Well, I said that it wouldn't happen again, and it happened again. In fact, it was even worse this time. Last time it was just a month between posts. This time, it's been over two and a half. Sigh. But it is, after all, Christmas, and the guilt of not posting for so long finally overpowered my crippling laziness; so here I am again.
A few words about Christmas -- Christmas music, to be exact. I am not admittedly as enchanted by the Christmas season as some ... well, most people. It's not that I don't like Christmas: I do. Christmas brings beautiful things out of the human race: generosity, empathy, fellowship, all of those things. And without Christmas, I probably wouldn't have the White Album, which my brother gave me, to listen to while I write this post. No, I can safely say that I like Christmas. Yet I do seem to react to the Christmas somewhat allergically. This is likely why my beloved darling often refers to me as the Grinch (or it's my hatred of Who-pudding and Who-roast-beast).
One of my sticking points has always been Christmas music. I can't stand it. No, that's not quite true. I don't hate Christmas music in principle, but ... well, it's awful. Not all of it, but about 99.93% of Christmas music is really quite awful (it's true -- it's been scientifically proven). Just absolutely insipid, uncreative, bland, pedestrian schlock, with no real musical value whatsoever. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, but after a few hours of mall shopping, it starts to get to you. I never understood how people put up with it, bought into it, allowed it to continue. Sure, mall radio is usually pretty unimpressive, but this? This is terrible! A Cajun "Silver Bells"? A sterilized nonjazz jazz rehash of Bruce Springsteen's rehash of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"? An electro-bluegrass falsetto "Winter Wonderland"? REALLY? I just didn't understand. Not until a couple days ago. Christmas, to be exact.
I was sitting in my living room, the living room I'd celebrated Christmas in for fifteen years, and listening to Nat King Cole's album "The Christmas Song," watching my family open presents, and a realization swept over me. Christmas for me was a parade of traditions. A thousand little things that made me comfortable. The tree. The lights and garland on the upstairs landing. The cloth angel on the top of the Christmas tree. The cat battling with the wrapping paper. My father, barely awake. And Nat King Cole. It just wouldn't be Christmas without that Nat King Cole album, starting with the strings at the beginning of the first song. You may not have heard the album -- you may not even have heard of Nat King Cole. It doesn't matter. That's what I realized: at Christmas, you want to feel comfortable, at home. What better way than listening to a Christmas album by your favorite singer? Who cares if it's Kevin Federline botching "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"? The Nat King Cole album isn't that great. It's not his best work. But I listen to it because it warms my heart in a way that no other Nat King Cole can. And that's what people listen to at Christmas: the music that makes them comfortable, that makes them feel like home, that warms their hearts. And if it's different for everyone, so be it. I can put up with a few hours of Christmas mall radio for that. I can put up with a lifetime of mall radio for that. Mostly, I'm just embarrassed it took me this long to figure it out.
Anyway, in knitting knews, not surprisingly many things have transpired since my last post. The Jules Winnfield Appreciation Hat, or J-wah, was completed in October. I also began and completed another pair of the Cotton Fleece Unmentionables for my lovely lady's birthday (though I'm embarrassed to say I didn't finish them until several weeks after the birthday); this pair was black, and featured a strip of color work running up the sides of both legs. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures at the moment, but hopefully will soon. Also begun and completed are a pair of gloves knit out of Misti Baby alpaca. Pictures of these will also hopefully be soon forthcoming. Currently, I'm working on my third pair of socks. They're from the Oktoberfest sock kit, beautifully assembled by the lovely Tsarina of Tsocks. Hmm... it's seeming more and more like I'm going to have to supplement this post with a post including pictures of all these things. After all, me telling you about all these projects is hardly as interesting as showing them to you, is it? Well, let's hope it doesn't take me two months to get those pictures up.
I suppose that's all I have to report at the moment. Pictures will hopefully follow soon. Until then, knit long at knit happy.
-DT
