A proliferation of two-year birthday traditions

If doing something two years in a row can be considered a “tradition,” then I shall keep with tradition by singing to myself:

Happy, happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
And to you
– with thanks and apologies to Cracker

Also a two-year tradition is the celebration of both my father’s birthday (12/21) and mine (12/23) on 12/22, and not just any celebration, but a celebration at a sports bar and arcade. Don’t know exactly why, but since my sister does the coordinating of it all, I don’t complain. I did, after all, get to kick my 14-year-old nephew’s butt at pool, but I didn’t even get to smoke a cigarette while I played, so what fun is that? 😉

Yet another two-year tradition will be the viewing tonight of Elling, one of my all-time favorite movies. It includes what is to me one of the most genuinely touching Christmas moments in any film, and the film overall leaves me with such a feeling of hope that viewing it seems like the perfect Christmas tradition.

That and Die Hard.

In other news, I wrote my first Christmas song yesterday. Karsten and I were thrift-shopping all morning and afternoon (I got a great haul!) and both stores had their radios tuned to the light-rock station that changes formats at Christmastime to all-Christmas, all-the-time. It was a little much, to say the least, but I tried to channel the excess into productive use by carefully studying the formula that makes up a classic Christmas song (while I concentrated on my shopping, too, of course). Then when we got back to my parents’ house, Karsten and I talked it over and deconstructed the “genre” together, which allowed me to whip up a sketch of a new song that we both really like. The real challenge will be for him in trying to write a melody that can be recorded as a contemporary song but which will have a timeless holiday feel.

Still, baby’s first Christmas song! Yay! Here’s hoping the future royalties at least pay for all that extravagant thrift-shopping I did yesterday.

A proliferation of two-year birthday traditions

17 thoughts on “A proliferation of two-year birthday traditions”

minnaleigh
December 23, 2004 at 10:31 am

Happy birthday!

In my family, something is a tradition if it’s been done once. When we were kids, we could get away with almost anything by saying “But it’s a tradition!” Even if we’d only ever done it the year before. We all still do that with any aspect of any holiday or celebration that we want to repeat.
mactavish
December 23, 2004 at 10:40 am

Happy birthday to you. 🙂
thatkellygirl
December 23, 2004 at 12:02 pm

Happy Birthday to YOU!

And conga-rats on the new Christmas song! Maybe next year we’ll hear it on the radio. 🙂
therealjae
December 23, 2004 at 12:03 pm

That deconstructing of the genre of “Christmas song” with Karsten sounds like so much FUN. I’m so happy that you two can share that sort of thing.

-J
gloriajn
December 23, 2004 at 12:50 pm

Happy birthday to you!

I read the review of Elling. I had never heard of that movie before. It sounds interesting, though!
andnow_thenews
December 23, 2004 at 1:43 pm

Hey, happy damn birthday. 🙂
krasota
December 23, 2004 at 2:01 pm

happy birthday! i hope the smurfs don’t find you.
kateo
December 23, 2004 at 2:02 pm

Thanks!

Good to know I’m not alone in creating new traditions. 🙂
kateo
December 23, 2004 at 2:02 pm

Thanks!
kateo
December 23, 2004 at 2:03 pm

Thanks!

I sure hope so. 😉
kateo
December 23, 2004 at 2:03 pm

Oh, it was fun. You would’ve loved it, I’m sure. 🙂
kateo
December 23, 2004 at 2:03 pm

Thanks!

Yeah, check it out. Wonderful film.
kateo
December 23, 2004 at 2:04 pm

Thanks very damn much. 🙂
kateo
December 23, 2004 at 2:04 pm

Thanks! Me too, man, wow. I hadn’t thought of it, but yeah.
tsjafo
December 23, 2004 at 7:18 pm

Happy Birthday!
kateo
December 23, 2004 at 10:03 pm

Thanks!
tn_tiger
December 25, 2004 at 5:01 pm

Is While You Were Sleeping.

Happy belated B-day and Merry Christmas!