Bollicky and Barefoot

On Christmas Eve, my brother told Mom about a group of octogenarian plus women who decided to push out a 2025 nude calendar, inspired by none other than their Rabbi. Mom asked if the women were “bollicky and barefoot.” I write as a side hustle but I don’t pride myself on my vocabulary and had never heard this word before. It means naked, by the way. Saving you the Google search.

So went a sliver of our Christmas Eve conversation, the night when I come to my annual realization that we really do way too much for this holiday and push ourselves to the brink. Each year I swear I will do a more Icelandic Jolabokaflod approach. What’s so grinchy about wanting to eat chocolate and read in bed on Christmas Eve like the good people of Iceland do? That and they have universal healthcare and 6 months of maternity and paternity leave. Iceland clearly has a thing or two figured out that we don’t.

Despite my current objection to consumerism, our Christmas day went off with the usual amount of chaos mixed with wine and too much snacking. A spinach artichoke dip has resurfaced as one of my all-time favs. We exchanged gifts, our Dad’s artwork beautifully framed by Jan was clearly the crowd favorite provoking a few tears of course. We miss his chuckle and extra large Grand Marnier pours. “Does this whipped cream have sugar in it?” Mom asked while tasting my hand whipped heavy cream to top the apple cake my brother had brought for after Christmas dinner. I had put sugar in it but apparently not enough. At this point, I wanted to put my head on the table and sleep. That whipped cream was perfect with just a whisper of sweetness. Not my fault that 90-year-old taste buds are less sensitive.

Entering 2025, rather than stomping out the harshness of the previous year, I challenge you to stare at it bollicky and barefoot, metaphorically or literally. The lucky ones among us didn’t achieve all that we wanted to in 2024, the unlucky ones feel like the year smacked us across the face. Lucky or unlucky, I hope this year presents all of us with unique resolutions to the inevitable challenges and a multitude of opportunities for growth. Most of all, I hope we see things that don’t just astonish us but fill us with enough energy to keep seeking answers and wonders throughout the new year and beyond. And if you’re in the market for a new calendar, contact the Jack Satter House Tenants Association in Revere, MA. You’re welcome.