I’ve been doing photo Christmas cards literally since I was born. It’s a tradition that continues to this day. Luckily, Tara is a willful participant. (Or maybe she’s just humoring me. Either way, she’s in the pics, which is all that matters.)
This year we were scrambling for a photo at the last minute. Often, we’ll feature a shot from a trip we took during the year, but 2024 was the first time ever that we didn’t travel out of town together for even a single night. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I was getting desperate. And then inspiration struck. With a wink and a nod to a classic Milwaukee-based sitcom, happy days were here again.
That’s the Bronze Fonz statue on the Milwaukee Riverwalk. Armed with my Nikon, a tripod, and a Santa hat, we made the trek downtown the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It was a cold and overcast morning, but those clouds were a blessing as we would have been backlit otherwise. I’m very pleased with how this year’s card turned out. By including Laverne and Shirley, we doubled down on the Garry Marshall-themed Christmas.
We sent out about 50 of these cards…and roughly half the recipients couldn’t figure out who Arthur was! Either they never watched Happy Days or weren’t familiar with Mr. Fonzarelli’s first name. I knew this would be the case but I’ve never met an obscure pop culture reference I didn’t love, so like Steve Winwood, I rolled with it.
(See?)
Those who did get it loved it. My parents were especially complimentary, declaring it our best holiday card ever. I’m kinda partial to our first Christmas in Wisconsin, when we stood in front of the welcome sign beside a busy freeway and Tara wore a cheese head (so many passing cars honked!), but yeah. This one ranks up there.
Hopefully, next year’s card will come together a lot sooner. The holidays are stressful enough!
Even though I was skeptical about our chances this year, we ended up with a white Christmas after all. Thanks to cold temperatures and a frozen ground, we still had 1″+ on the ground from the previous week’s snowstorm. Granted, freshly falling snow would have been even better, but last Christmas was rainy and in the 50s, so no complaints here. It definitely felt more like the holidays with that blanket of white.
Christmas Eve, I did something I hadn’t done in 2.5 years: took myself out to the movies, i.e., an actual theater. The last movie I’d seen on the big screen was Elvis in June 2022. That was one whole state ago! Tara had to work a half-day on Tuesday, but she had no interest in Gladiator 2 anyway. I know reviews have been mixed, but I thought it was fantastic. Loved the way they continued the story in a manner that seemed logical to me. And sure, some of it was over the top – I seriously doubt man-eating sharks ever swam around in the Colosseum – but, to borrow a line from Maximus, was I not entertained? You betcha.
Traditionally we drive around after dark on Christmas Eve, drinking spiked cocoa and checking out holiday lights, but this year I suggested just cozying up in the living room with Christmas movies and a nip of sipping cream instead. Tara enthusiastically agreed and it turned out to be a really nice evening.
Christmas Day was no slouch either. We brewed a pot of coffee and opened our gifts right away – Tara got me a drone, guys! I’ve wanted one of these since I was two years old (weird, given they didn’t exist then). Now I can really level up my photo game! – and I got her a pair of Mid-Century Modern wall sconces she’d admired the last time we hit Atomic Antiques in Madison. Plus other cool stuff. I think we both nailed the gift-giving this year.
Tara spent a good chunk of the day cooking (prime rib, mac ‘n cheese, veggies, Yorkshire pudding, and – just for fun – a cheesecake). I felt badly, even though she insisted she enjoys preparing fancy holiday meals, so I made it up to her by washing the not-insignificant pile of dishes. We also watched the last of our holiday movies and drank Bloody Marys. It was a great day and felt a little extra special because we’d been apart all of last week.
Today I’m back at work, and it feels odd. Amazing how quickly we get used to being on vacation (and how hard it is to flip off that switch). But because all the Eves and Days fall on Tuesday and Wednesday this year – my two in-office days – and they’re state holidays, I won’t actually have to go into CheeseGov until the week of Jan. 6. That makes the transition a little easier. When I do return to the office, we’re switching to flexible work spaces that week, so I’ll no longer have a permanent cubicle. More than a fair trade-off for getting to work from home 3x/week.
How was your holiday? Did you get snow? What was your favorite gift this year? Would you have known who Arthur referred to?
Mark My Words 
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