passed the makeup counter, which I swear I heard calling out to me...."Lisa...there's something you should see over here!!" And it was right! A little somethin somethin for me on my way out the door....

On my return to the homefront, my wonderful hubby had already handled most of the cleaning for the morning, rearranged the furniture to make better room for the tree, unloaded and placed most of the decorations, and had everything in tip top shape. The girls were bathed and dressed and ready to take on the day! Next, I visited the hair salon for a new doo. Waiting on the table therein was a festive array of peppermint bark, enlgish toffee, and ferrero roche. After the pampering, I took the girls down to Main Street so we could peruse the shops for an ornament of thier own choosing. Really, it's the only firm tradition we have and Kennedy has grown to really look forward to it. Since all the errands were done and it was still pretty early in the day, there was no rush. The three of us went into store after store, sampling fudge, touching thousands of sparkly and shiny things, admiring the lights and holiday music streaming through the air, simply strolling along with no real agenda. I also was able to pick up a few more gifts for others during the outing. We stopped for a slice of pizza, then continued our walk home in the chilly air. After arriving home, we decided to make some hot cocoa in our santa mugs and watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." And so we sat in the dark, except for the sparkling tree in the corner, a few candles, and a crackling fire and watched from beginning to end with no interuptions. I can't recall the last time I sat on the couch, cuddled up with my girls and watched and giggled through an entire movie with them. Usually, they're watching because I need some time to do something else. Anyway, I know it all sounds very "It's a Wonderful Life-ish" and it really kind of was. By the end of the day, I felt a great sense of satisfaction and the Christmas spirit had made a heroic return. And so it is with one day's worth of pleasant events that I now feel like I can fully enjoy this magical season. Everyone should have such a day...