A little bit creepy

Now that Christmas is over, I want you to try something. Take a song that mentions Santa Claus by name and replace Santa with "The Boogeyman." Let's try some on for size:

"He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness' sake." ("Santa Claus is Coming to Town")

Hmm . . . I didn't replace anything on that one. Let's try again.

"Jump in bed and say your prayers 'cause [the Boogeyman] comes tonight." ("Here Comes Santa Claus Right Down Santa Claus Lane")

There we go! In either case, the imagery is slightly disquieting, but it's okay because Santy Claus is good. Sure . . .

Christmas to me.

Christmas means different things to everyone, but it also means different things to the same people at different times. This is true for me as well.

Let's start at the beginning. When I was a kid, Christmas was all about family and presents. I remember Dad pulling down the artificial tree from the rafters in the garage and all of the kids helping to put it together. Mom would spend a whole week baking to put together goody plates for us to hand out when we went caroling. I loved waking up early to run to open presents, but the kids had to wait for the parents to get up, of course. Because Santa never came by our house, Mom and Dad would assign each kid to pick out a gift for another kid (I liked that because it helped us to enjoy the act of giving). Overall, I really liked Christmas.

The next stage probably started in high school. I didn't like Christmas a lot in High School. Because I sang in choir from eighth grade to the end of high school, for a solid five years I started singing Christmas songs in late September/early October. That meant that it was harder to get into the Christmas spirit for me. That continued after school when I started working retail, because I would hear the Holiday music all day long and would have to be jolly when all of the customers were jerks. This over-doing of the Holidays had the effect of turning me into one of those people that was offended by someone saying "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas." I felt like Santa Claus was a "corporate tool," as I would often say. I just couldn't tolerate the idea that Christmas was anything other than what I felt it should be.

On my mission, I relaxed quite a bit. A lot of it was because we would work all the way up to Christmas (we weren't allowed to do any proselyting on Christmas, which I always felt was for the best) and I think because everyday was about sharing our testimonies, it was okay if one day was less Christ-centered. Or maybe I meant in spite of that . . .

That brings us to today. I accept the fact that other people will celebrate the Holiday in their own way. I read an article recently in the school paper, condemning people for saying "Merry Christmas" before the Holiday (apparently the two weeks before Christmas is called "Advent"). My response was, "Who cares? At least people are being friendly." Oklahoma is very predominately Christian, so there are a lot of people who argue to keep "Christ in Christmas" as we've heard before. Fine, but it's also fine if someone only wants to get ready for Santa to visit.

So that's Christmas to me, past and present. I feel good that Christmas doesn't make me angry anymore, because that just sucks. I'm also interested in what the future will hold and how I'll feel in about, say, ten years.

What's your Christmas like?

Don't Be Selfish

I recently received one of the best compliments I've ever had. Allison read something that I had written and told me that I'm a good writer. I've heard that before, but what was different this time was that she told me that I have a gift and that if I didn't use it, I would be selfish by not sharing it. I was touched. Since then, I realized that for the first time in my life, I'm excited that I'm dedicating my life to writing. I've always enjoyed writing and for a while now I've realized that I'm good at it, but now I'm excited to write. Good thing, too, because I don't want to be selfish.

Secrets from a cookie snob

I am a total cookie snob. This week was finals and there were some ladies (I'm guessing mom's of some of the students) were just handing out chocolate chip cookies. I took some, of course, and within the first bite I knew that they had used vegetable shortening. I've trained my pallet to be able to tell the difference, but that's not all. So, here I will share some secrets to make your cookies better.

• Use butter. Seriously, your cookies will be denser and more flavorful if you use butter instead of shortening.
• Use only 3 parts semi-sweet, 1 part milk. I'm referring to chocolate chips. If you use this combination, for some reason, the chocolate flavor will be kicked up a notch.
• Use Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. If your recipe calls for oatmeal, please throw out the quick oats. Rolled oats will make your cookies chewier and tastier.
• Not all cookie sheets are the same. It's a good idea to practice with different kinds of sheets when you try out a recipe for the first time. Some cookies work better with thick sheets, some work better with thin sheets.
• Raisins belong with pumpkin. Who started putting chocolate chips in pumpkin cookies? That's gross.
• Make the cookies you like. You know I why I rarely made peanut butter cookies? Because I don't like peanut butter cookies. (How does that make your cookies better? You probably won't practice a recipe you aren't eating.)
  

Implement these tips, then leave comments about how they worked for you.

Missed deadlines . . .

I was asked to write the obituary of grandma Miriam. She passed away last week and I was honored when Dad asked to me to do it, but because of a miscommunication, I missed the deadline by 2 hours. That was really disappointing. So, not let it go to waste, I'm going to post it here.

Obituary for Miriam Royle Larsen

Miriam Royle Larsen, 87, passed away this past Saturday, December 11, 2010 at Utah Valley Medical Center. Miriam was born on May 27, 1923 in Lehi, Utah to James Freeman and Lavinia MacAllister Royle and was the sixth of seven children. She loved music and even held the lead in her High School musical, The Pirates of Penzance. Miriam served a mission in Texas for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints during 1945, the last year of World War II. Miriam married her sweetheart, Alvin M. Larsen, on April 1, 1949 and together they raised four children: Marc, Sydney, Mirial, and Carolyn. She loved her children and was a loving mother and a fantastic homemaker. Throughout her life, Miriam happily served in the church with many different calling, including Sunday School and Relief Society teacher as well as Primary chorister and ward choir director, which also incorporated her passion for music. Everyone who met Miriam saw in her the gregariousness and warmth that made her so endearing. During her final years, she suffered severe hearing loss and macular degeneration, but none of that stopped her from reaching out to friends, family, and those around her, offering her warmth and friendship. She is survived by her sister Jo, her four children, 17 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren. Services will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints meeting house at [physical address withheld] with the burial to follow in Lehi.

10 things about me that may be surprising . . .

1. I'm taking 15 units next semester (really 20, since my internship only counts for 3), yet I've started seriously thinking about applying to be a columnist at the school paper. That probably means I'm partially insane. Allison's been supportive, which may mean that she is, too.
2. I've been to therapy twice in my life. The first time to deal with a powerfully controlling addiction. The second time to deal with nearly debilitating anxiety. Both times helped quite a bit (the second time happened this semester).
3. On the weekends, I sometimes play a video game called Fate.
4. I've been lectured multiple times at work that I need to be nicer to my co-workers. Allison thinks that's stupid. Even so, I'm up for a promotion (finally!).
5. I haven't read a single novel for fun this whole semester. That's been tough.
6. I'm a jerk pretty much every time I have to deal with customer service in any way. It gets in the way most time, but sometimes Allison sics me on particularly difficult workers. I really don't know why I do it.
7. I own a belt that I bought on my mission that was made by an Amish tanner. It's really good quality and I like it, but it doesn't work anymore. Since dropping six inches from my waist, I should just add holes, but I never have.
8. I've only recently gotten over being embarrassed by my undersized calves. I still think they're small, but I've made good progress on them.
9. When I was in California, I felt that I was conservative. Here in Oklahoma, I feel that I'm much more liberal. My political views haven't shifted much.
10. I own more shoes now than I ever have. Seven pairs.

What were you surprised by?