Weird Christmas rituals

Every year, right around this time, we begin to pull out the Christmas ornaments, cut our live tree for the foyer, place the revolving 1950s aluminum tree (with rotating color wheel!) in the living room window, muck up our house with assorted nutcrackers and Christmas figurines, and do something strange on the front porch that make our neighbors wonder how much we really do drink.

We also have other rituals that aren't quite so -- mundane.

The first ritual is that we always watch "White Christmas" while we decorate the tree, which - on the face of it - seems pretty normal.  But I have to confess that every year - I think since I was about 7 years old - my favorite scene ... the scene I would pitch a fit over if I couldn't see... has nothing to do with Christmas. 

It's Rosemary Clooney's "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me" number.  Picture, if you will, a 7 or 8 year old boy, lying on the floor facing the TV, eyes glittering, mouth open in wonder.  First over Rosemary and that DRESS.  And then ... gasp ... over George Chakiris.  Every year when I see that scene, I can almost feel myself rolling around on that living room floor giggling.

It's not perfect - I mean, those silver gloves are a risky fashion choice with that standout dress.  And even as a child I knew - and pointed out to my parents - that all brown was an extremely bad look.  Imagine.

When we had the "big talk" when I was 18, can you believe my mother actually said she had no idea I was gay?



In later years, when I had become an adult and Brian and I had purchased our first home - we had a gay couple move in next door.  We attended many dinners and parties with them and oddly, at Christmas time, always mixed in their holiday music CD shuffle was Liza Minnelli's 1989 "Results" CD.

I think we questioned it once, but I don't recall their answer as to why they did that.  Regardless, we received the same CD from them as a gift that first Christmas and it's the only time of year we listen to it.

Strange, no?



But I think our favorite ritual is finding the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version of "Jack Frost" being played on TV.

This BIZARRE Russo-Finnish production is hysterical enough on its own.  But when you add the wisecracking robots and host adding to it - it's pee your pants funny.

We own the movie on DVD now - so we can watch it whenever we like.  But it never fails that we always watch it around Christmas time.

I encourage you to check it out.

"Are you freaking out yet?" - LOL.

What are your "unusual" holiday rituals?