something good
"oh, there's no place like home for the holidays"
Commenting is closed for this article.
Two suitcases, one carry-on bag, and one messenger bag later, I’m tentatively ready to fly back home to Texas for the holidays.
Atlanta was just lovely. Took the entire family out for dinner at Bacchanalia, a place that does not serve anything remotely like a traditional American restaurant. Had pheasant for my entree; a bit on the gamey side, but considering my cultural heritage, eating things unknown to the Western palate is nothing new.
Oh, and we were rather dressed to the nines. My brother and I had surreptiously peeked through our parents’ closets to find out their sizes and picked out some dashing new clothes for them to wear. And being the nice MacGillicuddy that he is, my brother added the perfect touch: a corsage of white winter roses to go on Mom‘s lapel and a boutonniere for Dad‘s. I wasn’t wearing any adornment other than a lovely caramel-colored scarf and one of my Teno diamond rings. (Surreptiously, of course, because the mere thought of my wearing jewelry drives the parental units insane.)
We then proceeded to the Woodruff Arts Center with my brother driving and the other three of us navigating. Being that I’m the one most familiar with its surrounding area, you’d think my voice would carry a bit more weight. But there’s nothing quite like being trapped in an automobile with your entire family bickering about where to park to give you heartburn.
The concert was just splendid, though. I sprang for loge seats, even though my parents were screaming about the cost of tickets. In the end, it was worth it to see the surprise and admiration in my brother’s eyes when the brass section swung into Leroy Anderson’s “Bugler’s Holiday” and Dad reaching over to hold Mom’s hand when Linda Eder started to sing “I’ll Be Seeing You.”
But now it’s time to hie ourselves over to Nashville, visit with my adorable nephew Parker, and empty out Opry Mills in grand fashion. When you hear from me next, I shall be home for the holidays.