Day 265

When I was a child, I always looked forward to December 6 — the Feast of St. Nick. According to my cousin, celebrating St. Nick is a tradition that my great-great-grandmother brought to America from Kohlberg, Germany in 1894. Like Santa, St. Nick brings gifts, chocolate, and fruit to children who hang a stocking by the fireplace. As a kid, it felt like a warm up to Christmas. It was exciting to wake up and open presents before heading off to school. I grew up in a German neighborhood, so many of my classmates also got gifts from St. Nick. It was one of the few days out of the year that I actually talked with the other kids. We eagerly swapped stories about what we got that morning.

I enjoyed St. Nick so much, that I have continued the tradition with my son. Now, every year he looks forward to getting a visit from St. Nick. This morning — a Sunday — he was up before seven, eager to see what he got. For the last several years, we Facetimed my parents so they could see him open his presents. This year, we called Mom, but we also had to call my spouse since we were unable to be together. My son got a Cobra Kai tee-shirt. It’s one of his favorite television shows and once he can resume taking live taekwondo classes, he’s allowed to wear a martial arts tee-shirt on Saturdays instead of his uniform. He also got a Metallica CD. For Christmas wrote out a list of CDs he wants — nothing current. His list includes Perry Cuomo, Pink Floyd, ACDC, Van Halen, Guns and Roses, and Metallica. I went with Metallica for St. Nick because they’re one of my favorites. I’m sure Santa will bring him others on the list.

After breakfast, my son had a virtual meeting with his Cub Scout Den and Mayor Moench — the mayor of Bridgewater. Meeting with an elected official is one of his requirements for his Arrow of Light. He didn’t have his uniform — I didn’t think to pack it when we went into exile. But he didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he wore a button down shirt and a sports jacket. He told me, “I’m meeting with a politician. I need to look good.” Before the meeting, I told him he should have a question or two ready, but I should have known better that to suggest questions. My son always has questions. Despite not being a fan of Zoom, my son turned on the camera and told me I wasn’t allowed to be seen. Apparently, I wasn’t dressed well enough and he didn’t want me to embarrass him. 

At the start of the meeting, Mayor Moench told the scouts about himself and what his duties entail. After a brief lesson, he asked if anyone had any questions. My son asked, “Do you support the Governor’s decision to keep schools open?” The mayor responded that he did, stating he thought it important that kids be able to meet with a teacher in person and that interacting with other kids was needed. He added that he also supported the Governor’s decision to allow parents to opt for virtual learning. Well, my son, still bitter about the tournament and the fact that his life got turned upside down, quickly countered with, “What about teachers? My mom’s a teacher, and she got Covid. And because of it I had to come out to Long Island.” Mayor Moench quickly stated that his wife is a teacher also and that he thinks maybe teachers should also be able to chose whether or not they want to teach virtually instead of in-person. I wonder if he really meant that. Or did he simply say that to appease my son? My guess is it’s the latter. I wonder how many teachers in Bridgewater would opt out of in-person teaching if given the option.

My son’s second question was, “Do you think there should have been a mask mandate back in the Spring.” Moench is a Republican, so of course the idea of a mask mandate didn’t sit well with him. He seemed to think people shouldn’t be forced to wear a mask since people don’t like to be told what to do. (If I were part of the meeting, I probably would have commented that people don’t like to die, either. But I wasn’t, so I bit my tongue and kept quiet.) He added that things might have turned out better if the lockdown happened sooner and was geographically broader.  

To close, my son asked his opinion of Trump demanding a recount. The mayor was very much a politician in his response. He said that everyone is legally entitled to ask for a recount, but that he didn’t think a recount would change the outcome of the election. 

At one point during the Mayor’s exchange with my son, he said, “I’m calling you G— but I’m guessing that’s not your name.” My son narrowed his eyes and said, “My name is G—.” I thought that was an odd thing for the mayor to say so once the microphone was muted, I turned to my son, “Why wouldn’t he think that was your name?” My son rolled his eyes and pointed to his hair, “Everyone thinks I’m a girl.” He’s right. Strangers constantly refer to him with the female pronoun. It’s incredible that he could be dressed in boy’s clothes, and people still shove him into a gender box based on his long hair. At least, he’s gotten to the point where he can shrug it off and occasionally laugh about it. 

Since it was a sunny day, I didn’t want to spend the entire day indoors. Therefore, my son and I went to the beach to practice the bahng-mahng-ee techniques we’ve been learning in taekwondo. Since neither of us have the weapon yet — Santa will bring them — we’ve been using my son’s nerf swords instead. He’s so much better than me that I always feel beat up after a practice session. While we were at the beach, my son told me that he needs a hiatus from me because I’m boring and annoying. Initially, his comment hurt. But we’ve spent nearly every waking moment with each other for the last three months. There are days I’d like to take a hiatus from myself. I think it’s only natural that we’d get on each other’s nerves. And that’s why it’s extremely important that we spend time beating each other up with nerf swords. Practicing so that we are prepared for testing and midterms in February is a constructive way to work through our frustration.