Monthly Archives: December 2011

Counting My Blessings of White Christmas

24 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

I was single, in my twenties and living in Northern California and I wasn’t going home for the holidays. I loved staying in California with my close single girlfriends who were also not going home for the holidays because I had a tradition of our own. We’d go to dinner Christmas Eve and then see It’s a Wonderful Life that was playing at the Stanford Theatre and the following day we’d open presents together.

We were our own family of sorts and we felt a bit like misfits in our own immediate families. We come from a culture where you marry in your early twenties and all of us, well, we sort of missed that boat.

I was also pretty poor. Not living-in-a-box-on-the-streets-of-San Francisco poor, but the Bay Area is not a cheap place to live and my disposable income was always pretty tight, so it wasn’t a priority to buy that airline ticket back home for the holidays.

As the holidays were nearing I was at Costco buying what I’m sure was just one thing (as opposed to a pallet of something like most normal people get at Costco) and I was browsing the book and video tables when I discovered this:

White Christmas box set

A box-set of the movie, White Christmas, which included the VHS, a movie script (yes! the movie script!), and a glossy black and white photo of the cast.

Boy did I want that.

But it was over $30 and I didn’t have $30 to spend on it.

When Christmas arrived my girlfriends and I gathered together in our pajamas after we finished breakfast and we began sharing stories of how our parents seemed to always miss the mark with Christmas presents when we were growing up. Jill told about how all she ever wanted one Christmas was a coat and she got a night gown. Cami had a similar story. And Amber, who has unique taste in really cool things talked about how her family would buy her bizarre things because they thought really bizarre meant really cool. My story was about when I was in junior high and all I wanted was a pair of designer jeans. Everyone had them and I knew that if I had those jeans it would make me so cool and everyone would like me. (Because that’s exactly how fashion works.)

I didn’t get the jeans. Instead, my mom got my sister and I each a Norelco battery-operated manicure / facial kit that had all these attachments to buff and polish your nails as well as attachments to buff and polish your face. It apparently was the equivalent to a man getting a Craftsman tool kit but for female grooming.

norelco

Here’s an example of the lovely Norelco kit that was sold on eBay. Love the avocado green faux velvety casing.

At 13 I really didn’t know much or even care much about grooming. I was going through puberty and a battery-powered grooming kit wasn’t going to solve my problems. Jeans would, though.

We laughed over our stories and marveled at how there seemed to be a common thread about parents missing the mark. We were acting as though we were picked on.

When it came time to open the presents my parents had mailed me I once again felt like they missed the mark. Earlier that month my mom had asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said, “I need muffin tins. You know, just regular muffin tins.”

I got muffin tins, but they weren’t regular ones. Instead, I got mini muffin tins that make miniature muffins and jumbo muffin tins that make those gigantic muffins. Not what I had asked for.

“You see,” I said to my girl friends. “Why can’t someone give me something I actually asked for?”

Then it was time for the gifts we bought each other–the gifts between girl friends. Amber and Jill both gave me a present they bought for me. When I took off the wrapping paper I saw it. It was the White Christmas boxed set. I looked at it. Then I looked up at both of them. I think it was Amber who said, “We knew you really wanted it.”

White Christmas box set with VHS tape, movie script and B&W glossy pho

And then something happened that had never happened before: My eyes welled up with tears. And I started crying. Amber and Jill looked at each other and then they both looked at me, waiting for me to say something. (Later Jill told me, “We didn’t know what to think. Is she sad? Upset over this? It was a weird reaction.”)

I almost couldn’t talk. I never cry, but I had never wanted something so bad and actually received it. And I was so moved that my two best friends picked up on my desire for White Christmas that they actually gave it to me.

But it would be a tragedy if I ended the story there. Looking back as I write this, I’m cringing at my immaturity and selfishness in the moment that preceded the White Christmas meltdown—the attitude toward my parents who were really trying to get me to think bigger than my wishes and requests. I not only still have the White Christmas boxed set, but I still have those muffin tins and I’ve used them many times. And that Norelco battery operated grooming kit? I’ve thought several times over the past couple of decades that I’d love to have that kit. All along I was thinking that I knew exactly what I needed but I didn’t have the maturity or understanding to look beyond the jeans or the regular muffin tins that I thought I wanted.

