Here we are, in the homestretch to the Festive Finish Line, and I have not one, but TWO Christmas miracles to tell you about. Cue the hype-up music – are you ready for this?
Christmas Miracle Number One: Costco
Last week I was due for a Costco trip, and during this Pandemic At The Disco, I have gotten into the habit of combining that with my weekly Superstore trip, so that I hit Superstore at or around opening at eight, and then Costco at or around opening at nine. To say I was not looking forward to this would be an understatement: it’s always a physically exhausting activity, but it was also minus 20 and there was snow on the ground, which makes parking lot cart maneuvering extremely difficult.
I dropped the kids at school and zipped over to Superstore; there were numerous weirdly empty shelves, and those empty shelves seemed extremely random and unrelated to each other or any Weird World Events. With Superstore, it’s a tossup whether or not there is a Pandemic Shortage or just Superstore Weirdness. For example, there were some imported rice and noodles, but no eggs. There were tons of fresh greens, but only two kinds of apples. Other than that, the trip was without incident, unless you count the side-eyes I got from humming and grooving to the store’s Christmas music. What? The best way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing loud for all to hear, not that I was actually singing – no one needs to hear that – but still, I was doing my part for society. If you don’t want me to cart-dance to Last Christmas, then don’t PLAY Last Christmas, Superstore.
One of the side-eyes I got was from the cashier, and I smiled and told her that I love that song. She replied, somewhat grumpily, that she had been listening to it since November 15. So have I, but by choice I didn’t say, because there really is a difference between listening to songs on repeat by one’s own volition or not, as evidenced by the many, many times I heard Werewolves of London back in my university waitressing days. I get it, is what I’m saying.
As a side note, Last Christmas will always have my heart (I gave you my heart), but this year I’ve also been auditorily addicted to N’Sync’s Merry Christmas Happy Holidays, Chris Rea’s Driving Home for Christmas, and Kelly Clarkson’s Underneath The Tree. It’s an interesting mashup, what goes on in my head.
In any case, I got what I needed at Superstore, loaded up the car, and headed over to Costco.
Costco, ten days before Christmas. I blasted the 70s on 7 channel, singing loudly, like a football player listening to In The Air Tonight before a big game. I was literally hyping myself up, thinking I’ve shopped here in spring 2020, I’ve made it through the Great Toilet Paper and Flour Shortage of 2020, DO YOUR WORST, COSTCO, COME AT ME, BITCH.
Costco:
I will tell you this: I haven’t seen Costco like that since 2019. It was so quiet, the shelves were full of everything that I needed (and more, it is Costco after all). I was in and out in half an hour, and, I don’t know if it was just because it was so early in the day, but there were no stray carts in the parking lot. IT WAS A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE.
Christmas Miracle Number Two: The Dryer
I got home from my epic grocery trip, still in disbelief over the ease at which I procured said groceries, and started unloading and unpacking the car. While doing so, I thought I would pop the clothes from the washer into the dryer; I took the time to hang the delicates to dry – mostly a few sweaters and some yoga clothes and sports bras – and then pressed the start button.
Nothing happened.
I stood there motionless for a moment, and then started pressing the button with increasing force and rapidity, like I was in a hurry waiting for an elevator; I knew that it was useless to do so and yet I was powerless to stop myself. Needless to say, nothing continued to happen.
My immediate thought was this is karma. I was JUST complaining about how much time I spend doing laundry, this is the universe’s way of reminding me of the incredibly blessed life I lead. NEVER COMPLAIN. My second thought was thank god it was the dryer. I mean, of all appliances to go, the dryer is the easiest one to live without. Clothes can be hung to dry. I have many friends in the neighbourhood who would certainly let me use their dryer if needed. Laundromats exist. Also, the day before I had laundered all the flannel sheets, so it was very lucky that it didn’t break down at that time; that would have been tricky to deal with. As it was, I used everything I could think of in the basement to hang the wet clothes on: I filled our drying rack, then moved on to my son’s music stand, the barbell weight stand, and the small step ladder. I would have gone to Walmart and cleaned out their supply of drying racks, but my husband stopped me. He thought he could solve the problem.
