The year I was ten, I got a horse for Christmas.
Mum could have made Legume Surprise on Toast for dinner every night for the rest of my life and I still would have been a very happy cowgirl: I had my very own horse!
Some years later, I got a sister for Christmas.
Not quite as immediately fun as the horse, but she gradually improved (walking and talking were a big bonus there.) She recently demonstrated long term utility by deftly producing the Most Amazing Niece Born In This Millennium*** so I've decided to renew her sibling license again this year.
For years I enjoyed tormenting her by airily mentioning she was my second favorite Christmas present of all time.
This year I got Dan Krokos' second novel for Christmas. Here's the first line: I’m digging up a grave in the Everglades.
How am I going to break the news to my sister that she's slipped to third?
***and I'm totally objective about this so you can take my word for it, but I do have pictures which I will come show you right now in case you need verification.
This MADE my Christmas.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I know I'm supposed to move past the horse, but what awesome parents you had!! I came out of the womb loving horses and was finally able to have them for a few years as a teen. Best years of my life!!! I have horses now, as an adult, but it's nothing like the magic that first horse was.
ReplyDelete(And you loved Trixie Beldon too? I've still got almost the whole set. [I'm missing, like, three of them, I think.])
Okay, two things:
ReplyDeletePerhaps it's too much wassail, but the link to the "I got a horse for Christmas post" made me a little misty, which makes me prickly.
Second, I have a sister, so I know that no book, career windfall, or winning PowerBall ticket is better. I suspect that you know this, too, and this is indulgent hyperbole. But since you sent me into a prickly funk with the link, here goes:
Bollocks. Sister wins in the "best Christmas present ever" department. Sisters are forever. Every thing else is ephemeral. But I'm delighted that you got something this year that even merits comparison. Merry Christmas!
I have a sneaking suspicion "Laurel" is really someone else!
ReplyDeleteA fraternal member of the Odontaspididae Family methinks!
Dan is freaking talented - I'm so glad you found each other.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I saw Up in the Air today and thought of you. Why? Because of this line: "We're not swans, we're sharks."
Merry Christmas, Janet. I hope 2010 is everything you deserve it to be.
Hey, Laurel! I've got eight sisters. You want some more? Cheap!? (And nine brothers, some of whom I'll throw in FREE!)
ReplyDeleteAll my sibs are halves, though, and enough older than me that I think, statistically, I count as an only child. If I had the chance to trade my pony for having gotten to grow up with my siblings? . . . I'd keep the pony! *G*
I love Trixie too! Whenever I clean the house (which I'll admit is only when I have to), I run around dusting and saying, "a lick and a promise" which I totally got from Trixie when she was doing her chores but wanted to be out riding with Honey.
ReplyDeleteI'm not the only one who liked Trixie Belden when I was young(er)! I mean, the series did end before I was born, so I think I missed the boat by just a little....
ReplyDeleteEverglades=swamp. Huh. Really huh. Good thing I'm heading to Borders with a gift certificate tomorrow.
Best Christmas gift ever? Dunno. This year? Sophie Scholl: The Final Days. In German with English and Chinese subtitles. And, much to my surprise, the cover's in Chinese.
I know this post is not really about the horse, but I have to tell you: the only time I tried to ride a horse (other than tethered ponies at the fair when I was about 4 or 5 years old), the damn thing knew I didn't know what I was doing. No matter what I did or how I tried, it wouldn't budge an inch.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's a great first line of a novel, Dan Krokos.
Some people just take every word too seriously. That is just sad.
ReplyDeleteHeehee! Strictly ichtheous, I am.
ReplyDeleteWay to go Dan!
ReplyDeleteLove the post.
ReplyDeleteNever got a horse or a sibling, but there was a Barbie dream house when I was 6. No matter how sensational ensuing holidays may prove, nothing can replicate the breathless fireworks of that moment.
No offense to my new husband, seriously I adore my new bathrobe, but can Barbie rearrange furniture in it? I think not.
Joelle said...
ReplyDeleteI love Trixie too! Whenever I clean the house (which I'll admit is only when I have to), I run around dusting and saying, "a lick and a promise" which I totally got from Trixie when she was doing her chores but wanted to be out riding with Honey.
Is that where "a lick and a promise" comes from? My mother used to say that all the time. When I got older, I decided it was a double entendre. ;- )
My sons have wanted a dog since forever. I remember a soccer practice a couple of years ago, some other boy had a golden retriever with beautiful fur and round chocolate eyes who ran up and down the sidelines as the kids kicked the ball around. The mom was sitting on a pretty picnic blanket with loads of snacks for everyone. And extra dog toys. My youngest was in tears, the scene was so perfect--for the *other* kid. I have to admit, I wanted to be in that family also.
ReplyDeleteI hope to have the feeling your parents did on that day. To make a dream come true. I'm thinking our lives are starting to settle down. We may get that dog...
:-)
Did you share the horse with your sister?
Never mind the sister, which place is the horse in?
ReplyDeleteYes, picture of niece??
ReplyDeleteDear Ms. Reid,
ReplyDeleteWhen I started reading this entry my first reaction was - Dan Krokos, I've heard/read that name before.
Couldn't put me finger on him, though, so I googooed his name.
I not only had my memory refreshed but found directions to his blog, and therein an entry that included a link to a live BBC interview with one Janet Reid, Agent.
I couldn't wait to hear the actual voice that went with the dulcet shark-edged blog-voice with which I have become familiar.
I steeled myself for the hiss, the growl, expecting, I don't know... the hoarse, raspy after-hours output of a whiskey-scorched larynx.
My imagination flitted past the speakeasy husk of Lauren Bacall, possibly the gravel-road of Elaine Stritch, who knows? Maybe even Mercedes McCambridge from the Exorcist?
Ha! Imagine my surprise.
Best wishes in the year to be.
dylan
Chris ...
ReplyDeleteI do hope you can get your son his dog soon.
From Sammy at www.sammystory.net, the story of a rescue dog.
Hi Eihlin,
ReplyDeleteThanks, me too! It's a long story, but we've been traveling a lot these past 7 years. Looks like we're going to be able to stay put for a while (I hope!), and if true, will be able to look for that dog!!! Wish there was a show like Lassie on television...
Ooh, that first line gave me chills :D.
ReplyDelete