The irony in all this is that my favorite song from the movie is the Irving Berlin song, Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep

When I’m worried and I can’t sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings

Behold: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert

18 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I admit it. I’m shamelessly in love with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. So much that I’m this close (I’m holding my thumb and index finger together with only a cm of space in between) to having a restraining order slapped on me.

MoTab. Growing up my mom had the whole catalog of the choir’s LPs and cassettes and she played them all the time. So when I hear the choir sing, Climb Every Mountain or The Impossible Dream, I’m walking down memory lane and feeling the warmth pumpkin pie and mac and cheese give me. And though they’ve had a following for decades, it wasn’t until the turn of this last century that the choir raised to new heights of talent and repertoire thanks to conductors Craig Jessop and the world-renowned composer and arranger Mack Wilberg. (See Betelehemu) Total stalk-worthy, in my opinion.

When I moved to Utah from Northern California I immediately sought out tickets to MoTab concerts. I figured since I didn’t live in the San Francisco Bay Area any longer, the MoTab was my best chance at any type of high-culture. But tickets to their concerts weren’t easy to get. Mostly because they give them out for free which just frosts me. My first concert in 1996 required people to mail–yes mail–a self-addressed stamped envelope to the choir office to request a limit of 4 tickets. Piece of cake. I sent my envelope in and easily got my tickets. It was a lovely concert in the famous Tabernacle. Then the choir asked people to just show up at a ticket office and get their tickets. The concert grew in popularity and people queued up early. I’d be there by 4:30 in the morning to stand in line for a ticket distribution that wouldn’t begin until 10:00 a.m. But I always got tickets and always had decent seats.

Eventually, they did away with my favorite method of getting the tickets in person and made us all participate in a lottery system, which put me in a position of not having control of getting tickets. I hate not having control over anything. The thing is, the choir considers the concerts (which they repeat over the course of three nights and a Sunday morning) their gift to the community, so they say they won’t ever charge for the tickets. I say they should charge. But that’s just me. Or maybe not just me? Whatever.

So, last year while I was convalescing I watched all the DVDs of the past concerts I attended since 2001 (the concerts that were recorded for PBS and made available on DVD once they moved it to the LDS Conference Center). The years prior don’t really count as they don’t have near the production value as the ones beginning in 2001. So, I went down memory lane and some of the less popular ones turned out to be my favorites. Here’s my review

The legendary Angela Lansbury

2001: The Joy of Christmas. Angela Lansbury. This concert was crazy good! It was the December following the 9/11 attacks and boy did we need this. I had awesome seats–I mean, I was something like fourth row. Favorites from this night included “We Need a Little Christmas,” and the Beauty and the Beast song Angela Lansbury sang in the film. A little known fact: Ms Lansbury was so moved by the invitation by the choir and the opportunity to do something to help everyone heal from the tragedy of 9/11 that she did not charge her fee for her performance. Classy lady!

Walter Cronkite

2002: Silent Night, Holy Night, Walter Cronkite. This is one of my favorites and a huge surprise. Walter Cronkite narrated The Christmas Truce story that took place during World War 1. It is a moving story backed up with music from the choir. The best part of the DVD is the back story you hear about from music conductor Craig Jessop during an interview. There are a lot of serendipitous moments that took place in producing this concert. And that’s the way it was.

Frederica Von Stade and Bryn Terfel

2003: Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Frederica von Stade and Bryn Terfel. When I viewed this concert again last year I forgot how wonderful it was and is one of my favorites. There is so much packed into it. Flicka’s orange frock is a still a mystery to me, but once she began singing I forgot all about her little chiffon number. Bryn Terfel–holy cow! What a baritone! Both were charismatic, charming together and looked like they were kids in a candy store as they sang with the choir. And it had everything: bagpipes, steel drums, a fog machine spewing fog around the orchestra, and there was actually snow (fake, natch) in the conference center during the yuletide medley. If you like classical musicians (which I do), you would love this concert.

