Holidays

Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot?

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Nowruz 1387 / نوروز
Nowruz (Persian New Year) display (Photo credit: Ehsan Khakbaz)

 

After laying a big kiss on the first person handy, drunken revelers around the world will break into song tonight as their clocks ring in the New Year. The most popular tune, Auld Lang Syne, asks an important question in its very first line.  Should people who’ve walked in and out of your life, and experiences of the past be forgotten, and never thought of? The song has a simple answer – no – for old times sake, think kindly on your life- the highs and the lows, friends and the foes (oy vey, I’m writing my own song. Sorry about that).  At its core, Auld Lang Syne is a song about forgiveness. Through the year, we experience other new year’s celebrations in America.  And interestingly enough, they have a thread of forgiveness running through them too. Here are three:

  • The Lunar New Year celebrated by many Asian cultures. One Chinese tradition, according to Wikipedia, is to “reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.”
  • Rosh Hashanah he Jewish New Year, is a time for reconciling, and apologies.
  • NowRooz, the Persian New Year, includes among many traditions “sa’at- tahvil…a most crucial moment in the life of the family, especially with regard to forgiving past failings, putting away petty frictions that would otherwise fester into conflicts, and looking forward to more constructive relations.”

So when you put on your party hat tonight, and contemplate midnight, think about who you might want to forgive.  Oh yeah, and one more thing: think lip balm! Happy New Year everyone…

Live well and love well. And STAY SAFE.

Dinah

Twinkies? We don’t need no stinkin’ Twinkies! Easy Holdiay Party Hostess Success!

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Many are afraid of losing the Twinkie to history.  But the word HOSTESS brings on fear of a kind unrelated to chemically enchanced spongecake. Let me be clear: there is no reason to fear having guests. At it’s most basic, entertaining is simple. Order take-out, and be entertaining. 

Guests today are not like those of the 19th century.  They do not come to your home in white-tie expecting to be served a seven course dinner by your Butler.  In fact, if you are clear when you make the invitation, they may not expect to be fed at all.  Recently we had friends over and I invited them for drinks and dessert.  They plainly knew this was not a dinner party, and were delighted with a special winter cocktail, and freshly baked cookies.  But were you neither baker nor drink maker, there are goodies at supermarkets that are delicious, and flavored holiday concoctions that are very celebratory spiked or non!  And truthfully, if there is enough food and booze at a party – everyone has a good time.

Cheers to not waiting for “perfect” parties!

As for being entertaining, you don’t need your own stand-up comedy routine. There are many easy games that take the pressure off you running the gamut from old fashioned charades, to a full on session of “Dance Dance Revolution,” or if you’ve got a more academic crowd, a rowdy game of Scrabble will do the trick.

So forget making everything perfect! Do you ever hear people say they went to a “perfect” party last weekend? No.  Aim for Great! Aim for Fun! Chinese food on paper plates might be the best party you ever had.  Take that Martha Stewart.

Live well, and love well.

-Dinah

Family Holiday Advice from My Little Flower Shop, Palm Springs florist

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You know those movies about wacky families that really love reach other under all the craziness? Well, Julia Louis Dreyfuss may not be cooking your High Holiday brisket, and Jane Lynch may not be sorting the sweet potato casserole recipes that will end up on your Thanksgiving table, but the sweet families on the silver screen aren’t that different from yours.

Here’s how I know.  One of the men who invented the entertainment industry as we know it, Louis B. Mayer, was the son of a scrap metal dealer who became the most powerful man in Hollywood. Mayer would tell people his birthday was the Fourth of July because he was fiercely patriotic. He wanted America to be all marching bands, fireworks and apple pie. So that’s what he put in the movies. He created the images we all associate with our culture and our country.

English: Apple pie.
English: Apple pie. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

These days, filmmakers continue to put their dreams and ideals on screen, but in a more modern way.  We see their crazy families, but with softer edges, a lot of humor and a sympathetic eye. And there’s frequently a happy ending.  With some good dialogue, could that be your Aunt Phyllis instead of Shirley MacLaine? Can you soften the lens this holiday season to see your family more as human beings who love you and less like a clown car full of confused commuters? I bet you can. Remember, Louis B. Mayer created his own reality. Think more apple pie, less fireworks.