It was an unseasonably warm and drizzly Christmas morning in Miami. With no chimney to speak of, this household had hung its stockings on the window cranks with care. And no long-winter’s nap for me night before last. Just a fitful five hours that took me back to childhood Christmas Eves when sleep was not the luxury it is today.
This time, however, it wasn’t the excitement of staying up late and the gift anticipation that got me up early. It was the stress of a busy day ahead. All you adults out there know what I mean, right?
It’s been such a crazy year that many of my great ideas and best intentions have met a sad end: A wreath, half-assembled, partially hidden by a shopping bag, sits nestled in the crook of an armchair. Holiday cards, half-written, lie in a box on my kitchen table, desolate without the missing envelopes whose non-standard size I’d been unable to dig up. The homemade marshmallows I’d planned? I realized, too late, that many of the slated recipients were vegetarians (gelatin verboten).
Sigh…this happens every year, to some degree or another. So why does every season seem less organized than the one preceding it? I think we call this “entropy”—as in, “a measure of the disorder that exists in a system,” and the universal tendency towards its expansion.
Thankfully, there IS an antidote to holiday entropy. In the Khuly household it’s called Amazon. But this year the famously reliable behemoth bungled my son’s gift. Rock Band 2 did not arrive before Christmas, as promised. It had to be Guitar Hero, instead, purchased very last minute thanks to my local Blockbuster’s pre-holiday overstock.
So much for convenience at the click of a mouse, right? My box is probably still hiding in a UPS warehouse up in some snowy state. (Any of you share my pain?)
Nonetheless, by six AM the sticky buns were sitting on the kitchen counter, already on the rise. The crabmeat tart’s crust was prepped and ready. The caper-y, smoked salmon bagel topping happily scented my fridge. And the dogs? They were drooling up a storm in the kitchen, awaiting their Christmas Day lamb shanks.
The gifts were all wrapped in brown drawing paper, sealed with duct tape and bound decoratively with knitting yarn. Did you know it’s possible to wrap presents even when you run out of Scotch tape?
I love this holiday. It brings out the creative genius in all of us in so many immeasurable ways, albeit stressfully. So it is that maybe sometime around New Years’ I’ll get around to decorating my tree…just give me a couple of days to recover.
***
Since I’m big on the pleasure of gifts received after the fact (and since a large percentage of this girl’s gifts will be late this year), I thought I’d offer a quick run-down of some of my favorite animal-related books of the year for those of you taking your time organizing the inevitable.
Don’t worry, Jon Katz is off the menu this year. This season I’m leaning towards the animal classics and the slightly off-kilter, thanks to Christie Keith over at PetConnection. Here’s a run-down of her (mostly child-oriented and classic) picks in a post and SFGate artcle combo she penned a couple of weeks ago.
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight
Beautiful Joe by Margaret Marshall Saunders
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell:
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
National Velvet by Enid Bagnold
The Black Stallion by Walt Farley
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
Gobbolino, the Witch's Cat by Ursula Moray Williams
Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard
Misty of Chincoteague, King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian and Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West by Marguerite Henry
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Goodbye, My Lady by James H. Street
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Rascal by Sterling North
What a great list! Kudos Christie. Here's a link to her whole article on SFGate for a detailed explanation of why each is worthy. And here are my more adult-oriented reads (though one is technically a kid's book):
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (2006): OK so I’m a little slow. Some of you recommended I read this last year (or was it the year before) and I only recently got to it. Totally worth it. Works for every kind of animal person—pet lovers, vet watchers and welfarists, alike. The main character’s a crotchety retired vet whose early circus days are recalled with incredible lucidity and twisted nostalgia.
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (2002): This one’s for teens—supposedly. Here’s where I confess that I have a thing for interesting children’s literature and sci fi. This one’s not about animals, per se, though it’s about an alternative reality where humans are animalized and harvested for agriculture. The main character is a clone who struggles with his identity as a human/animal born of a cow. Creepy and lurid but an incredibly thought-provoking take on human identity and speciest thinking.
Killing Mister Watson by Peter Matthiessen (1990): Though he won the national Book Award for The Snow Leopard and has written numerous other environmentally-themed non-fiction works, Killing Mister Watson is his seminal tome, as far as I’m concerned. A fictionalized account of life in pioneer Southwest Florida, it juxtaposes one man’s human death toll with the obliteration of the area’s natural habitat. At first you sort of wonder whether you can really get into this kind of a book, but usually by then it’s too late…you’re glued to its pages.
OK so they’re not as animal-y as Christie’s but they’re all I got (and they won't make you cry). Luckily, I know you’ve got more. But please, for the love of God, don’t recommend Steinbeck’s The Red Pony. I’m still in therapy as I try to recover.
A belated Merry Christmas to you!
Add Comment36 Comments
forget about your dogs! as soon as i saw sticky buns i started uncontrollably drooling over my laptop. i love baking for the holidays. yesterday i made a banana (to replace the vegetable oil and increase the fiber), walnut and cranberry cake. it's my favorite and i brought it over to the boyfriend's for christmas dinner. i slathered it with my special cream cheese, butter and heavy cream frosting (ok, the frosting is incredibly unhealthy therefore a true symbol of the holidays) and placed it on the table for desert. unfortunately, his mother made pecan pie and my poor cake was eaten only out of pity by my very good friend, the boyfriend's brother. of course the boyfriend didn't want any because he's terrified of cranberries...i know, quite strange. anyways, i'm up early to get dressed and go back to the boyfriend's house and fill up on the cake i left behind last night. someone has to enjoy it, and it's going to be me!
