Tony’s Birthmas

Tony’s birthday is December 8. There are several reasons why this is a bad time to have a birthday, especially when you’re a teacher: (a) It’s too close to Christmas, so holiday celebrations often overshadow your big day, and inevitably you get those combo birthday-Christmas presents. (b) It falls right in the middle of the high school exam schedule/reporting, so you’re frantically busy marking tests and writing report card comments. (c) Your friends (also teachers) are feeling exhausted and burnt out and can only think about the upcoming vacation.

Overall, it’s hard to find the time and energy to celebrate TONY. Nevertheless, I enjoy forcing a little birthday cheer into his school-obsessed life every year. He doesn’t seem to mind the timing, so Christmas and birthday traditions have gone hand-in-hand for the last 18 years.

Historically, with a few exceptions, we put up our Christmas tree on Tony’s birthday. This year, we turned it into a little dinner party. I ordered lasagna from another teacher’s maybon, who does some catering on the side, and a chocolate cake from our friend, Moe Moe, the school nurse and resident baker extraordinaire. Nikki made a nice salad and yummy garlic bread.

You may recognize the attendees from previous blog posts: Carol (Canadian science teacher), Nikki (Canadian counselor), Whetu (Kiwi English teacher) and Regina (Swiss German teacher).

As the lasagna heated up in the oven, I shared stories about our Christmas ornaments. The ladies mostly did a good job of feigning interest as they decorated the tree.
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As for the gift giving, we nailed it. Tony received presents that reflect some of his favorite past-times: a DVD of “The Hangover,” gift certificates for a massage and for a local western restaurant, and a waffle maker with a box of waffle mix.

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