merry and bright

This year I made my own wrapping paper and - I'm not going to lie - it was a huge mistake. It all started with the discovery of a cute little San Francisco company called Yellow Owl Workshop and their super adorable stamps. It then evolved into an obsession: If I didn't get the right inks, twine, labels, paint pens, tape, and paper, then the whole project would be a failure (in my mind, anyway). It took two days of shopping to find the perfect wrapping tools and I sincerely thought Dave was going to kill me (why I needed 'grape' instead of 'blackberry' purple ink, I don't even know). We then had to lug said stamps and half a suitcase of wrapping crap from California to Chicago to Wisconsin and back again. Oops.

Oh well. I still love those stamps, and if we hadn't been travelling so much over the holidays, the paper would have been a complete success, I'm sure of it. But I admit, perhaps this wasn't my most brilliant of ideas...

So other than the Great Stamp Debacle of 2012, we had a wonderful Christmas (and to be fair, the gifts looked nice, they were just a pain to make). We got to see both of our families on Christmas day and it doesn't get much better than that. 

A very Merry Christmas to you and yours. 

ferry building

Dave and I spent our Saturday shopping and eating our way through the Ferry Building Marketplace in the Embarcadero. Without a doubt, it is my new favorite place in San Francisco.

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pumpkin cheddar tamales - the BEST

* flag lowered to half mast in the wake of the senseless tragedy in connecticut. my heart aches for those poor families.

homebound

This time next week, Dave and I will be flying home for the holidays. Yay! A few days in Chicago, a few in Madison, and then a few more in Chicago. It's bound to be a whirlwind couple of weeks and I cannot wait. 

Truth be told, I am a feeling a little homesick these days. Christmas in California is weird; all of the telltale signs of the holidays are strikingly absent. You know, like winter. I mean, December without snow is just strange. And the big Christmas tree in Union Square is flanked by palm trees, people. That is just not right.

Plus, our usual Christmas shopping traditions (including a leisurely jaunt down Michigan Avenue) have been crushed by practicality. To avoid hauling packages on the plane, we have (reluctantly) decided to ship all of our Christmas presents instead. Turns out, placing an online order is not nearly as joyous and satisfying as walking out of a store with your purchase in hand. Without presents to wrap or a Christmas tree to decorate, and without nights cold enough for hot chocolate and ice skating, Christmas here is feeling a little empty thus far.

Of course, we can easily overcome the minor oddities associated with spending the holidays in a warm climate (there are worse things in life than palm trees, I know). But we are missing our hometowns and our homepeople terribly, and it's hard to get past. Really hard. Don't get me wrong, we know San Francisco is the right place for us and we look forward to spending many more years here. It does, however, lack a few things that are distinctly Chicago and uniquely Wisconsin, things that we are really looking forward to experiencing again:

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snow

cheese curds

spotted cow/312

deep fried everything

ice skating in grant park

frozen custard from culver's

christmas lights on michigan avenue

the chicago skyline (the prettiest in the world)

midwest accents (californians make me feel like this)

ian's macaroni and cheese pizza (don't be afraid, it's so good!)

eleven city diner (i have yet to find decent matzo ball soup out here)

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And of course, we cannot wait to hug our families and friends. We have missed them most of all...

P.S. Please note that I did not add Chicago style pizza to the list. No, no, no. We haven't been away for that long. 

christmas in the room

Oh, just another post about Sufjan Stevens. Are you shocked? Well you shouldn't be. (As I've mentioned before, I utterly adore him.)

Last week we attended the Surfjohn Stevens Christmas Sing-a-Long at the Great American Music Hall and, let me tell you, it was an absolute blast. Even Scrooge McDave was smiling, swaying, and singing. It was fantastic.

I mean, this show had all the elements of a classic Christmas concert: Christmas carols, snowmen, elves, standup comedy, a trombone player dressed as a giant hot dog, a bassist in a chicken costume, a Mexican skeleton drummer, a singing glitter nun, bubble machines, paper snow, inflatable unicorns, an encore with 'Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland Illinois,' and of course, Surfjams Stephanopoulos himself as a neon Christmas Unicorn. Naturally.

But it wasn't the elaborate costumes, silly jokes, or even Sufjan Stevens' abounding talent that made this a night to remember. No, it was the crowd. For one night in San Francisco, a bunch of twenty-something hipsters gathered together and sang along to cheesy Christmas songs without a hint of irony or self-consciousness. It was heartfelt and yes, magical. Now that is a Christmas miracle.

As my Christmas gift to you, my favorite song of the night. Perhaps my favorite Christmas love song ever (if that's even a thing):

Is that not the sweetest song you've ever heard?

When we come together and just sing in harmony, in unison - it's a powerful thing.... That's why they call the voice the sacred heart; it's within all of us. Everything else is just white noise. - Sufjan Stevens

books, books, books

When we moved, I had to donate a substantial chunk of my book collection to St. Vinny's. It was hard. So, so hard. But it had to be this way. We reserved only one (teeny tiny) moving pod and thus, we were forced to downsize... significantly.

On the plus side, my remaining books actually fit into one single bookcase and I have been able to achieve a major life goal: arranging my books on the shelf by color (see above).

Yes, exciting times over here. Seriously, I could arrange and rearrange them for hours. I'm completely obsessed with my books. Is that a weird thing to say? Maybe. But the smell, the weight, the texture, the everything. I love them. There is something so rewarding about placing a newly finished book on the shelf, nestled in with all of your other favorite stories.

This being said, it's probably no surprise that all I want for Christmas this year is books. Books, books, books. Here's my VERY LONG wishlist:

Oh yes, and I love cookbooks too :)

Perhaps you're thinking it's time I invest in a Kindle? Nah, I'll stick to the real thing. I'm just old-fashioned that way.

majesty snowbird

Dave often pokes fun at my penchant for eccentric musicians, especially my profound love for Sufjan Stevens (see also: Andrew Bird, Jens Lekman, Kishi Bashi, Beirut, Destroyer, Mark Oliver Everett, and Billy Corgan.)

Whatever. My music has soul.

Anyway, it is only a few more days until the Surfjohn Stevens Christmas Sing-A-Long: Seasonal Affective Disorder Yuletide Disaster Pageant on Ice at the Great American Music Hall. YES, that's right! I am absolutely dragging my poor husband to a Sufjan Stevens Christmas sing-a-long, where apparently, Mr. Stevens will be dressed up as a Christmas Unicorn. I love him and I CANNOT WAIT. 

This will be my fourth Sufjan concert and I certainly hope it is not the last. For a Sufjan Stevens show is always a treat.

The first time I saw him was way back in September 2006 at the Riviera in Chicago. During that night's set, he played a new song from a never-released album about birds (maybe eccentric is an understatement). Within the first few notes of the ten-minute epic 'Majesty Snowbird,' I was sold. Six years later, this haunting and beautiful masterpiece is still one of my all-time favorite songs. I utterly adore it and I so, so, so hope he plays it on Wednesday. I mean, it's about a snowbird, so it could potentially be played at a Christmas-themed show, right? RIGHT? Please?

What can I say? I love a man who is not afraid to wear a giant pair of butterfly wings.

P.S.

If you are interested, Sufjan's new Christmas album, Silver & Gold, is streaming here and here. 

And some silly promo videos are available for your viewing pleasure here.

Did I mention that I love him?