Tampons, Trees & Tears

www.martinisandminivans.com

It ended with a crying roommate, an unbaked pie, and a Christmas tree decorated with tampons.  It began very differently.

Just out of college, I lived with my two close friends, Jen and Michelle.  We were each paying $300 a month to live in a three bedroom apartment, yet we were still broke.  When the holiday season approached, we knew that we couldn’t afford a big Christmas tree, or a night out at a fancy restaurant, so we decided to start a tradition where we got a small tree, decorated it ourselves and cooked a nice dinner at home.  It sounded like a great idea until we realized that none of us were the least bit crafty, nor could cook, and making our own ornaments would have cost just as much as buying them.  With that in mind, we decided to decorate the tree with things that we had in our apartment already.  A ladle, popcorn, slotted spoon, a couple of necklaces, and of course, tampons.  I’m not sure whose idea it was, or how much alcohol was involved, but when we stepped back to look at our tree, it looked something like this, but a bit bigger:

(Photo courtesy of www.infobarrel.com)

Once we felt proud of our decorating prowess, we decided to cook our festive meal.  By cooking, I’m referring to making Pasta-A-Roni and throwing in some grilled chicken as our high class main course.  Jen decided to make a chocolate pie for dessert.  She wanted to do this completely by herself because she had never made a pie before and wanted to prove to herself she could make one damn tasty pie.  After finishing up our homemade, I mean from-a-box-pasta dish, we were giddy to eat the chocolate pie.  As it was cut, we looked a bit concerned at the consistency of the crust but were hesitant to say anything.  However, once we bit into the pie and realized something wasn’t right, it was Jen’s boyfriend who then said, “Uhm…sweetie…did you bake the pie?” 

She thought for a second and then replied, “No, it’s said no bake.”  We then went into the kitchen, retrieved the wrapper and showed her that it actually said, “Easy bake” and not “No Bake.”  We all started laughing hysterically, until we realized that Jen wasn’t laughing.  She was actually crying. 

She then stormed out of the apartment and as she slammed the door, the Christmas tree, filled with tampons and our utensil drawer items, tipped over and tampons covered our entire living room floor.  We were finally able to lure Jen back into the house, eat around the crust of the pie, and pull our tree back up into the tree stand.  However, I’m pretty sure that Santa stayed clear of our house that year.

That Christmas was fifteen years ago and we have all grown up and are supposed to be more mature and wise now.  However, I must admit that each year, when my children, husband and I finish decorating the tree, I sneak a tampon out of its wrapper and coyly hang it on the back of the tree for no one else to see.  No one else but me and maybe Santa. 

From the Judges:

Hahaha! The Christmas tampon... I love it! I loved the post, and I thought it was very fluid and thought out, but at the end, I was left wanting something. I even went back and re-read the last paragraph to see if it was there and I had missed it. I was curious about if Jen can cook now, and about if you still talk to your old college friends. There was kind of a lack of closure, because even though the post was about your tradition, you brought side stories into it that were kind of left unfinished.
-Tessa Taboo

I think it's a cute tradition and I actually like the story, it had a good start and finish to it. That being said, I don't feel like I got to know YOU at all. I got to know Jen, but who are you? I am left wanting a little bit more. There was this big story in the middle and I thought that you would tell us a little bit more. Is Jenn this world class chef? Where is Michelle? Do they still do the tradition? Maybe all it took was a couple of lines to explain all of that in the last paragraph. I still love the story and the tradition though.
-Daddy's in Charge?

Very cute story, and I really like that you picked a tradition that's all about you: not about you and your husband or you and your kids or you and your extended family; just you. Because of that, I think we got a little window into who you are and that does say a lot about you.

But, I agree with the other judges that I was left wanting a little more. Maybe more reflection on what the tradition says about you to help us get to know you or something.
-The Spaghetti Westerner

I loved this post because I feel like I didn't know exactly where it was going but, at the same time, I didn't feel lost while reading it. I must agree though that it didn't really show us much of who you are but I love the structure and the flow.
-Bay Area Mommy

This is a fun story! I agree with Tessa that it flowed nicely (no pun intended... or was it?). I also have to agree with the other judges that I didn't learn a lot about you. Also, did any version of the tradition continue with you and your friends? You squeaked the tradition in at the end there (15 years later), but it fell a bit flat for me.
-From the Bungalow

This was a really cute story. Most readers will be able to relate to poor college kids trying to make the most out of their holidays! I don't really feel like I learned much about you however. I was looking forward to learning about YOU and I didn't get that.
-You Know It Happens At Your House Too (Guest Judge)