Holiday Season For Our Family

 Next week begins the high season of holidays for our family -- not Xmas, or even the High Jewish ones, but a spate of birthdays intermingled with holidays everyone else celebrates -- Xmas, Chanukah, T Day, NYE, Valentine's Day...

Thursday is, of course, Thanksgiving. For the second year in a row, we're catering it at D2 and Jonathan's house. Jonathan's amazing grandmother, Judy, offered to pay -- most of the guests are from Jonathan's family. She is so generous -- if you look up matriarch in the dictionary, Judy's photo is there. But I pulled nativist rank: of all of us in the family of Baby Boom or older generation, I am the only one born in the US! Therefore, as I told D2 to tell Judy, I pay! May we have only this type of family "dispute" in the years ahead.

Last year's T Day was great. Catering by Les sent out the mother and son team we've had for years at Villa Wifey, and they were wonderful. Jonathan mixed martinis, and we sang Happy Birthday to D1, whose birthday is typically around TDay. I look MOST forward to the holiday this year, as does Little Man, who loves his food.

Before we decamp to Miami Shores, though, D1 is hosting her own birthday party on our front porch -- her 37th. She has a bunch of friends and their significant others coming over for a pilates session, with croissants and champagne, which I shall pour. Wifey and my job is to watch the boys, which we love. It ought to be a very full day.

After TDay passes, we celebrate the 6th birthday of Little Man -- happily in kindergarten, and the embodiment of ebullience. I kind of like this kid -- his mother's face and intelligence, and his grandpa's sense of what Spanish speakers call "picaro," or charming mischief. Sadly, or happily, Little Man has figured out, as I did at a young age, you can get away with a LOT in life with charm and humor -- hopefully this brings him to great heights and not too much trouble -- like his Grandpa Dev.

Around then we have Chanukah going on, and then, on December 25th, the birthday of our Lord and Savior, Wifey. She turns -- nope -- under strict instructions to stop mentioning her age in any way, or the fact that Eisenhower was president over here when she was born in Haifa. She will pick her celebration -- typically a movie and a meal, although this year the new "Wicked" movie is out, so if they pick THAT movie, it needs to be at a theater with a bar -- most of them have that these days.

Right after Wifey-mas, we leave for San Juan -- major NYE celebratory trip with Barry, Donna, Mike, and Loni. I LOVE NYE, and we used to celebrate bigly, as the POTUS says, but that fell off recently -- like the last half decade. But this year we'll be sailing into 2026 on an Explora ship -- truly a Four Seasons hotel that floats -- NYE is set for San Juan Harbor, where there will be fireworks and hopefully no gunfire from the shore...

While at sea, ANOTHER of our holiday events takes place -- Wifey and my wedding anniversary. Somehow it's going to be 39 years. Wow, as I always note, this is just because I was a child groom. For our first anniversary, I surprised Wifey with a hot air balloon ride over South Dade -- hell, back then it wasn't even Miami Dade yet. We were young and fun -- we toasted with champagne at our successful landing. I guess this year there will be a toast with our dear couples friends -- nearly 120 years of combined marriage!  Our long suffering wives...

The holiday season lasts until February -- D2's birthday. She turns 34 this year -- still not sure how that happened, either. It was just yesterday we introduced her to D1 who kissed the top of her newborn head and then went back to playing with another toy, and maybe late yesterday afternoon when I traveled to UF to see her inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as a college junior. She thought it no big deal, but the academic groupie in her Dad thought it a VERY big deal. And Big Man willing, D2 and Jonathan add to the band next year...

Of course, Baby Man and I have birthdays in July, and the other men in our orbit have them in Spring, but the true reason for the season is upon us, nearly.

The weather is beautiful. I went to use my beloved firepit the other night, and realized that the metal pot had nearly dissolved from rust -- so my favorite store, Walmart.com, is shipping a replacement. I so enjoy the cool nights outside by that fire -- I think Little Man is staying over this Friday, and maybe there'll be one for us...

But it is erev that most wonderful time of my family's year, and I am one blessed, happy, rockin grandaddy in the USA...