Letters for George: JAL

Dear George,

We’ve just wound up our best Christmas in many years. Our son Justin and teen-age grandkids Alex and Leo arrived on Dec. 23 and left this afternoon (Dec. 28). In between we filled the time with fun and laughter. The family is driving to Nashville where Alex and Leo with fly to L.A. to meet up with their Aunt Jamie and cousins. Justin and their pup L’il Paws will then continue to New Orleans. Our dog Iko is mourning Lil Paws’ departure, and we are doing the same for our family. Here is a rhymed accounting of our time together.

Love,

Dave

Justin and our grandkids were here

With bags filled with holiday cheer

The Bulk Outlet was closed

We sad shoppers deposed

So we went to the thrift shop for gear

On Christmas we had presents galore

My Satchmo cap I truly adore

Katja did lots of shopping

Kept all the folks hopping

And our family brought all even more

The kids’ notes were filled with affection

A boon to our holiday connection

They’re such fun, that’s the truth

Take us back to our youth

And make for nostalgia and reflection

We tuned into the show “Stranger Things”

Such scary weird creatures with wings

I struggled with the plot

What I thought, it was not

For others, it tickled heartstrings

Daily walks with Iko and L’il Paws

Iko was more prone to pause

These dogs are so cute

And they’ve mastered each route

That’s why they deserve our applause

“Avatar: Fire and Ash”

A movie that makes a big splash

At times I was confused

Then I’d find myself amused

Three plus hours went by in a flash

We went to see MAD Magazine

A stiff challenges to the American scene

The art was quit fine

Graphics tickled one’s spine

And sometimes it proved actually clean

The gang went to see “Marty Supreme”

A young man who was driven by his dream

His thing was ping pong

An avenue to belong

Toxic ambition was the theme

The Bulk Outlet was open the second time

But the kids thought it not worth a dime

Off to Pixel Nineteen

Much more fit for a teen

A warehouse for customers in their prime

Off to the Mariemont to take in “Hamnet”

Death and grief were an ever-present threat

But Shakespeare wrote his play

And his show saved the day.

I cried a few tears, not upset

Kenwood Mall for our bi-annual trip

The youth searching for merchandise hip

They did Alex’s nails

Then some half price off sales

We barely had space in our ship

We went to First Watch for our lunch

A chorizo omelet, my favorite munch

Leo, Katja, French toast

Alex, veggies, the utmost.

The meals at First Watch pack a punch

Alex got a school project back

Lost at the museum — smack, bang, whack.

Some good soul turned it in

Which caused Alex to grin

And now life is back in the black

Justin did lots of household repairs

Fixed the lights on the front and back stairs

Did the refrigerator filter

The smoke alarms off-kilter.

The kitchen drawer, among our very longest cares.

We partied with Hannah, Chris, and Karrie

A family gathering that proved to be merry

We dined on China Food

Very tasty for our brood.

Traded stories that were funny, warm, and scary.

To Bronte’s, our very last meal

Tasty brunch, that was the deal

Our grandkids are flying to L.A.

Meet with Aunt Jamie and cousins, more play

For all concerned, the Christmas spirit is real

Dear George,

With our son J and grandkids A and L visiting, we are enjoying a very special holiday season. It reminds me that Christmas has played a significant role over the years in our lives. Here are a few of the stories.

Trees of Many Colors

My dad planted evergreens in the field across from our house on Riverside Boulevard, and, by the time I was 9 or 10, they were reaching maturity. About a week before Christmas I would go with him, and we would pick out a white pine or a spruce for our Christmas tree. We would lug it back to our driveway, tie it to the top of our car, and bring it to Van Domelen’s auto body shop in downtown Menominee. Vic would set it up in the vestibule in which they spray painted cars, and the workers would paint our tree red, blue, or yellow. My aunt Martha always complained about our tree being sacrilegious, but we children thought it was amazing..

