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Dec. 25th, 2004 07:58 pmOne week of Christmas vacation is far too short after 3 years of being able to take a 3-week vacation.
It has been a splendid day, though.
We began with coffee and a call to my family, who is gathered at my brother-in-law's mother's home in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Then we moved onto presents.
Once again, the focus was on quality over quantity.
First, I got a rock. A Chinese scholar's rock, basically a very oddly shaped piece of igneous stone set onto a rosewood stand. I could sit and stare at it for hours. Photos will follow.
I have a new fountain pen: A Namiki sterling collection dragon, with what the Japanese call a fine point. It's my new normal use fountain pen. My current pen will become my "red ink" pen. It writes like a dream.
I now have a very nice fondue pot.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jadegirl also went to Murray's Cheese Shop, and asked Cielo for some advice on good cheeses for fondue. Cave aged emanthaler, cave aged gruyere, and raclette. Some white wine from last night, some pepper and some armenian brandy and Oh, my fucking Gods!!! You hear that, Chicago people? Come to New York City, get fed fondue!
Jade got me a new ritual crown. A merchant at the Union Square gift festival apparently has carried it around for several years, but it's generally been the women's crowns that have sold.
Also, an antique Chinese tea jar. The symbols carved on it indicate they belonged to some potentate, and the brown glaze is a rare one. It's a new direction for my snuff bottle collection, and I love it.
Two rather vicious whips from Adam and Gillian. Perhaps I'll write about them more once I have a more... practical understanding of them.
Finally, an old Norwegian game called Tafl. Simple to learn, a lifetime to master. It took the advent of Chess in the west to send Tafl to obscurity.
My parents got me a magnetic clip board a silver badger shaving brush, and a t-shirt of people standing around Stonehenge with a legend that reads, "Give me that old time religion."
My friends know me well, also.docstrange and tezliana got us two books: The Rule of Four, a murder mystery centered around a medieval manuscript called the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, and a translation of the manuscript itself.
There's other gifts still in transit. I'll post about them at the right time.
We're now stuffed on fondue. Later, there's lots of baked goods waiting to be eaten, and a rather nice Sauternes waiting to be opened. That may wait until tomorrow, though.
It's fashionable to deride gift giving as a part of Yule -- or in general -- as materialistic. And it can be, but if it is it's no one's fault but oneself. Gift giving is an opportunity to tell people that they hold your regard, that you pay attention to them enough to know their taste, to share with them something you saw that made you think of them. That's the stuff that love and friendship is made of, and it's profound even when given material form.
It has been a splendid day, though.
We began with coffee and a call to my family, who is gathered at my brother-in-law's mother's home in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Then we moved onto presents.
Once again, the focus was on quality over quantity.
First, I got a rock. A Chinese scholar's rock, basically a very oddly shaped piece of igneous stone set onto a rosewood stand. I could sit and stare at it for hours. Photos will follow.
I have a new fountain pen: A Namiki sterling collection dragon, with what the Japanese call a fine point. It's my new normal use fountain pen. My current pen will become my "red ink" pen. It writes like a dream.
I now have a very nice fondue pot.
jadegirl also went to Murray's Cheese Shop, and asked Cielo for some advice on good cheeses for fondue. Cave aged emanthaler, cave aged gruyere, and raclette. Some white wine from last night, some pepper and some armenian brandy and Oh, my fucking Gods!!! You hear that, Chicago people? Come to New York City, get fed fondue!
Jade got me a new ritual crown. A merchant at the Union Square gift festival apparently has carried it around for several years, but it's generally been the women's crowns that have sold.
Also, an antique Chinese tea jar. The symbols carved on it indicate they belonged to some potentate, and the brown glaze is a rare one. It's a new direction for my snuff bottle collection, and I love it.
Two rather vicious whips from Adam and Gillian. Perhaps I'll write about them more once I have a more... practical understanding of them.
Finally, an old Norwegian game called Tafl. Simple to learn, a lifetime to master. It took the advent of Chess in the west to send Tafl to obscurity.
My parents got me a magnetic clip board a silver badger shaving brush, and a t-shirt of people standing around Stonehenge with a legend that reads, "Give me that old time religion."
My friends know me well, also.
docstrange and tezliana got us two books: The Rule of Four, a murder mystery centered around a medieval manuscript called the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, and a translation of the manuscript itself. There's other gifts still in transit. I'll post about them at the right time.
We're now stuffed on fondue. Later, there's lots of baked goods waiting to be eaten, and a rather nice Sauternes waiting to be opened. That may wait until tomorrow, though.
It's fashionable to deride gift giving as a part of Yule -- or in general -- as materialistic. And it can be, but if it is it's no one's fault but oneself. Gift giving is an opportunity to tell people that they hold your regard, that you pay attention to them enough to know their taste, to share with them something you saw that made you think of them. That's the stuff that love and friendship is made of, and it's profound even when given material form.