Bodacious Boomer

Most families probably have a huge, sit-down meal for their Christmas dinner- kinda a re-run of Thanksgiving. We used to do that too. It was always good, but always stressful. If you’re the one preparing the big meal, you have to start early, be in the kitchen off and on all day, listen to incessant questions about when will dinner be ready, try to get everything to the table hot, then put the leftovers away and the kitchen cleaned before you drop from exhaustion. If you really lucky, you’ve got some help. However, we all know it actually all falls on YOU.

My most wonderful friend, Evelyn, got smart years ago. Instead of making herself crazy on Christmas day like I used to do, she keeps it super simple. At her house Christmas afternoon and evening, meals are self-serve- honey baked ham and potato salad. If you get hungry you grab a plate or bowl, fill it up and eat when and where you want. It’s the best! She had made 4 batches of cookies if you had a sweet tooth. I don’t think it was the ham and potato salad that made the day so great. They were great though. I think it was the fact that everyone could be so relaxed. No one had to spend a lot of time in the kitchen; no one had to be guilted into helping out.

We’ve been lucky enough to go there for the last few years now on Christmas day. It’s so relaxing and so much fun. In the past, we’ve played Scrabble or spades; but then it would seem someone would always have to sit out. This year we played two new games- Apples to Apples and Loaded Questions. Apples to Apples is called “the game of hilarious comparisons”. The game was chosen by Mensa International in 1999 as a “Mensa Select” prizewinner, an award given to five games each year. There is no clear-cut winner each round; the winner is subjective and chosen by the judge, which changes every round. The game might actually sound difficult. However, it’s really, very easy and a lot of fun.

We got up when we were hungry, filled our plates with food, sat down and continued playing. It may not sound like a “traditional” Christmas dinner. It’s not. It’s better-at least for us. We played Apples to Apples for 4 hours. Eventually, Amanda suggested that we play Loaded Questions. I didn’t want to stop, I was having so much fun. It’s a good thing we did though. (I’d been sitting so long my backside had gone to sleep). Anyway, after some stretching, potty breaks, etc. we settled in for the new game. It was more fun than the first. In Loaded Questions, a question is asked, then answered on paper. One person tries to match each answer to the correct person without seeing the handwriting. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had playing a game. One of the questions was- How long would it take you to use a roll of toilet paper? Answers ranged from 10 minutes to three weeks. Another was “What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done in public? If you were a professional wrestler, what would your stage name be? If you could be invisible where would you go?

Most of the answers were surprising. Evelyn was laughing so hard, root beer shot out her nose. I’d never seen her husband, Ken laugh so much- ever. Before we knew it, once again hours had passed. It was crazy. I suppose our day wasn’t what most people would think was a “normal” Christmas would be. But that doesn’t matter to me one bit. We made great memories with family and isn’t that what the holidays are all about?

Shoe Paste Pie

As some of you may know I was at my mom’s old apartment yesterday while her things were being cleared out. (We still have the house to do but that’s another thing entirely). Doug has been really great to me lately. He didn’t go with me to the apartment, instead staying home and cleaning- I mean really cleaning- mopping the kitchen floor, doing 5 loads of laundry, etc. All this without me even asking. (He can be a really great guy when he wants to be). I wasn’t at my best when I got home. I was teary eyed and down in the dumps. Doug knew that coming home to a freshly cleaned house would improve my mood. And it did- as much as it could anyway.

I really didn’t bring much home from her apartment yesterday. One thing of hers that she had given me awhile back when she moved from her house was her old recipe box. I sat there for an hour or so last night going through the recipes. Memories of my childhood came flooding back to me as I read the handwritten recipe cards, some that she had written, some my dad. I remember debates that were held a few days before the holidays each year- which pies to make, which salads.

My mom used to make a chocolate icebox pie that I just loved. When I became an adult I discovered that it’s actually a French Silk Pie. I love that pie. (Just give me a fork and get out of my way). My mom made it because I loved it so. My dad called it “Shoe Paste Pie”. He liked Dreamy High Pumpkin Pie instead. I found her recipe for the shoe paste pie last night. I’m making it for Thanksgiving this year. I’m going to have to have Evelyn make the crust. I can’t make a tender pie crust to save my life. (You could use my pie crust to re-sole shoes). Both my mom and my grandmother could make perfect crusts without even measuring the ingredients. I guess the pie crust gene just didn’t get into me somehow.

