The Seen Through A Glass Office Christmas Party
Merry Christmas, everyone! Here at Seen Through A Glass, I like to think we’re like a family. I mean…it’s me, and Cathy, and Nora, so it IS a family! Let’s all remember to tell everyone about the podcast, and flog these books every chance you get! Cheers!
— An excerpt from a ‘boss speech’ I thankfully have never given
It’s kind of weird being a freelancer, especially this time of year. It’s always kind of solitary, unless you’re the type who’s constantly on press junkets, because you don’t see your friends and colleagues at work. Then everyone else is having some kind of holiday work get-together — when my wife worked for a big Pharma company, they were sometimes quite elaborate — and you’re just sitting at home, opening a can of sardines for lunch, and maybe having a cookie. Yay! [insert holiday noisemaker sound here; the one that sounds like kicking a goose in the butt]
There was a period when I worked at Whisky Advocate that I did get to go to real office Christmas parties. For a few years, I even got to go to the Shanken holiday party at Blue Smoke in Manhattan, and while it was a schlep, driving to the NJ Transit station to take the train to Penn Station, and then the subway to the party, it was fun to see people I worked with, and maybe slip back to the offices for a couple whiskies and a cigar before heading back to Bucks County.
But before that, and for the past ten years, I’ve done my own “office Christmas party.” At first, I’d just knock off writing at mid-day, crack a few beers, eat some smoked salmon and stinky cheese, and take a nap. Then I decided to get a bit more festive. I started making some fancy little canapes, and cooking something nice for myself, and popping the cork on something big and Belgian. And then I’d take a nap.
Then one year I invited Cathy, and we had a nice lunch…after which she wanted to decorate the house, and clean, and go Christmas shopping. I may not have reacted well. I may have brought it up a few more times than was wise. It was not pretty, because I’d been an ass (although she definitely didn’t get what the OCP was all about, which was taking half a day off). I learned a lesson: the office Christmas Party was like Fight Club.
Don’t worry, friends. The Grinch’s heart has grown. I learned the real lesson: how to have a great Seen Through A Glass Christmas party with Cathy. Today we went into State College to do some Christmas shopping. We stopped at Petco for dog and cat gifties, and at Wegmans to get some supplies for upcoming festivities. Then we did some local shopping: Kitchen Kaboodle for gifts for our wine club exchange and friends. Cathy thought we were making one more stop at The Squirrel and Acorn Bookshop, but I told her to turn right instead of left, and guided her into Local Whiskey, saying “We’re having lunch, it’s the Office Christmas party!” She did not object, bless her.
And it was quite nice. The burger, one of the best in the area, did not disappoint, nor did Cathy’s smoked trout sandwich. I got a draft glass of Unibroue La Fin Du Monde, which was superb…though it seemed sweeter than I remembered. We had a good time, and when we were done, we walked down to the bookshop and finished our shopping (that’s a very nice little bookshop!).
We’re home, and the dogs are happy. I got dinner ready and popped it in the oven. It’s a family specialty we just call “Pork and Onions,” that always leads to a made dish from the leftovers that I call “Pork Ragoo,” and we’d be hard-pressed to say which one we like better. Maybe I should make up a recipe page for all the cooking I talk about on the show; good idea? I could put the cookie recipes there, too.
Anyway…as we slide into the end of the year, and Dave and I scheme about the Boxing Day episode, I do want to wish every one of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a very Happy New Year. It will all be here and gone before you know it…stop and enjoy some moments.
All the best, from the smack-dab center of the Keystone State.