Carmel Magazine

I f you relate more to Scrooge than Santa—if you look at the holidays as pain instead of gain—you are, in many instances, perfectly normal. Admittedly, this attitude is hard to keep in my household because I live with the "Christmas Whisperer." It begins every year on December 26th. "Only 364 more days until next Christmas," she announces cheerily. Chances are I am nursing a hangover caused by adren- aline let-down after running crazy for the previous four weeks. Oh—from that and too much bubbly. I try not to roll my eyes. Come spring, the countdown accelerates. Forget that her birth- day (this year, turning the big 18) is just days prior to Christmas. She hardly notices that event. She keeps her eye on the prize, and the lights, and the gift bag, and the turkey, of the coming year. Holiday dinner is planned, in her mind, by summer. "No oys- ter stuffing this year," she will announce. Perhaps the perennial summer fog makes it easier for her to imagine being indoors, carols playing, fake snow adorning the windows? August 15th: "Mom, why can't it be Christmas?" September 5th: "Mom, I can't wait for Christmas." October 7th: "Mom, I wish it was Christmas." It wasn't always like this for my daughter. See, when I was a kid, my parents scraped for money year-round, but somehow they pulled a rabbit outta their hats for Christmas. Dozens of gifts surrounded our tree for just my little brother and me. I promised to carry on the tradition by not spoiling my children through the year but letting it rip during those few magical days in December. I couldn't wait until Morgan was about 4 years old and could really understand what was going on around her. Decorations, including a life-sized sleigh and deer, (compliments of Warner Bros.) adorned our little wonderland. So, I stood in disappointed disbelief when, mid-gift opening, she excused her- self and went to bed because she was tired. She bailed the next year, and the next. I thought myself a failure; one who'd save a hell of a lot of money, but a failure nevertheless. Imagine my thrill when her holiday spirit finally kicked in. My Christmas Whisperer's spirit has not been dampened by recent, bah-humbug-like shifts in our lives. For close to two decades, we've enjoyed a sprawling, Spanish-style home that allows as many revelers to revel as we want. Every nook and cranny is filled with memories. It pains me to think about moving our traditions to another home. Renovations are underway at our new abode, and we will, no doubt, be packing and relocating during the holidays. It's an exciting challenge in many ways. We get to pick plaster colors and run our fingers through carpet samples. But the Christmas Whisperer's input borders on disinterest regarding choices she will likely live with for the rest of her life. I excitedly inquire, "What color paint do you want in your bath- room? What style furniture do you dream of for your bedroom?" "Whatever you think looks good," is her usual reply. But, the other day, alas, an opinion arose from the quiet one. After leaving a meeting at our new place, she bolted back into the house to find the contractor and me. She made an urgent announcement. "Make sure you do something with that fireplace upstairs! It needs to be able to have Christmas stuff hanging around it." I swear she is the only teen girl south of the North Pole who cares more about tinsel than Twitter. In a serious moment, I ask her to pinpoint her love of the holidays. Bless her heart; she tells me the gift part is her least favorite. She dislikes what she feels is some superficiality of the buying and giving. She says she even finds it cringe worthy at times. The sweet spot? Being in downtown Carmel in its fully decorated splendor. She describes how our small town gets everyone involved with music and shopping and creates such a great sense of community. She tells me that wearing boots with knee socks and getting ready is so much fun. "Your skin is dewy and pale, and you don't have to worry about a tan. It's all so nice." I used to complain and moan about how hard the holidays usually are on us adults, especially the moms. But my girl puts a new perspective on it for me. The outright love and apprecia- tion she feels has me looking forward to lugging a tree and hanging lights. Well, maybe not hanging lights. But, for sure deck- ing my new halls and donning my gay apparel. Cheers! Dina Eastwood is a former news anchor at KSBW TV, past host of "Candid Camera" and has starred on a reality show on the E! Network. She is a writer, editor and yogini. She resides on the Monterey Peninsula with her daughter, Morgan. BEHIND THE SPOTLIGHT D I N A E A S T W O O D I swear she is the only teen girl south of the North Pole who cares more about tinsel than Twitter. Holiday Cheer 38 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 4

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