Tayaki December 26th, 2008 09:11:44 AM
Happy Christmas :) Sticky buns...I drool on my laptop, too. House of the Scorpion is an awesome book. and Rascal is on my list of favourite books of all times. I'm a librarian working in three different school libraries and I always read kid and teen literature (as well as picture books), there are many good books to be found in that section. I recently read Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, which I really liked (it is a bit morbid, though). Cornelia Funke has written many great books, the Inkheart series is wonderful. The Redwall series by Brian Jacques and Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer are great fun, as well as Bartimaeus by Jonathan Stroud (as you can see, I have a thing for fantasy, but elves get on my nerves unless they are Lord of the Ring or Dragon Bone Chair).
Jennifer December 26th, 2008 09:42:36 AM
Jennifer: My son has read ALL of those books--or at least one of every series you mentioned. Oh--but he hasn't read Dragon Bone Chair. (Gotta get that one for ME.) The Redwall series is his favorite and three nights ago he confessed to staying up 'till 2 to finish Inkheart. This mom's so proud of her ten year-old reader. :-)
Anything by Neil Gaiman is for me, too. I just re-read Watchmen last week (Neil Gaiman's a contributor) and LOVED is all over again. Thanks for the kid's book list!! (Sounds like we have similar taste.)
Dr. Patty Khuly December 26th, 2008 10:07:39 AM
Just a tip for next year, there are vegan gelatins (if you're so inclined to try again). :-) I shop for some of my vegan products via veganessentials.com, where I can buy either vegan marshmallows or vegan gelatins (among many other, fantastic, 'no-animals-involved' products).
Marjorie December 26th, 2008 11:57:30 AM
Marjorie: Thanks! I, too, would prefer not to cook with nasty gelatin whose animal products are of dubious origins.
Dr. Patty Khuly December 26th, 2008 12:09:54 PM
We've spent a crapload of money on the critters lately so Santa gave us a raincheck for January. PopCorn had a fibrous-something-nodule removed (along with her spleen) and since this type of cancer is slow growing and we have a year or two vs a month or two with her, she also had two masses removed from her foot (nerve sheath tumor?). Toss in Callie's hyperthyroid and ear mass (scheduled for removal soon), Sparky's and Pav's (sadly, fatal) unknown illnesses, Mike's adoption fee and vet visits (kidney infection) - we are sending our vets' kids to college.
And you know you are old and married when you are looking forward to Santa's raincheck promise of a new refrigerator, and, perhaps, a new stove! Sigh. I hate being an adult.
PaulaO December 26th, 2008 02:55:05 PM
Since I'm Jewish, I hung out yesterday. Christmas eve was a blast.. I live in an apt. building.. and have managed to perplex a good bunch of my neighbors.. Years ago I started giving the dogs presents from Santa.. Even put one at my door.. I kept a list of what each one liked or were resticted from having.. This year I bought a bunch of catnip packages, and Fat Cat toys to include the apts. with cats.. Nobody has a clue who the secret Santa is.. I did come close to being caught, this year.. I put Sophie's present at PD's door, and had to go up stairs to exchange it.. Also Socks was with me, and he was thrilled by all the smells from each floor.. and wasn't in a rush to move on.. Thank G-d there are two stairwells, and an elevator..
barri December 26th, 2008 04:45:59 PM
PaulaO: Ain't no shame in getting non-romantic adult presents. Only shows that you're looking out for one another. Isn't that the best present? Boyfriend gave me a camcorder. Not the ring everyone wanted me to get but it's better than anything else I could have asked for. I *heart* adulthood. ;-)
barri: That's a great idea. I want a Jewish secret Santa. ;-)
Dr. Patty Khuly December 26th, 2008 06:06:55 PM
barri: Terrific idea! Bet you got your recipients in the true holiday spirit!
Barb Albright
Pocket's Story from NH December 26th, 2008 06:44:41 PM
I've officially turned into a dog person - this year my family's Christmas list was ENTIRELY items for our furry sweeties - winter coats and sweaters for our dogs, treats for our cat. We saved heaps of money, and had more fun buying for our furry companions than we would have if we stuck with buying for each other :)
Happy Holidays All!
T from Canada December 27th, 2008 04:07:34 AM
You knit? Everyone loves dishcloths. I kid you not. They are easy, portable, and cotton. This year I didn't make enough for various and sundry reasons and - despite getting homemade jellies - they were all a little disappointed they didn't get dishcloths! (Plus, they are fast and easy.)
MLO December 27th, 2008 12:03:01 PM
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White is wonderful
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www.al3qary.com December 27th, 2008 04:39:02 PM
Great lists - I have to admit that the Misty of Chincoteague series and Where the Red Fern Grows are some of my all time favorite books.
There is a new one published in October that has risen to the top of my list, not so much as a kid book but for any of us who have and love pets. Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live Happy, Healthy, Longer Life by Dr. Nancy Kay - www.speakingforspot.com
It's an invaluable book in helping us make good medical decisions for our pets covering everything from finding a vet, knowing what to do about vaccines and help in looking at whether pet insurance is a good idea to dealing with a diagnosis of cancer and preparing for and dealing with the (inevitable) loss of our pets.
It's a book we all need and it's available through Amazon.com
Holly December 27th, 2008 09:23:28 PM
In case anyone is still reading these comments at this point, I have to put in a word for "Walking with Zeke" by Chris Clarke -- what a beautiful dog book, though sad.
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