Sunday Brunch



1. Is your Christmas shopping complete? If no, how much is left to do? YES! Thank God, yes it is. I finished this past Tuesday during my lunch hour. Thank God that I work near several malls and had a good idea of what I wanted.



2. If someone not on your Christmas shopping list buys you a present, do you feel like you have to buy one for them? You know, I used to. I would even carry wrapped presents with me for such an occasion. I stopped doing this some years past because I felt it was phony. If someone gives me a Christmas gift and I did not buy one for them, I can elect to buy a them a birthday gift.



3. What is your favorite Christmas special or holiday movie? 'A Christmas Carol' is my favorite holiday movie. I must view it annually and it's as if I'm viewing it for the first time!



4. Tell us about one of your favorite Christmas memories. When I was 6 years old or so, my mom worked at a paper box factory where they made the packaging for major department stores, perfume manufacturers, etc. Sometimes, she would bring home the most beautifully colored paper and foils that - for whatever reason - didn't meet production standards.



One Christmas my mom, sisters and I made garland from gorgeous foiled paper colored gold and fushia. It shimmered among the Christmas lights and seemed so beautiful to me. I remember this fondly because of the time we spent together making them. My mom made us champurrado and we worked together as a team.



If I was 6 then, my sisters were 17 and 18 years old, respectively. It was the first and only time we did crafts together. By the following Christmas one sister was married and out of the house, the other seriously dating and hardly home.



5. Tell us about a holiday mishap. (i.e.: tree falling over, dog eating presents, etc.) In the 1980s I was working swing shift and arriving home about 12 midnight. I always liked for my trees to have hundreds of lights and plenty of ornaments. One night as I entered the apartment, I heard a rustling noise. Startled, I wasn't quite sure where to look. I walked around the apartment in search of the origin, but found nothing.



As I stood near the tree, again I heard the rustling and saw branches move. I felt my heart racing as my hands neared the branches I intended to part. As my fingertips touched the branches, two beady eyes peered from the bowel of the tree. I screamed and stepped back. My cat J.R., leapt from the tree towards my chest.



She landed on me even though she was entangled in the lights and ornaments. I fell back onto the couch and the tree - replete with lights and an abundance of Hallmark ornaments - fell on top of us. All I remember hearing is the sound of glass shattering and ceramic breaking. Half the ornaments were lost, as well as several sets of lights. J.R. was shaken, but okay and I was scratched all about my face!