Glutinous rice balls

Once I put in my "request" last week to Mom about putting together for me a care package of tong yuen, it was no competition which event I looked more forward to. Savoring this hot bowl of soup and chewy, glutinous rice balls or Christmas Day to finally roll around and get over itself. On the eve of the eve of Christmas, I brought Mom to dimsum at a nicer Chinese restaurant, at which time she handed over a large container of the soup and another container of the uncooked glutinous rice balls. Couldn't wait to get home to gobble it down.

I think the reason I'm not feeling Christmas so much this year is because 1) I managed to avoid the stores by keeping visits to a minimum, and also 2) inuring myself to the sounds and sights of yuletide cheer wherever I did go. When stores start hailing the commercial Christmas holiday at Thanksgiving - or before, in some instances - it's easy to become desensitized to the whole celebration. I don't expect it to be any other way. So, what I can do - and teach the kiddies to do if they're up for it - is to experience Christmas spiritually.... and once we've done that we can look forward to the end-of-year deals.

Tong yuen festival time comes around only once a year and this little pleasure warms my heart more than that other thing on most everyone's mind this time of year (see above). I'm still not talking about the NFL football play-offs, escapes to Hawaii, or reuniting with loved ones. There's great delight in tong yuen because of the rarity in which it is eaten and of who's prepared it. Mom's delicious tong yuen conjures memories of the simpler and carefree time of my youth; when my body could take in without undesirable side effects to my blood sugar level multiple servings of the stuff. That she's still on this earth and able to prepare it is that for which I am thankful, again, this season.