THE PEANUT GALLERY: Comfort and Joy

A long time ago, even before My Director was around, I started a collection. This collection has turned into somewhat of a tradition. But like some traditions, it may be time to retire this one. Pretty much everywhere we go, I insist on getting a shot glass as a memento. Even though my days of chugging Rumple Minze two ounces at a time are long behind me, we have dozens of them:

How COOL is that Nashville one?

Unfortunately, or fortunately, my heavy drinking days are over. Still, even as recently as our trip to Disney earlier this year I splurged on a four-pack of shot glasses to commemorate each park, even though we only went to three of them:

Obsessed

Then it dawned on me, the one person in our house who is likely to put these shot glasses to use one day is Peanut. Sometime a decade or so in the future, perhaps, when My Director and I are out for an evening. She may conjure up some of her dad's glory days and invite the crew over for a some libations. (Disclaimer: I do not condone underage drinking in my house. Especially by my five year-old.) Amazingly, as I knocked around this blog post in my warped mind, Peanut discovered this ridiculous candy-cane shot glass someone bought for us a few Christmases ago. Why it still exists in our cabinet is beyond me:

Her form and her facial expression
are frighteningly accurate.

I may have reason to be concerned. Then again, I don't think I have to lock the liquor cabinet anytime soon. Or do I?

She's enjoying herself way too much

That's Peanut, playing flip-cup at a bar recently. I do not normally condone this sort of behavior, but when New York City-types book "Jack and Jill" baby showers at bars, there is no telling what kind of activities there will be to occupy your child. (Side note: I RULED at flip cup back in my day.)

Thankfully, Peanut seems to be really into our much tamer, more meaningful, family tradition. Every year, we buy a "special" ornament for the tree to represent that year. That way, our tree tells the story of our family. This year, along with my four-pack of shot glasses, we brought this home from Disney as well:

Cinderella's slipper: 2012

Here are some of the other highlights of our Christmas tree tradition:

2001: Santa firefighter to mark 9/11

2002: From St. Michaels, MD,
where we spent our mini-honeymoon

2002: West Mountain Inn in Vermont,
where we spent our 1st Anniversary

2005: Luna, our first child, arrives.

2007: Peanut arrives

Luckily, no ornaments were harmed when the tree came crashing down last week. You can read about it by clicking here.