It's that time of year when I realize I should have completed my gift making months ago, should have written down all the shit I need to do, and should not keep track of how many days till 24 hours of A Christmas Story because I want to watch now!
But at this point, life makes it a cyclical habit that's hard to break.
It's also the time of year where me and my most special girlfriends from high school get together for a holiday gift exchange and night of debauchery, as if we never missed a day of each others' faces. This fierce group of 6 has managed to exercise our holiday right almost every year since 1999. But don't totally picture one-night stands, don't totally think limitless booze, and don't totally speculate a lot of opinions. Not quite but sort of.
We've been comrades and foes, criers and huggers, drink buyers when relationships soared and failed, and even a few that swapped. Seen girls kiss boys and girls kiss girls, girl steals boy and boy splits town. Through parents reading journals and being chased by cops, threatening to run away to Seattle and scrounging for Whopper money. College and trips abroad, marriage and divorce, careers and start-overs, a couple of kids but most of us with pups, money and not so much money. Naked runs on a private beach and piercings that have long been removed. Brilliant tattoo choices and some not so much. Denial of drug use and abandoned houses, generator parties and part time jobs. Outdoor sleepovers where we spent all night figuring it out... together. Always, together. And laughs, laughs and more laughs I wish I heard more often.
Seriously, this is a set friendships spanning 15-20+ years, where without
saying, we are still there for the best and worst of each others'
lives. Long conversations using our parents phone have transitioned to facebook chats and rambling text messages, but we still love each other. We appreciate each
other more than the day we graduated and that's fucking tops. This will never change because growing up in a desert town forces that
existence upon you, whether you ask for it or not. There is a bond
between people that is rarely dissolved, albeit windy at
times. I would never exchange these ladies for anything in the world.
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The gathering of the ladies changes location year to year. Often it's what works best timing wise, other years someone has moved into a new place. 2012 hosting was bequeathed upon us because it was the first Christmas in our new home. Sweet & junk, but yes of course!
After the formalities of re-stoking the catch up fires, we pour drinks and eat snacks and talk stories of what's been happening. Then the opening and stealing of the gifts begins. This is where gentle claws come out to play for a spell. It can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes of us cackling between the choosing, drink & smoke breaks. But anyone who's been to a gift exchange between a great group of friends, knows what an awesome time you have.
A few hours into hanging out this particular year, the idea of getting into a little trouble was appealing. Not raise hell trouble but our classed up version of it. Us doing something that usually results in a "I can't believe/remember that happened..." as we recount & relaugh at our forever memories.
Not sure why the idea struck me, but I suggested we visit Bob Hope's house because they put up this ancient nativity scene every year. Maybe it was to share the Christmassey mood or simply a mini-activity before doing something else. Either way, I enjoy it for non-religious reasons and thought they would too. It has white & blue lights that project strange shadows and oversees the neighborhood like a tall, plasticine governor should. We designated a driver, piled in shoulder to shoulder, and headed off for how ever long it took.
We circled before parking in their little mini-driveway that is on the edge of the property (look here - we parked about 10 feet in front of the red bows.) Silly me for thinking we would just stare & make jokes. Silly me for thinking it's fine to pull up in front of a very high profile house around midnight as if it was our own crib. Silly me.
Nope, they wanted more action. Never in a destructive way though - never. Just in a we're having fun way and someone has an idea that leads to another idea, and eventually we're like I can't believe we did that. and so on. To also note, at the time I don't think anyone actually lived there, but it's Bob Hope's fucking house so tom foolery eventually gets noticed.
Two of these lovely ladies decided they needed a close up view of the manger and started climbing the fence. If you look at the daytime photo, it doesn't seem that tall. But turns out does require a strong finger foot hold and a heave ho. They struggle for a few minutes but eventually make it and we're all laughing. However, internally I'm like fuck-fuck-fuck this place is being watched. It's a nice neighborhood where I'm sure they don't take kindly to even cute girls laughing and walking the fence this late. So they're up there holding baby jesus and riding the donkey and yelling back to us at what they see over the walls. They are taking photos and then disappear for a hot minute while my other friends light a smoke.
I finally can't shut my inner mum up, so I urge them we should leave before something bad happens. Surprisingly I think we all felt it and everyone mostly obliged. :) I let out a deep breath of releif, sat in the car while they scurried down, thinking in a minute we'll be driving off to the next adventure. Sigh, ok good we're all in the car.
That's when a neighborhood security patrol car pulled up. fuck.
By no means were we drunk, but drinks were had. There's neighborhood patrol because it's a ritzy hood. But I thought it's fine - they can really do anything cuz they're rent a cops.
Two younger gentlemen rolled down their windows and we mimicked, before asking what we were up to. I was somewhat familiar with the local backstory and was with it enough to answer straight. I said my friends were visiting from out of town and I wanted to show them the beautiful manger, because it had always meant so much to me at Christmas. How happy I was someone still put it up, without the Hope's living there. Play it up Brandi, but not too much I thought.
Well my charming personality and general cuteness of our car must have won them over, because they smiled, suggested it was time to leave and to have a nice night. Then they drove away and that's when I saw who had employed those nice young men.
COPS. Yes, COPS. FUCKING REAL DEAL, ARREST OUR ASSES COPS DROVE AWAY with the same politeness as they pulled up with. And not just fancy neighborhood cops, like the city cops that ALWAYS WRITE TICKETS AND LOOK FOR SHIT TO BE WRONG. But by the grace of Hope's Nose, they let us go without so much as 30 seconds worth of discussion.
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We had a bonding moment that lasted through our hangover breakfast the next morning and then we parted ways. Hugging and savoring the last 24 hours that will tide us over till next year.
I love you bitches.
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