It’s Christmas Eve in LA, which makes this my 6th holiday season in a city where I have no family, have never lived in a home longer than 15 months, and haven’t purchased a Christmas tree, real or fake. Last year, we decorated a large tumbleweed we found in the Sequoia National Forest. We nailed it above our hearth (a blocked in, useless fireplace, of course). It was very minimalist and I was very fond of it. The year before was a ficus tree that I had moved from home to home with me since I got here. Ficus trees don’t support ornaments very well and I had to wrap the ugly, black plastic pot in red velvet to make it a little more presentable in its new role as a holiday centerpiece.
This year, our Christmas focal point is a lopsided, creaking fiber-optic tree rescued from the curb by my roommate. Its wiry branches are bent every which way and it’s, well, you know what fiber optic looks like. It’s not what you’d call modern, or traditional, or classy. But, somehow it’s appropriate for a Los Angeles Christmas. It fits in nicely with our dinner plans for Christmas Day – find an Indian restaurant that’s open and accepts buy one, get one free coupons from the Entertainment Guide.
It may be the weather. It could be all the Jews. It may be the hordes of displaced wanderers that inhabit this town. Or it may be that most people I know, including myself, feel the lightness of their pocketbooks more acutely this time of year. All those things combined make LA the perfect place to spend a non-traditional Christmas and be at peace with it.
If I were in Wisconsin right now and it was minus zero with wind chill, snowing outside and every place of business was closed in honor of the holiday, the fact that I was sitting in my living room without a proper tree, no presents, and no fudge would probably depress me deeply. You’d find me in a down coat at the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, curiously eyeing the others eating around me and wondering how and when my fate had taken such a dismal turn.
But, here in Los Angeles, a city that caters to singles, transplants, and heathens alike, we can go to Mondo Xmas at the Silent Movie Theatre – a sort of sick and twisted film festival for the holidays. Or to Santa’s Satanic Swingers Lounge at a Flintstone themed bar for Christmas drink specials. Or, barring rain, we can just go to the beach, wander around and say “Can you believe it’s Christmas Day and we’re at the beach?” Cold weather transplants like to giddily say that kind of stuff all winter long. (“Can you believe it’s January and we’re rollerblading in shorts?!?")
For us, this year, Christmas Eve is a free 6-hour Christmas program at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, followed by a Christmas Eve service at church. Besides the Indian food on Christmas Day, we may go see the heavily advertised Curious Case of Benjamin Button and take Penny to the dog park. On Saturday, we’re going to Pershing Square for a classical guitar concert at the outdoor ice skating rink, followed by skating until our ankles give out. So, we’re mixing in the traditional in small doses. The photo above is us at a friend’s party. They’re Jewish and look at that beautiful tree! Just another example of Angelenos bucking tradition.
This year, our Christmas focal point is a lopsided, creaking fiber-optic tree rescued from the curb by my roommate. Its wiry branches are bent every which way and it’s, well, you know what fiber optic looks like. It’s not what you’d call modern, or traditional, or classy. But, somehow it’s appropriate for a Los Angeles Christmas. It fits in nicely with our dinner plans for Christmas Day – find an Indian restaurant that’s open and accepts buy one, get one free coupons from the Entertainment Guide.
It may be the weather. It could be all the Jews. It may be the hordes of displaced wanderers that inhabit this town. Or it may be that most people I know, including myself, feel the lightness of their pocketbooks more acutely this time of year. All those things combined make LA the perfect place to spend a non-traditional Christmas and be at peace with it.
If I were in Wisconsin right now and it was minus zero with wind chill, snowing outside and every place of business was closed in honor of the holiday, the fact that I was sitting in my living room without a proper tree, no presents, and no fudge would probably depress me deeply. You’d find me in a down coat at the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, curiously eyeing the others eating around me and wondering how and when my fate had taken such a dismal turn.
But, here in Los Angeles, a city that caters to singles, transplants, and heathens alike, we can go to Mondo Xmas at the Silent Movie Theatre – a sort of sick and twisted film festival for the holidays. Or to Santa’s Satanic Swingers Lounge at a Flintstone themed bar for Christmas drink specials. Or, barring rain, we can just go to the beach, wander around and say “Can you believe it’s Christmas Day and we’re at the beach?” Cold weather transplants like to giddily say that kind of stuff all winter long. (“Can you believe it’s January and we’re rollerblading in shorts?!?")
For us, this year, Christmas Eve is a free 6-hour Christmas program at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, followed by a Christmas Eve service at church. Besides the Indian food on Christmas Day, we may go see the heavily advertised Curious Case of Benjamin Button and take Penny to the dog park. On Saturday, we’re going to Pershing Square for a classical guitar concert at the outdoor ice skating rink, followed by skating until our ankles give out. So, we’re mixing in the traditional in small doses. The photo above is us at a friend’s party. They’re Jewish and look at that beautiful tree! Just another example of Angelenos bucking tradition.
Here's to a joyous day for all, no matter what you have planned!
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