So we did it. Barry Manilow in Vegas – and yes, Karena cried through the whole show (with a small reprieve during “American Bandstand” and “Copa”).

I wasn’t sure we were going to make the show because our dinner ran a little long at Le Cirque, which was great, but not THAT great – not a Michelin great – but we might be spoiled by the best restaurant in the whole world right here in Portland… Sel Gris….yum – anyway, I wasn’t sure we were going to make it since the crowds were mob-style in Vegas. We caught a cab (the driver asking us if we were “family” then showing us a picture of her girlfriend – B-utch-est woman I’ve seen in many years – saying that she is “her first girlfriend” er, really?) and squeaked in.

The crowd was mixed – some hands-above-the-head-when-dancing-late-40s-moms + a really overweight , older woman who yelled at the guy in front of her when he stood up + lots of getting-lucky-husbands. Shocked there weren’t more gays, but they probably saw him earlier in the run.

He sung all the hits – even doing a duet with himself on a huge video monitor performing “Mandy” (my favorite) in 1975. Amazing. A-maz-ING!

To sum up, this is how Karena and I celebrated our engagement – twenty-three years after we first met: Broke even at the roulette table, enjoyed The Bellagio bathtub’s jet stream heaven, drank champagne, and watched Barry attempt a little jig, despite the bad hip.

As you might remember, Oliver asked his other mom to tell him the truth about Santa… and she did (but yes yes, in a very caring way). Two weeks ago in the car he told me that he wished he didn’t know that Santa was really just his two moms (and Karena!) getting filled with the Santa Spirit – so I said, “Well, I know I didn’t put that green rock candy in your stocking last year – and I know Karena didn’t-”

“So you think Mom did?”

“She didn’t say she did – we can ask-”

“She was so excited about the candy that I bet she didn’t put it in either!”

So we called Oliver’s other mom and asked and she said that why no, she didn’t remember putting the rock candy in there either – who do you suppose could have snuck in and done that?

Then from the back seat, very excited, Oliver said “Santa!” then he talked non-stop for 15 minutes, creating this Santa Story:

Santa is a spirit that was made from the molten rock when the Earth was forming. He likes the cold because that cooled him down and brought him into human form. Oh, with the reindeer and the sleigh are spirits also. They all come to life once a year – and oh, and his suit, that comes to life also. In case you didn’t know, Sanata knitted the suit himself – it took two years.

The elves are created/come together out of fairy spirits. They meet with Santa one month before Xmas to make gifts at the North Pole, based on the requests the children have spoken. But Santa doesn’t deliver big gifts, only the littler ones in the stockings (the best gifts, “like big pieces of unusual candy and bath fizzies”). That is how he can carry them all – that and he is a spirit. . .

In short, SANTA IS BACK!! My favorite Xmas gift!

Hope your Holidays were as exciting!