Audra MacDonald

2004: Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Audra MacDonald and Peter Graves. Broadway star Audra MacDonald sang and Peter Graves narrated. I love any and every concert of the choir and it’s guests, but I have my favorites. This isn’t one of them, though Audra MacDonald’s voice is full bodied and flawless. On this DVD you’ll find the choir’s performance of the Nigerian carol, Betelehemu, which is a must-see for pretty much anyone. (it also was performed at the previous year’s concert.) It will freaking knock your socks off. This ain’t your momma’s choir anymore.

La Fleming

2005: Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Renee Fleming and Claire Bloom. I about wet my pants when I found out that Renee Fleming was the guest soloist for the 2005 concert. Just two years prior I saw her in La Traviata at the NY Metropolitan Opera from about as far away from the stage as you can get and here she was singing with my choir! (Yes, it’s my choir since I’m it’s #1 stalker.) Claire Bloom was a lovely narrator and La Fleming sang pitch perfect (duh) and tra-la-la’d her way into my heart forever. I also stood in line at a CD signing and had her sign my program. I still swoon when I watch this DVD.

Sissel: Voice of an angel

2006: Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Sissel. The. Best. Concert. EVUH! So, I’m at this concert and this woman comes out on stage with a hair looking like 1980’s star Kristy McNichol and I wasn’t sure what I was going to get. She opened her mouth and I thought I was hearing an angel. This is essentially a perfect concert. Sissel is a Norwegian soprano who also sang on the Titatnic soundtrack. The album that resulted from this concert, Spirit of the Season, garnered a Grammy nomination for both Sissel and the Mormon Tabernacle choir (Best Classical Crossover Album of the Year, as well as Best Engineered Classical Album). Favorite surprise number from this concert is the ABBA favorite, Like an Angle Passing Through My Room. This also is my husband’s favorite concert. His favorite number is In the Bleak Midwinter (à propos since he’s Canadian).

King Singers2007: Rejoice and Be Merry, King Singers. Thank you, MoTab, for moving away from the obvious title, Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and adding some creativity and flair by titling your concerts. Now that I got that out of the way, This concert is high on the list of favorites. The King Singers are not only extraordinarily talented but terrifically engaging as well. The treasure at this concert is O Holy Night arranged by conductor Mack Wilberg specifically for them. I will confess that O Holy Night is one of my least favorite carols because it has a tendency to just drone on FOREVER, but Wilberg’s arrangement is pure joy and kept me interested. It’s like drinking a big cold glass of chocolate milk. Yummy!

Brian Stokes Mitchell and Edward Herrmann

2008: Ring Christmas Bells, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Edward Herrmann. Speaking of yummy, Brian Stokes Mitchell is one of the best performers I’ve ever seen on stage. He not only has a fantastic baritone voice but he is completely charismatic. He actually had performed with the MoTab earlier in the year at a Tanner Gift of Music concert where my husband and I were just blown away. Favorites from this concert include Grateful and Sleigh Ride (which is quintessential MoTab in case you were wondering). And Edward Herrmann. Wow. Blew me away too. He narrated a wonderful story about the 1864 poem “Christmas Bells” by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. (You know the carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”) Herrmann gets my vote for the best narration ever at a MoTab Christmas concert.

Natalie Cole

2009: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Natalie Cole and David McCullough. Sigh. I had such high expectations for this concert. I just adore Ms Cole, but she didn’t deliver at this concert. I know she had been seriously ill that year and I’m a huge fan of hers, but she just seemed a little off to me. And I was totally on the edge of my seat waiting for her to sing The Christmas Song, which her father made popular. Didn’t happen. (Really? Really?) And David McCullough, hmmmm. I know he’s a Pulitzer prize winning author, but a public speaker? Not so much. I remember thinking after this concert, “Maybe I shouldn’t go any more for awhile. Maybe I can’t be impressed anymore.”