You can always tell which recipes were the family favorites by how scuzzy the index cards themselves look.  I haven’t written on an index card since forever. Now I just print a recipe from the computer when I want it and toss it when I’m done. For both Thanksgiving and Christmas my dad wanted his cranberry salad that had a lot of different things in it.  My job every holiday was to pit thered grapes and cut up the celery and nuts. I remember always whining to my dad about having to do it. I just wish I had one of them to whine to now. I think I’ll make the cranberry salad too.

I even remember the year that my folks had an argument. For a reason I can no longer remember my dad was delayed coming to the table. My mom fixed his plate, took it to the kitchen then hurled it across the room smashing it into the front of the dishwasher. (Since we had a dishwasher at the time, I’m guessing this was mid-late 60’s). I remember having to clean up that cranberry salad was a bitch. (Of course back then I couldn’t imagine why anyone would be stressed out around the holidays). I was young and had so much left to learn about life.

Do you ever have a thought just pop into your head and you have no idea how it got there? That happened to me the other day. Actually, it happens a lot- but that’s another story. Anyway, Doug and Nate, (Amanda’s bf), are currently working together and came here to have lunch the other day. Out of the blue I asked Doug if he remembered Green Stamps. Much like the Spoolies, I hadn’t thought of Green Stamps since God was a child. But there they were in my mind.

Doug and I started talking about them, sharing our memories. Nate was inquisitive, having never heard of them before. Doug explained the whole concept to him. I told Nate I remembered when I was around 7 or so going through the catalog and picking out what I wanted to get. I knew right away- a mink coat! The mink was right at the beginning of the catalog. If I remember correctly it cost over 2,000 books. (It was just what every woman needed back then. Not to mention a 7 year old.) I’m sure the way the S&H company looked at it, it was better to keep people dreaming. My mom never said anything negative to me about  saving for that. She just let me go on thinking one day I’d have enough to get that mink. (Of course now I wouldn’t wear a mink if you gave it to me.) However, back then, all the movie stars had mink coats. I even remember an old I Love Lucy where the storyline revolved around a mink coat.

Of course in the catalog there were toasters, glasses, can openers and all other manner of housewares. They had trikes, and bikes and bears- oh my! I don’t remember clothing, except for the mink. When I was growing up my dad was self-employed. We weren’t rich by any means, however we never really lacked for anything so my mom wasn’t really motivated to spend the time putting all those stamps in the books. Instead she told me if I wanted to do it, I could have them. Then when I had enough she would take me to the redemption center to get what I had chosen.

According to Wikipedia, Roger Ebert once wrote about redeeming Green Stamps for metal shelving for his room. In the movie Send Me No Flowers, Rock Hudson is  given Green Stamps after buying a funeral plot. I asked my good friend Evelyn today if she remembered them.  She said her mom used the Green Stamps to buy extra sets of white sheets she needed since they took in boarders.

Over the years I made many trips to redeem my books. Most of the stuff I got with them I can’t remember. However, the last trip was memorable. It was the fall of 1969 and I was heading of to the University of Texas in a few days. I was going to live in a private off-campus dorm room which had a small kitchen. With S&H Green Stamps I got almost everything I needed- a set of dishes and flatwear, glasses, a toaster, pot and pans, sheets (2 sets)+ towels, blanket, pillow and bedspread. I picked out an iron and ironing board. ( I haven’t ironed anything in over 20 years now.) I had to have a lighted makeup mirror and a fondue pot. Why did I need a fondue pot? That fondue pot is 40 years old now. If I hold onto another 10 years will it be an antique? I know it’s still somewhere in our storage unit. My final item was a matching set of baby blue Samsonite luggage. (Most of my clothes for college went to Austin in that luggage.)

I don’t remember how many books were required for all that- it must have been a lot. So other than my clothes, S&H Green Stamps outfitted me for college. I read today that a version of the program has resurfaced online as Greenpoints. However, I think I’ll leave my Green Stamps memories just the way they are.