Santa Comes to Visit

In the late afternoon of Christmas Eve my dad drove us to Vic and Ruth Mars’ home at Northwood Cove on the Green Bay shore where we joined a bunch of other kids from my parents’ circle of friends. We were told to hide behind chairs and sofas in the living room and to be completely quiet. After a while who came in but Santa himself, carrying a large bag of toys. We were entranced. He put a lot of them underneath the Christmas tree. Miraculously every kid in the room received a present from Santa.

A Family Celebration

Every Christmas eve our extended family gathered at our house on the river to celebrate Christmas. Uncles Kent and Ralph brought cosmetic and health care samples from their drugstores as presents. However, Kent’s twin brother, Karl, who was a bachelor with no family of his own was much more extravagant. Gowns, fur wraps, jewelry for the woman and fancy toys for the children. I used my nuclear science kit to search for uranium deposits on the Lake Superior shore. Mother made a fancy turkey dinner with Schaum Torte for dessert. We sang Christmas carols, and the kid took turns reading “The Night Before Christmas.”

Christmas on My Own

I was at home for Christmas every year until 1958 the I was 21. That Christmas I was in New York City, living in Washington Heights, and my two friends has gone home for the holidays. I went to an Irish bar in the neighborhood. After a couple of shots of whiskey, I thought I’d better call home, and I sent my Christmas wishes. A couple of guys at the bar then said I sounded like I had an Irish accent, but others said I sounded more Scottish. They asked if I had jumped ship and was in the country illegally. I said that I was. They said that they could get papers for me, but these would come from the Mafia. Too scared, I said thanks but no thanks, and I headed for home.

A Married Christmas. In 1964 Katja and I had our fifth Christmas holiday as a married couple at my parents’ home in Menominee. We had just returned from a two-month European tour of 8 or 9 countries, and we’d documented our adventure with photos that we’d had turned into slides. Vic and Doris invited a couple dozen friends to a party at river house where Katja and I gave a photographic European tour to the group. I’d say Katja did 95% of the reporting, and everyone found her delightful.

Too much to take in. We started celebrating Christmas full-scale when Justin turned one — trees, stockings on the mantel, holiday music, a special dinner, etc. When Justin was four we took him to Johnny’s Toy Store in Greenhills to see what sorts of gifts he would like to ask Santa for. At first this was a fun outing — Justin was happy and excited, his doting parents were enthralled. However, the store was huge, the merchandise endless, and the stimulation of all those toys proved too much. Justin cried and cried, and nothing we could do calmed him down. Santa did get the necessary information though.

A Christmas Tree Forest. We moved to our house on Ludlow Avenue in Cincinnati’s Clifton neighborhood in about 1975. I cut down a sumac tree near the Digby Tennis Courts and made flour-and-salt cookie faces, painted with acrylics, for decorations. Our neighbors started putting their evergreen Christmas trees out on the curb as early as Dec. 26th or 27th. Justin and I agreed that was a shame, so we started hauling them home and setting them up on our back patio. One year we had 17 Christmas trees in our patio forest. They stayed there till Valentine’s Day.

Christmas in the Big Apple. We spent many Christmases over the years on Manhattan’s Upper West Side with Katja’s sister and brother-in-law, Ami and Bruce. New York is an absolute joy during the holidays. Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, St. Peter’s and Saint John’s, the Met and MOMA, Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue, Times Square. Ami made an elegant Christmas dinner for family and friends each year, and the two sisters were extravagant with their gifts. Justin became so in love with the city over the years that he decided that was the only place he wanted to go to college. And so he did.

A Special Family Christmas. Over the years we have usually celebrated the holidays with our NOLA family at Thanksgiving, but this year J, A, and L joined us in Cincinnati. It’s been a wonderful time so far. We did the “MAD Magazine” art show at the Cincinnati art museum yesterday, took in “Avatar: Fire and Ash” at Cinemark, and exchanged a bonanza of gifts on Christmas morning. A and L are 17 this year, a year away from getting ready for college. They are bright, affectionate, mature. and fun. A joy for their grandparents on this special holiday.

Love,

Dave