MoTab goes American Idol

2010. Glad Christmas Tidings, David Archuleta and Michael York. Well, be careful what you wish for. When MoTab announced David Archuleta as the guest artist for the concert I thought, “Well, that pretty much seals the deal for me about going again. Not happening for this year.” Yes, I’m a bit of a snob. I wasn’t alone in my thinking that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was being unimaginative and selling out to have a 2nd runner up American Idol star as their guest artist. But I was in the minority as it was the most popular concert ever. And several of my friends looked forward to it and loved it. Yes, he’s a wonderful performer, but it just wasn’t for me. And karma played out in an annoying way for me. The concert was just days after I had surgery to repair my ankle after my Thanksgiving weekend hiking accident in Zion, so I couldn’t go anyway. I did watch the concert on PBS a couple of weeks ago and it was okay. Maybe I would have liked it better if I had attended. Or maybe if I had a better attitude about the whole thing. All my fault.

Jane Seymour and Nathan Gunn

2011: Yet to be named but I’m sure it will have something to do with Good King Winceslas, Nathan Gunn and Jane Seymour. I forgave the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the David Archuleta and Natalie Cole incidents and my husband and I went to the concert last night. FanTAStic! It even “snowed” in the conference center. I’d been waiting for them to repeat the snow since the 2003 concert. Also, Jane Seymour is in 2nd place for the best narration ever (Herrmann is first place). And she had three costume changes. Nathan Gunn made singing baritone look effortless. Not as charming as the effervescent Bryn Terfel, but given some time he’ll get there. Maybe being Welsh like Terfel could help. Mr. Gunn should look at getting an accent. But I digress. Favorite number from the night was In dulci jubilo (natch–it’s a standard classical showy piece) and Sing Lullaby. (Full confession here: The dancers’ costumes totally reminded me of Spamalot. I was half expecting one of the musical numbers to be Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. But mostly it just made me giggle.)

So that’s it! That’s my round up of the last 10 years of Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Should I ever move, I will miss the anticipation and spectacularness (is that a word?) of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concerts. But I still wish they would charge for tickets rather than give them out at lottery. Just sayin’.

Steve and I at the 2011 Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert

A Happiness List Time Capsule

10 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , ,

I’m trying to decide if it’s a funny thing when your past makes a reappearance or it’s just plain weird.

You see, my sister and brother-in-law bought the house we all grew up in and last year when they were tearing up the kitchen to remodel, my sister found a piece of paper with a list on it but didn’t know who it belonged to. She showed it to my mom who said, “Oh, that was Lisa’s,” and so she sent it to me.

Yep. It was mine. It was my list of things I wanted for my birthday that would make me happy. I was sure of it. Here’s the list (click photo to enlarge):

My birthday list for when I was to turn 12.

Let me walk you through how these items would make me happy.

Satin Jacket. This was the item that was guaranteed to open doors for me as a 7th grader. It wasn’t just any satin jacket, but a baseball satin jacket in either baby blue, pink, or mint green. Every girl had one and I wanted one so badly. I knew that if I got that jacket I would never need anything else the rest of my life. I did get the jacket for my birthday (an awesome baby blue reversible jacket–denim on one side and satin on the other), but then I felt I needed Jordache jeans followed by a whole slew of fashion needs. I could never chase down happiness in the fashion world.

Jeans. A 12-year-old always needed new jeans. It was just a matter of convincing my mother that JC Penny wasn’t what I was thinking. (Sigh.)

Hoop necklace. I’m not sure but I think a hoop necklace was just a wire that went around my neck. I believe it was all the rage. Not so certain it’s a good look for me now.

School supplies. My birthday is in August and so school supplies always were associated with my birthday, so as much as I longed to separate the two events (I imagine people who have birthdays close to Christmas deal with the same sort of thing), I just capitulated and put the school supplies on my list anyway.

