Just Another Holiday Special

If everything I have learned in my life about American culture came from American TV shows – I am in a big trouble.

I realized that after our friends invited us to Thanksgiving dinner. If American comedies taught me anything, we are expected to have a traditional dinner with turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. So far – it sounds about right, but when our friends invited us, the only thing I could think about was the deep emotional mess I expected to feel on the morning of the holiday, when right after the meal is over and the camera will zoom out, I will reach the inevitable conclusion: I have so many things to give thanks to in my life. And now, if you will:  the end credits.

When I thought about everything that could happen during Thanksgiving dinner, I got excited. I didn’t have much time to surrender to this excitement, and Roni came home.

Apparently, Santa and his wife flew all the way from the North Pole to Lansing to visit us. Of course we planned to go. In my mind I started to imagine how I sit the kids on Santa’s lap and take a picture. Obviously we will find ourselves in the center of a comic scene while Yotam and Yarden pull Santa’s beard and cause many more funny bits which can only be found in a TV Christmas special.

When Roni asked me if I was aware of the existence of Mrs. Clause, I said “sure!” and told him all about their fascinating story (which was based on one of Modern Family’s Christmas episodes that I once watched).

***

Holiday season is upon us. All together with weather that only imply but doesn’t tell when it will snow.

I can see it not only in TV commercials, but in the way people here are slowing down, and yes, mostly by the countdown for our visit in Israel.

We will celebrate this Christmas, like every year, in Israel. Like every year we will not have a Christmas tree and Santa won’t come to visit us (since he will spend the holiday in Lansing, as you know), but we will be surrounded by friends and family. We will have the chance to be tourists in our own country. No American TV show could come up with such a twist in the plot.

I don’t know if I would get into deep emotional mess- and get out of it stronger than ever (right before the end credits) or if during our Christmas episode Roni would be the center of an amusing scene. I do know, that if American TV taught me anything- sometimes you just want to see another re-run of an all Israeli comedy show or something else that reminds you of home.