December 1 - Weekly Forecast

The best minor holidays are those that celebrate something we might otherwise dismiss. Many months do a good job attending to those small-but-important festivals, but not so with December. December loves the prima donnas. Now, I don't want your hate mail, so I will list your favorite starlets, and then my honorable-mention list, and finally I'll call out the highlights.

You needn't worry for:
Pie, cabernet, dice, cookies, microwave ovens, pawnbrokers, cotton candy, brownies, pastries, lager, noodle rings, poinsettias, gingerbread houses, cocoa, cupcakes, maple syrup, the Wright brothers, oatmeal muffins, hard candy, flashlights, fried shrimp, sangria, humbugs, eggnog, pumpkin pie, candy canes, whiners, playing cards, chocolate candy, the Pledge of Allegiance, bacon, or champagne.

Do spare a thought for:
Red apples, potato fritters, mutts, bifocals, holiday cards, wildlife conservation, Sacher torte, faux fur, special education, gazpacho, the Dewey decimal system, salespeople, horses, violins, bouillabaisse, monkeys, cat herders, the Bill of Rights, underdogs, Yule, Phileas Fogg, pfeffernusse, thank-you notes, and bicarbonate of soda.

The Highlights:

National Bartender Day - Dec. 5
Bartenders have been mediators, therapists, bet-settlers, and friends-to-the-lonely since forever, to say nothing of their ability to invent a drink off the top of their head, and knock your socks off. Good bartenders are gems, and they're a disappearing breed.

Bathtub Party Day - Dec. 5
Is this a private party? A public event? No context is provided, so answer those questions as you will.

National Miners Day - Dec. 6
As a society, we love to forget that things are made of stuff, and that somebody is out there somewhere, digging up the stuff. The stuff, the somewhere, and the somebody are all worth a moment of your thoughts.

Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day - Dec. 8
Fun for everyone, and a big relief for those of us who have to hide it on a daily basis.

National Pepper Pot Day - Dec 29
Possibly America's first street food, pepper pot soup was sold in Philadelphia's markets by free Black women, as early as the mid-1700's. In one dish you have the flavors of West Africa, the Caribbean, and the American Colonies, telling the history of the slave trade, the Revolution, and America's first great city. I may not actually make the soup, since I don't know where to source good tripe, but this strikes me as the kind of meal that ought to be preserved in our memories.

Two More Self-Serving Dates
As some of you know, I take time away from tycoonery to sit in a circle with a group of good friends, drinking tea and wine, having a silly time, and rehearsing eight-part choral music like the nerds we are. We call our little group Nocturne, and we give two free concerts a year, which, I am generally informed, are worth the money. If you're in or near the Portland area, we'd love to see you at our holiday concert, Gaudete, with seasonal pieces from the Renaissance, the classical era, and some of that complex modern stuff the kids go crazy for, plus one piece by a guy called Yours Truly.

Join us:
6 pm, Wednesday, December 3rd
at the Grotto Festival of Lights
8840 Skidmore St, Portland, OR
Admission prices vary

or for our full concert,
7 pm, Wednesday, December 10th,
at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church,
7600 N Hereford St, Portland, OR
Free Admission.