Nick's Birthday Extravaganza

This is Nicholas, who turned one year old last month, at the height of the Christmas Craziness (same week as my birthday, actually).

Brazilian traditions on his mom's side of the family include a grand celebration to mark this occasion, but I think we can all see the wisdom of they're having waited until Christmas had come and gone to stage the Big Party.

For Nick's Big Day, the Courthouse was transformed into an amazing Winnie the Pooh balloon world. The decorators told me they used over 3000 balloons to dress the place for the party!


Nick's Mom, Alexandra, did an amazing job with this party. While outside decorators were brought in to dress the hall, she put together the whole appetizer buffet as well as a host of homemade Brazilian confections.


To top things off, there was a veritable candystore of candies: chocolates, gummi bears and worms, and giant lollies were all well-represented.

And then there was The Chocolate Fountain: not only was this fun for dipping fruit, it also made a brilliant case for itself as an air freshener, with sweet chocolate fumes filling that side of the hall.



In the small room, there was one of those bouncy inflatable toys from the Moon Bounce family, which was popular with kids of all ages.

To his credit, this thirteen month old was not only a fun guest of honor, but also a pretty decent host, keeping his composure and good spirit throughout a long and exciting evening. I know all of us guests had a terrific time, too, and will long recall this ultimate kid's birthday party.

Here's Nick and his whole proud family!

Some Time Passes...

And so, at this point in the holiday season, critical momentum is suddenly reached, as various activities multiply and fill up all that plentiful "free time" we are so often heard to complain of having had too much of...

MONDAY, 12/11: A house is cleaned. Halls are decked. Coolers stocked, wines chilled and cheese displayed.


Good times, great friends, good tunes: overall, it made for a wonderful party and a fun night.




TUESDAY, 12/12: A mild hangover, but a surprisingly clean house. The problem with the nice temperatures we've been having lately are the winter moths. They are flying everywhere lately. They almost look like snowflakes sometimes when they dance around the Christmas lights. But their caterpillars eat the heck out of trees around here come spring.

The Midnight Gardener quietly turns 42.


WEDNESDAY, 12/13: A rainy day. The always-great NRHS Honors Chorus visits the Courthouse for a holiday performance on a double shift.

Meanwhile, cookie recipes are organized, and the first trip to the grocery baking supply aisle occurs. Gift lists are also reviewed...the infinite nature of Santa is pondered.


THURSDAY: 12/14: The warm weather also means the continued presence of our frogs who, in most years, would be hibernating by now. I'm thinking about issueing each of them a little holiday top hat and cane.


By Wednesday, word has gotten around about the recented gifted Monkey Slippers. They are quite comfy, and cute as a button. Thanks, Ersi!!
FRIDAY, 12/15: Schedules are organized for the baking to be squeezed between work shifts. More baking supplies are laid in. The gift shopping is finally well begun. Many bags piled for later review and organization.

I'm starting to boost the volume on the holiday music, as another of our local stations makes the transition from regular programming to all holiday favorites, all the time. So many great songs...still waiting to hear a few of my personal favorites, while others are typically over-rotated (is anyone else hearing Wham's "Last Christmas" entirely too often this year?!?).



Anyway, with another double shift, the tunes keep the spirit alive. And we had the good news of the birth of a new Nicholas to make us smile, too.




Weary though we become from dashing about (or perhaps because of it), there's always time for a little holiday merriment and relaxation at home.

It's just that sometimes that time comes close to midnight. Here's me snuggling with my Best Girl, before rousing myself to make the dough for some refrigerator cookies.
Here the Bendable Cat chills with his other Dad.






SATURDAY, 12/16: After sufficient coffee, Mint Chocolate Pinwheels are seemingly miraculously created. More shopping is done. A penultimate holiday event at work and a few presents sorted and wrapped in the wee hours.

Somehow during the Friday/Saturday overnight, I have also managed to see most of "Prancer" on AMC, and mysterious managed a reasonable amount of sleep.

SUNDAY, 12/17: Lists are revised (how does Santa get away with only checking them twice??), a shopping run to Hyannis is carefully executed. Sorry there wasn't more time to check out the mall Santa. It might've been fun to have my picture taken with him.

The evening brought a impressive gathering of local talent to the Courthouse stage, for the 3rd or 4th Annual Christmas Cavalcade, which raised an equally-impressive sum to benefit the NOAH Shelter in Hyannis.

My holiday spirit is restored in the discovery that such a fun evening could do so much good.