Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Santa's Coming Tonight, Tonight!

So sings Sponge Bob, and my children. They are locked in the dining room (the warmest room in the house, even WITH a window open), wrapping my Christmas present. I know it is a DVD of Mama Mia! because I asked for that, and The Spouse tried to get me to wrap it earlier this week. Ha! Yeah. Right. You gotta at least wrap what you givin'.

Tonight, we are going to dinner with some French friends. We are the Perfect Storm of dining partners: three families, six kids. Everyone gets on famously, although one husband always takes off his shoes and socks immediately upon entering the host home. Which is sort of weird. But he is funny and charming, so we forgive him. Last time I hosted a dinner, he and the other French husband corrected our (American) pronunciation of such things as "Oasis," "The Beatles," and "Elvis Presley." Seems we are doing it all wrong.

Anyhow, there is going to be foie gras and jumbo shrimp. I am contributing champagne, and a great green salad, and the Nigella caramel croissant bread pudding. Oh, and tons of cookies and the chocolate peanut butter cups the girls made.

The Hostess sent her husband over on his way home from work this afternoon (December 25 is NOT a holiday in Russia) so he could collect the heavier items. I stood outside our building with a carton of champagne and a tray of cookies. I got a lot of looks from people who, I think, think I was selling something. One little old lady came by and stood nose-to-nose with me.

"What is all this?" she asked.

I thrashed about for some Russian vocabulary and finally confessed, "I speak Russian not very well."

"Ah," but she was still curious.

"Party?" I tried. "Fiesta?"

That seemed to work for her, and she ambled on her way.

Then I spotted a very draggy-ass Ded Moroz coming up the street. Some poor young guy, wearing his Russian Father Frost giddy-up and dragging his bag of presents, his heart JUST. NOT. INTO. IT. Why? Why? Why don't I carry a camera with me always?

I relayed these stories over lunch.

"Mama, you are a magnet for the weird," said Baboo.

Yeah. That may be true. But it all makes for good blog material.

Merry Christmas y'all.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas to you and your family. We're off to California to spend the holidays with Wife Extraordinaire's mother.

Kelsey said...

Sounds like a good time!

TRex said...

Fiesta? heh.

Merry Christmas to everyone.

The Expatresse said...

When I'm panicked, Spanish comes to mind first. It's the foreign language I mangle the least.

valentina said...

"Magnet for the Weird..." Maybe Baboo has the making of a writer in her...Hope so!
xov

valentina said...

You sound like "Have party will travel" with the Champagne and Caramel Pudding and cookies etc! What a fabulous guest you are!
Thanks for turning me on to Tony B's blog. I didn't know about it although I am an avid fan of NO REservations and have read his books and have his cookbook... They recently aired a great show of Machu Picchu which is just about the only way I'll ever see it. I thought of your girls when he was eating cui, and your Guinea pig...Although Justine's encounter with Guinea pig and being told the head was the best part in the Lonely Planet episode always lingers in my mind...there is something about eating your pets which is just too weird for me...and while Sarah Palin's debacle at the Turkey Farm was enough to nearly make me cross over into vegetarianism I haven't made that journey as of yet...

Anyhow tonight I will think of you when I drink my champagne at Christmas dinner!
xov

Tami said...

Magnet for the weird! Funny stuff! :) Merry Christmas!

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