Here’s the thing about the Pandemic and The Way The Pandemic Has Affected My Brain: I just assumed that I would be living without a dryer indefinitely. Well, I guess I don’t have a dryer now, better go buy some drying racks. Can you blame me? There’s so much buzz about the supply chain, I just assumed there was no supply. My husband phoned and left a message with a local repairman; I put on my snow pants and went for a walk, secretly vowing to go buy many drying racks on my return. While I was out, my husband texted me to say that the repairman was on his way.
What?
I had no idea that a repairman coming that same day was even an option, but John the Repairman was there when I got back. After calling around, he said there were parts locally available and he would return on Friday to fix the problem. “The only problem is I can’t test the motor,” he said, “But that’s a rare problem. If the motor’s gone, it’s a thousand-dollar fix.”
Cue ominous music.
Friday morning John the Repairman came back, and within fifteen minutes came to report that the worst indeed came to the worst: the motor was dead. We decided not to fix our ten-year-old dryer, I gave John the Repairman a bag of Christmas treats, and he left. I started another small load of laundry, hanging the clothes to dry, while my husband looked at the Lowes’ website.
THERE WERE MANY DRYERS IN STOCK AND AVAILABLE.
Still, I didn’t quite believe it. The next day my husband and son went out and returned with a brand-new dryer in the truck. They recruited my older son in helping to maneuver it down our narrow basement stairs, unhooked the old dryer, loaded it on the truck, and within the hour I had a working dryer. Am I living in an actual Christmas movie? IT IS A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE.
It is also a reminder of how lucky I am. I feel like I should never complain about anything ever again. Especially about anything food related: I don’t want karma to come back and take my fridge or freezer or stove. I briefly had a I’m so tired of making dinner feeling and then snapped out of it. DON’T THINK SUCH THOUGHTS, NICOLE, THE UNIVERSE IS LISTENING.
For the last several years, we use this cute wooden Advent calendar as a Gratitude Calendar: every day we each write one good thing about our day on a slip of paper, and then on New Year’s Eve, we read all of them. I feel like all of my remaining days I should write I have working appliances, thank you, Universe, I have working appliances.
Pandemic Reading
This week I finished the Giller Prize shortlist, and just in time for all my library holds to un-pause and start streaming in.
On the right is the completed pile of Giller Prize shortlisted books, loaned to me by my friend Marion (HI MARION), the left is the pile of library books, and in the middle is the book that I have been reading by bits and pieces for months.
On to this week’s reading!
The Listeners. Based on the description, I would have NEVER picked up this book, but I’m glad I did as I think it’s important to expand my mind and read different things once in a while. That said, I did not love this book, but I did appreciate it for the excellent writing and interesting storyline. A woman hears a strange humming noise; it keeps her up at night, causes migraines and nosebleeds, and no one else can hear it – until one of her students mentions it. She finds a group, all of whom can hear the noise, and things start to fall apart. This is a book that draws parallels to conspiracy theories and cults, and is really incredibly interesting. There are a few parts that jump from one place to another, which makes it a bit tricky to follow, but on the whole this is really well written.
What Strange Paradise. This was the winner of the Giller Prize, and I can see why: it’s exquisitely written and quite timely in terms of subject matter. A migrant boat full of refugees is washed up on the shore of a Greek island, and there is only one survivor: a young Syrian boy. This is very moving, and obviously, given the subject matter, tragically sad.
The Holiday Swap. This is a Hallmark holiday movie in book form, and I am 100% here for it. It has everything: identical twins – one a glamourous TV host, one a homebody running the family bakery – who switch places for a week, an idyllic, snowy, mountain-town setting, romantic interests in the local firefighter and a physician’s assistant, delicious baked goods, a rescue dog, and a cat named Gateau. There are some twists and turns but, naturally, everything works out in the end. This was just a lovely, light, fun read, especially after my string of Very Heavy Books.
