The Holiday Season

December is upon us.

Ron is at his happiest in December. He historically wallows a bit in a funk in November, counting the days until he is allowed to start playing his gigs and gigs of Christmas music nonstop. Christmas is his favorite time of year.

My first Hutzul Family Christmas was before we were officially an item. At the beginning of our long distance courtship I took a trip up to Canada from a tradeshow in New York City. He assured me that he always brings someone to the family Christmas and no one would think anything of a stranger from California. After the 'pep talk' from his Dad about how the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, the reassuring 'you are WAY better than the girl last year, you should have seen how much hairspray she used' from his young brother, and the very insistent inclusion in the 'family' photo, I realized maybe he was downplaying the significance of my attendance.

Started as Christmas at Nana and Grandpa's, this family gathering has grown over the years to the almost mythic proportions it has become (and by mythic, I mean the piles of food on the table and piles of people in Uncle Wayne's basement.) There are many stories of years past, like the year the grandchildren created the video for the family (along with tear jerking music), the many visits from the Christmas Penguin (Uncle Glen I believe) and the year Ron gave a bag of limes (which turned out to be a bucket of Corona's) in the Xmas Gift Exchange.

Did I mention the food? A groaning table piled high with the Canadian, Ukraniane, Russian and Italian foods of the contributors. Petichke, Perougie, Cabbage Rolls, and Kielbasa are standard Christmas fare at the Hutzul family Christmas. So are the bright orange Cheetos that Uncle Wayne has for the kids. Butter Tarts, French Silk pie, and Date Squares...

There is something so warm, so basic and so incredibly comforting about a family tradition at the holidays.