Special Delivery: Goodness & Light

Gosh, it's been a while, hasn't it? The holidays have been so full, I really don't know where to even begin to catch you up. It feels like I ought to be churning out a full report on, for instance, the neighborhood Christmas lights:

The Friday after Thanksgiving I went for a walk after dinner and this house was blazing away, slightly scaled back from previous years but still amazing. I went back home, made the kids close their eyes, and walked them over to 44th Ave. They guessed our destination -- you could feel the glow from these lights two blocks away, easy.

And I should probably tell you about the Pioneer Square Tree Lighting (which I managed to catch by sprinting over from Chinatown during a half-hour break between the end of my work day and the opening reception for a new exhibit at the museum; as a bonus I caught the fabulous Beaconettes warming up in a conference room before their gig in nearby Nord Alley). Not to mention the Columbia City Tree Lighting, where the Beaconettes again appeared to lead us all in song: "Deck the trees with lights that glitter / Fa la la la la la la la la / Lost our tree but we're not bitter / Fa la la la la la la la la..."

At about midnight, after the 
karaoke fest had wrapped up, 
one of the students asked 
Jonathan to help him paint 
Pac-Man on his polo shirt.
Later on we took them all
for a scary walk in the dark
through the haunted hotel...

Speaking of singing, I should definitely mention the Royal Room (Columbia City's new all-ages music venue), where I had a drink with my daughter on opening night and came back the next week for the holiday sing-a-long with the whole family. And Amy's wonderful caroling party, which I had to leave long before I was done singing, in order to spend the night at the museum with seventeen teenagers, three adults, and an airbrush (I'm not sure how this became a holiday tradition, but apparently it is)...

I surely should explain how it was that I found myself at the Filipino Community Center's marvelous holiday party taking pictures of gorgeous little girls in glittering gowns, and how Simon and I happened upon the Jews of Tacoma lighting their giant menorah under the City's holiday tree, minutes before we met Josie and Tiffy to attend the Bavarian Christmas Revels.

Somehow we navigated the two-Christmas-trees-in-two-separate-houses thing with some measure of grace. Grandparents arrived at the train station and were happily settled in a nearby hotel. We decorated and shopped and baked and wrapped and shopped some more. We feasted and toasted and and read our favorite seasonal stories (Frank McCourt's "Angela and the Baby Jesus" and Jane Ray's "The Story of Christmas," for the record).

But it's awfully hard to chronicle -- or even remember -- all of those holiday wonders, because they were all overshadowed -- yes, even the furry size eleven platform boots -- by the arrival of a seven pound, nine ounce package next door, delivered not by Santa but by my sister.

Simon and I got a heads up early on: we arrived home from skating Friday night just in time to witness Lexi being bundled into the car by her wife and her doula. Most of us don't get to hear the sound of a woman in labor very many times in our lives: it sobers you right up and thrills you to the core all at the same time -- and if you've ever been through it yourself, it takes you right back to that scary, sacred place.

Fortunately we were close enough to hear exactly what she was moaning. "I'mmmmmmmm ohhhhhhhhhh kkaaaaaayyyyyyyyy," we heard, as Jenny settled her into the passenger seat. And then, just before the car door slammed shut: "I can dooooooooooooooo it." A few seconds later the contraction was over, and the car pulled out of the driveway. We blew kisses through the car window as Lexi smiled and gave us the thumbs up.

Two hours later she pushed a fine baby boy out into the world, and eight hours after that we got to meet him: Emmett Paul Jackson.

New family!

Two Emmetts!

Proud cousin!

Our champion sleeper is outslept.

Pondering life's mysteries...

After a few days of sitting around cooing at the baby (and opening at least three separate rounds of presents), it was time for me to go back to work... Where, I was reminded, the holidays are not over yet. In fact, we're just getting started on ringing in the Year of the Dragon: 

This'll be hanging in the entrance hall by the time 2012
arrives.  Join us at The Wing for the big Lion Dance
on Saturday, January 21st at 11 am!

A big Welcome to wee baby Emmett, Congratulations to his awesome Moms, and a Happy New Year to all! May the Year of the Dragon bring us fiery strength, flourishing growth, and centering peace -- to go with our furry suede platform boots.