I wish you all a very happy holiday season! I hope you can find light, love, and laughter. And maybe some puzzles, games, and delicious treats as well. xo
In and out of Costco in 30 minutes…my jaw is still hitting the floor.
And so glad about the new dryer; I remember hearing an ominous “clunk” out of our washing machine mid-cycle a few years ago. It really did feel like the end of the world. We ended up being able to repair it quickly, but I had the same runaway thoughts – I was practically hunting down washboards and bars of lye soap on eBay by the end of the evening.
Oh goodness, I’d rather have the dryer go than the washer! Yikes!
Indeed, it was all just awesome. And I find your approach to life makes the world seem like a better place. So, thank you.
Thank you! xo
I am stealing your gratitude advent calendar idea… thanks for your blog – your light has made this year a lot brighter! Merry Christmas Nicole xo
Merry Christmas Julie! xo
Congrats on your miracles.
Not having a dryer would be hard in your climate. We have a clothesline and I use it year round, not for every load, because bath towels get stiff and scratchy on the line, and it only works in the winter if it’s sunny all or most of the day, but I manage maybe a third of the time in winter and two-thirds of the time in summer.
I was okay with everything but the bath towels – so crunchy! I am not sure what I would have done with the sheets, how I would have dealt with that. Oh well, new dryer!
Your banter with the superstore associate about Last Christmas made my morning. Also, Last Christmas is my favorite Christmas song. When it isn’t Driving Home for Christmas. Or Underneath the Tree. 🙂
A girl after my own heart!!
Your hair is so long. You look great. Love the outfit.
We just got our tree up last night and decorated it, which felt like a Christmas miracle. We used the tree decorating as part of Curly’s birthday celebration.
I’m on the phone on hold right now with the dishwasher people. It’s a Bosch from 20217. This started in October. This is my 3rd time trying to get someone to figure out what is going on with it. It works sometimes. It is not lost of me that I am very lucky to have a 2nd dishwasher. The basement fridge is sort of cold, so we can keep fruit and veggies in there – NOT milk. The freezer works. Coach is so annoyed that the not-very-old fridge has broken that he can’t bring himself to discuss replacing it.*sigh* At least college guys are home, so they can run and get milk as needed.
Glad you got your dryer fixed. Our dryer died just before Christmas last year – remember, Coach had to make the doorway bigger to the laundry room? Never dull. 😉
Having a fridge go is really my fear. Or a freezer! I’m so glad it still works. I remember the saga of your dryer from last year – yikes! I’m happy ours made it down the stairs, no doorways harmed!
How does one do Costco in such a short amount of time? I am in awe. Also amazed you found a dryer. You live a charmed life. I won’t complain about ordering a cooktop and oven earlier this month that’ll be here in May, maybe. Nope won’t complain at all…
Yeeesh, that’s what I thought would have happened with my dryer. Also, I do not know how I got in and out so quickly. I checked my watch TWICE to confirm.
Phew! I love your Christmas miracles. I do have to argue with you on one point though- if the universe is going to take one of my appliances, it should be the dishwasher. Not that I don’t love my dishwasher! But I think I could do without it easier than the dryer.
So back to “Last Christmas” which now is haunting me everywhere. I was watching Christmas Cookie Challenge and one of the contestants made a cookie depicting that song. Seriously??? It was a gift with 80s decorations on it, with a tag that said “to you” but “you” was crossed out and replaced with “someone special.”). I thought of you.
This is a good point, I think it would be a tossup for me!
THAT COOKIE THOUGH. That’s amazing.
What wonderful Christmas miracles! I am so pleased that you have A NEW DRYER. Who knew that was possible? Like you, I would just assume that I would never again have one!
Happy Christmas and New Year to you and your family!
I had no idea it was possible, I immediately resigned myself to crunchy hang-dried towels!