A mini hymn book. I always wanted those little pocked-sized hymnals people would have handy. I thought it was really cute. Now I’m too old and need the big print hymnal just to see the words and notes.

Hard-back dictionary. Yes, I was a nerd. Still am. I have two hard-back dictionaries in my house now. Plus a Scrabble dictionary. And a big hard-back Roget’s Thesaurus. Plus the Chicago Manual of Style. A bunch of Strunk and White books, a Dictionary of Problem Words and Expressions book and a grammar book. It all started here.

Barry Manilow record, Even Now. Gosh, I had nearly every Barry Manilow album growing up. (My career aspirations were first, be a concert pianist. If that didn’t work out my Plan B was to be a back-up singer for Barry Manilow.)

Stationary. No, I didn’t want to stand still at the time. I actually wanted stationery. The stuff with pretty flowers printed on it so I could write notes on it and pass around in class. Hence, the need for the dictionary.

Green eye shadow. I apologize for that one.

Eye liner (green). Again, apologies.

“Blip!” I must confess, I couldn’t remember what this was so I found it on this website.

Batteries for my watch. Isn’t this sweet? I knew that money didn’t grow on trees, so I was asking for batteries for my poor broken watch so my parents could gift them to me. I sure hope my parents celebrated when they read this.

Boots. And so the shoe obsession began. I still put boots on my list.

Suede shoes. All those mentions about dictionaries, school supplies and batteries was just the warm up to the good stuff–shoes. And who doesn’t want suede shoes?

Camera. I actually had to wait until after college before I got my first camera. And I bought it myself. But I was happy to see it made the list back then. I must have predicted that I’d fall in love with cameras later on.

A “game.” Don’t you love how non-specific I am on this? Again, my parents should be thrilled that I left the field so wide open for them.

Calculator. This one puzzles me. I run away from math and anything to do with calculating.

A set of ink pens. I loved to draw and one year I got colored pencils and this was the year I wanted to move up to color pens. I believe it was felt-tipped pens I was looking for. I’m pretty sure I got them that year for my birthday. (Thanks mom!)

Tape recorder. Not sure what I had in mind for the use of this. Tape player, maybe, but a tape recorder?

Sheet music for piano. I was a good piano student and always looking for the latest Barry Manilow song to play. Or something from The Carpenters. (Sorry Beethoven.)

So yeah, it’s a little weird finding this list. I can remember writing it and hoping that I would get at least a few things from it. I sure wish I had that Satin Baseball Jacket now. There’s no way it would fit on my body but I do remember that it was one of the few things I really, really wanted. I’m glad my mom found it for me and helped make my 7th grade experience somewhat tolerable. (Yes, tolerable. A satin jacket can’t fix everything.)

Lemon caper chicken scaloppine

03 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by in Recipes

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

I seem to be all about chicken recipes lately. I’m trying to find meals I can cook that are low in sodium that are also tasty. Hard to do, I’m finding. Here’s another favorite of mine: Lemon caper chick scaloppine. (And do try to find broccolini. It’s wonderful! That’s what you see nestled next to the lemon caper chicken scaloppine below.)

Lemon caper chicken scaloppine

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 20 minutes

MAKES: 4 servings

Basic chicken scaloppine recipe

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth (I use Swansons No Salt Added broth)

1 tsp grated lemon peel

1 TBS lemon juice

2 TBS capers

Salt and pepper if you desire

1. Keep basic chicken scaloppine warm in a 200-degree oven

2. Add olive oil and garlic to pain used to cook chicken (don’t wash) and stir over high heat until garlic is slightly limp about 15 seconds.

3. Add chicken broth, lemon peel, lemon juice and capers to pan, stir until mixture is boiling. Boil, stirring occasionally, until juices are slightly reduced.

4. Spoon sauce evenly over chicken.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

PER SERVING: 272 cal, 36 g protein, 7.5 g fat (1.2 g sat fat), 13 g carb, 0.5 g fiber, 106 mg sodium, 82 g chol.