Bah Humbug!

by Wendy Burke


Gosh, I hate to say it, but I'm not a big fan of holidays. Christmas just isn't Christmas anymore considering it now starts before Halloween. So, when I get in a "bah humbug!" funk, I like to remember Christmases past.
Like how our house smelled during Christmas. "Warm and piney?" No, our house smelled like Russian sausage and kielbasa simmering in the oven, along with a nice ham. Toss in the nutty aroma of potica and I'm home.

Yummy, potica (pronounced poh-TEETZ-zah.)

For those of you who don't know, potica is a Slovenian nut bread, made a very specific way. In my house, if my mom didn't have the five foot round kitchen table sprinkled with flour and the dough rolled out to the table's complete size, it wasn't a good potica. Of course, in the making, the floor would end up floured as well, enabling me to do the "Risky Business" Tom Cruise singing slide in the kitchen...but in my corduroy pants! Gosh, I miss my mom's potica!


Of course, we all grow up and end up with our own Christmas memories.

Get pine tar out of that fur!

My first one in Ohio was of losing my cat Chaplin. Oh, don't be dismayed, I found him--clinging to the trunk of the Christmas tree! Yep--that's a memory, trying to scrub pine tar out of the belly fur of a long-haired cat!
A side effect of my "bah humbugness" is that I could care less if we have a Christmas tree anymore. However, my husband is a huge tannenbaum fan! Day after Thanksgiving, he's hunting at our favorite tree spot, the Whitehouse Christmas Tree farm in Whitehouse, Ohio. I go along  if I'm not working, because the 'boys' who work there are mighty cute! But, the huz comes home with a lovely tree and I'm thankful I'm usually not around when he strings it with lights. (Man vs. Light String...we all know who wins that one!)

Rendering of Louie after the light incident.

And, it wouldn't be Christmas in our house without another Christmas cat story. All kittens are curious, but Louie just couldn't leave well enough alone. Along with checking out the tree, he decided that a little mini-light would make a good snack. How did we know?  Well, there was a 'REOWW,' the thunk of small cat against floor, then all the tree lights went out. Weeks later, we found the light socket with small teeth marks in it. He hasn't been near a tree since! (Not to worry, he's fine...but still a doofus.)


So, however you enjoy (or deal with!) Christmas, despite the hustle, bustle, cards, cookies and presents, there are spots of joy---just don't forget to remember those little moments of joy!

**Leave a comment and two lucky comment-leavers will win a $15 gift card from Amazon.com (to hopefully spend on Decadent Publishing books!) Merry Christmas!**

Happy Holidays!
Wendy

Wendy Burke blogs regularly for A Daily Dose of Decadence. She has two books on Decadent's shelves and hopes the house has room for 247 more! She can be found on Facebook – Wendy Burke Author, at her blog site, Whatever Wendy!, at Twitter: @WendyBurke1994 and lurking around the Internet. When not playing with the people in her head, Wendy has a fine life with a chef husband (YES – no cooking!) and two furry feline kids and a full-time job that keeps her from writing fulltime in ‘beautiful’ Toledo, Ohio.