Chrismukkah Eve

Michelle and I just got back from our Chrismukkah evening... Chinese food and church. Michelle was feeling blue. In years past, we'd visit her family in Indiana for Christmas... but this year, for the first time in many, we didn't make it. Michelle felt strongly that her new business needed to stay open this busy week. Michelle hoped for a last minute buying surge. It's been a tough first year for her ceramics studio and gallery. Retail is new to Michelle... and selling doesn't come naturally to her. Meanwhile, I too was very busy shipping out Chrismukkah orders right up until noon today. After a few changes of mind, Michelle decided she did want to attend the evening candle lighting service at the nearby UCC Church, the denomination she was raised in. We all put on our nice clothing and headed out to dinner. Chinese food on Christmas Eve, even if only mediocre Montana Chinese food, is such a familiar ritual for me and it put me in the right frame of mind for the evening. After dinner,we headed over to Pilgrim Congregational Church, which Minna knows from attending "Kindermusik" each week. Michelle enjoyed the service, and I enjoyed her enjoying it, but feeling a bit like a die-hard Yankees fan attending a Red Sox game. We live in a subdivision here in Bozeman and there is a neighborhood tradition each Christmas Eve of putting luminaries out in front of each house. The idea is to get the whole neighborhood to participate in the big light show. I'm generally reluctant to participate in such wholesome organized behavior, but this being our first year living here, and not wanting to alienate all the neighbors, I begrudgingly complied... but with one modification. I put out 9 luminary bags and then piled up a foot tall mound of snow and placed the center bag on it. I'm pretty sure our neighbors didn't notice... but my little act of resistance to conformity and assimilation seemed like the perfect pre-Hanukkah symbol for this evening. Now it's time to start wrapping the presents in preparation for tomorrow "double header." All in all it turned out to be the perfect Chrismukkah Eve... a nice balance for our multifaith home.