Christmas Martini

The Tale of the Christmas Martini

As always insight comes to me late in the evening, and it is quite fitting that it is the early hours of December 1^st. Aaaagh yes the first day of the month, the month of frantic craziness that we put ourselves through every year. The month of over indulgence, to much food, to much drink and way too much spending of money. The month of desperately wishing that we had the perfect partner, perfect family and defiantly perfect family relations. A month of debauchery with shaken and stirred emotions.

As I sit at my favorite Martini bar and wait for my girlfriend, I look outside at the twinkling lights and the light snowflakes falling, the first snow of the year and I think of all the things I have to do in the next couple weeks for Christmas. I then hang my head with the feeling of being overwhelmed and the holiday hasn’t even started. When I look up I see this very interesting martini sitting in front of me. I ask my bartender what this concoction is and he replied. Well it is my Christmas Martini!! Who knew!! Hell a holiday with a Martini I’m in. All of a sudden the “to do” list wasn’t nearly as overwhelming.

As I took my first sip, I was pleasantly surprised, a unique blend of Vodka and Peppermint Schnapps. I have never been a huge fan of schnapps but with the blend of vodka and having been strained into the ice cold Martini glass it was a refreshing blend. As I licked the crushed candy canes off the rim of the glass I started to reflect on my past year.

Some people reflect at their birthday, some at new years, me it is always before Christmas. The quickly summarized as I finished my first Martini was that this was a hell of a year, whew how did I survive the trauma, turmoil and tears. Not just with me but with everyone I knew. I quickly came to the conclusion that I never would have survived this year had it not been for my girlfriends. Women have a unique bond as girlfriends that men will never understand but should learn to respect.

“Women with close girlfriends will save a man’s marriage many many times without him ever knowing!! “

Women’s girlfriends know how to get her to talk, they know how to listen, they know when you just need to vent and they above all know how to offer advice and how to help clarify the problem.

With the next few sips of my Martini I think that the sweetness of the schnapps is like the laughter and giggles you have with the girls, how you can always go for desert and it is always great. The tartness of the mint is like how much fun it is to go and be a tart, flirt and have the cute boys flirt with you, no matter if your single, taken or married. A night of harmless flirtation and dancing always leave you feeling better the next day.

After two Christmas Martini’s the vodka kicks in and I think how the schnapps is like the kick in the head when you are soooo low, that you can not even leave your couch and your girlfriends are there to pick you up, hand you tissue, listen to your confusion and pain and are the first ones to give you that hug, the hug of love, when they tell you that you are amazing and that you will get through it and that they love you and that they think you are beautiful and strong. It is just then that you listen and start to believe them. The strength and support of the soul sister.

Your girlfriends they are always there for you across the miles, and through the years. Maybe Christmas is just the time to sit back and think about how lucky we are as women, (beautiful and complicated women) how lucky we are to be a women,(very unique in every way women) how lucky we are to have friends that are women (god help us with out our friends).

The Christmas martini is a drink that lifts your spirits and makes that endless to do list seem so much bearable. With the sweetness of the candy can rim it makes you reflect on all the sweet things in your life, like you very special girlfriends? The Vodka gives you that kick in the head that sometimes you need at the end of a year, to remind you of the important things in life! Maybe Christmas is a time to sit and think, and yes it is a time to defiantly drink. So drink your Christmas Martini and think about all the things that kicked you in the head and then smile at all the things that are so very very sweet. Smile and lift your martini and cheers to the sweetness in your life, particularly your good oh so good girlfriends.

Intuitive thoughts by Marjie Martini