Originally I was going to write one entry titled the Post Christmas Analysis but as I went on describing my Christmas doings the entry grew to over 2,000 words – about 500 more words than I allow my standard entries to be. And I still had events to relay. Had I continued with that entry it would have grown to short story length. I resolved to break things down into several short entries. You can read as many as you want in one sitting without having to roll your eyes at my long-windedness.
Here’s an extra challenge: with each Christmas entry I will post a picture of all my Christmas loot. See if you can pick out the individual gifts as I describe them!
Now, the introduction to that one, monster entry:
“The Holidays are hurtling toward us” commented Marjorie in an email. She could not have put it more succinctly. I felt steamrollered by the events of the season; everything going on has kept me away from the keyboard.
In my defense, I aver that Christmas has to happen before I can write about it. However, nothing stopped me from writing a short little blurb to wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I didn’t do that and I ask your forgiveness. I ask you to consider the verb ‘to hurtle’: to move at great speed, typically in a wild and uncontrolled manner. I felt steamrollered by the holiday. You’ll soon find out why.
1. Thirty Little Piggies: that was an entry all by itself and that party kicked off for me what was a nearly two week celebration. This party was held on Friday the 16th of December. You already read about that.
2. The Old Fashioned Christmas: the party we held by candlelight. This was the second of the only two parties I intended to host. You’re already privy to this story, too. It was held on Sunday the 18th of December. After that I would be done with my major Christmas efforts. From then out I would only give out gifts and attend events.
3. Christmas around the school. Me? Give out gifts? What was I thinking? I received more gifts than I gave out, mostly gift-wrapped apples. It is traditional here to give apples as a symbol of health and happiness. And now I own an orchard, or at least the harvest of an orchard. Every time I traversed campus somebody proffered me a gift-wrapped apple.
Beyond the students’ well-wishes were the ones proffered by the school’s administrators. It seems I was not the only busy one this time of year. Last year, and traditionally the school officials host a luncheon and shower the foreign teachers with gifts but they were all inundated by inspectors and government officials trying to decide how much money to fund new school projects with. As late as December 22nd Dean Tu was hosting delegates, including entertaining them late into the night. He gave Sam a wad of money to buy gifts with, and then told Sam to deliver them, along with his apologies, to my apartment in time for Christmas with the disclaimer that it would not be proper for him to call on me himself.
And so we have Sam, carrying a gift set of Great Wall wine and a monster box of Dove Chocolates, making an appearance at my apartment the Thursday before Christmas. He extended Dean Tu’s apologies (and told me that whole ‘it wouldn’t be proper’ conversation. I found that rather charming and old fashioned, don’t you?)
Sam and I dined at the new Teacher’s Cafeteria that evening. We saw Dean Tu, surrounded by a large party of dignitaries come down the stairs from the formal dining rooms on the second floor. He smiled and waved at us but didn’t dare leave his guests to come over. If I needed any convincing about his being busy that would have done it.
One last twist to this bag of pretzels: Victor.
While I was chatting with my family at the internet café Friday morning Victor called to wish me Merry Christmas and to tell me he had to beg off from the luncheon we were supposed to have that day. As it was 11:30 already – time for lunch, and I had not been summoned to the table I wondered what he was talking about. Sam had told me earlier in the week that no lunch was possible because everyone was too busy. Sam had forgotten to tell Victor the lunch was canceled.
We’ve covered from December 16th to the 23rd. Let’s go see what happens next!
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