Going to a store first thing in the morning is definitely the key, but the dryer? That cannot be explained. Your dryer broke, a repairman came the same day (FYI he wasn’t real, it was actually a Christmas mirage), and then you got a new dryer THE NEXT DAY? If you have to go to the post office or do anything car-related soon I suggest you do that now to keep riding this miracle train.
Oh, smart idea. I need to keep this going! Maybe John the Repairman was an actual angel, that would kind of go with the movie theme.
“I’ve shopped here in spring 2020, I’ve made it through the Great Toilet Paper and Flour Shortage of 2020, DO YOUR WORST, COSTCO, COME AT ME, BITCH.” This literally made me laugh out loud!
I’m so happy you are on the receiving end of not one, but TWO, Christmas miracles!
Merry Christmas, Nicole! xo
This morning I’m gearing up for one last grocery run – to Superstore – before Christmas, and I am going to listen to my hype-up music again (70s on 7)
With your Christmas you definitely deserve multiple Christmas miracles! I love how you spiral and it’s seems like your husband calmly says “I think I can fix this problem”, and then does. You’re meant for each other!
Thanks Pat, I think so too!
I do not have a Costco membership (there are only two of us in our house, the nearest one is more than an hour away), but our dog is a medication that is very expensive and the combination of Good Prescription coupon + Costco’s low prices for prescriptions, has led me to having to travel more than an hour every month to pick up pills for my dog. I’m considering a membership, but WHY IS EVERY COSTCO PARKING LOT INSANE? We’ve gone twice and once someone slammed a cart into our car and once someone opened up their door straight into our car. WHY?! (Also, I do not go to Trader Joe’s because 1) their labelling practices leave something to be desired and 2) their PARKING LOTS ARE TOO SMALL.) I have a lot of parking lot rage.
Merry Christmas!
Oh god, do NOT get me started on the Costco parking lot. I mean, at least the parking spots are roomy. But it’s always chaos, always, and people leave their carts willy-nilly when the CART CARREL IS RIGHT THERE, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE. *breathes into a paper bag*
“If you don’t want me to cart-dance to Last Christmas, then don’t PLAY Last Christmas, Superstore.” Well played, Nicole 🙂
Your writing is funny. I’ve been chuckling my way through this post and yes, it also reminded me to be grateful. We just got a brand new water heater (landlords payed for it, even better!) and even though the old one had no issues (yet), it feels like a nice Christmas miracle not to have to worry about it 🙂
I’d rather have a non-functioning dryer (ours is old, too) than a non-functioning water heater, is what I am saying.
Oh, absolutely! No hot water feels disastrous (sending out “I love you, water heater” vibes to the universe).
I have found that the trick for me and our Costco is to go later in the day; after 4pm. It’s hardly busy at all. Of course, there are a lot of old people in our town so maybe they’re all at dinner by 4?
Yay for Christmas Miracles! Awesome news about your dryer.
I love your gratitude advent calendar; that is a sweet idea.
Our Ice Machine is going downhill and I can’t get a repair man until next year. Of course, it’s only ice, but we use ice all the time since it’s always warm here.
Later in the day! I’ve never thought of doing that. I always feel like I’m racing to start early. Mind you, once I went on a Sunday afternoon AND I NEVER WILL AGAIN.
Eeek, hope your ice machine holds on, or at least hope you have lots of room for those little ice trays!
Either ONE of those things would be a jaw-dropping show-stopper, but BOTH? You must have attracted the good luck with your Christmas spirit.
Dang, lady! The Christmas gods were smiling down on you this week. An easy trip to Costco during Christmas week AND a brand-new dryer?! Simply amazing! Last year, during the height of the pandemic, my washer broke and I just didn’t feel safe having maintenance men inside my tiny apartment so I lived without one for MANY months (I just took my laundry to my mom’s; not ideal, but doable since it’s just me!) – and then they had to give me a BRAND-NEW WASHER/DRYER when I finally was comfortable having it fixed. I actually considered not moving apartments because the new washer/dryer was so nice and fancy, haha.