I attended a Christmas luncheon yesterday. A choir of older women sang traditional holiday carols flawlessly. Yet, the highlight for me was not the mesmerizing music and their jovial red vests and joyful smiles but instead the performance of a little old lady who is the troupe\u2019s comedienne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She stepped forward in front of her compatriots and with a little twinkle in her eyes began her story. Neither Jimmy Kimmel nor Jimmy Fallon can deliver a joke with better timing, tone, affect, and enunciation than she did, and she performed it live too in the midst of 100 folks. That\u2019s no laughing matter because most of us amateur jokesters wouldn\u2019t have had the nerve!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She segued into her joke from a song the group had warbled about making a list to let Santa know what your heart desires for Christmas. She said she knew a woman who hinted about her wishes days on end before the holiday. This woman told her husband repeatedly what she expected to see in her driveway on Christmas morning. Like most husbands, her spouse didn\u2019t appear to listen. She became more explicit in telling him what she wanted. The gift wasn\u2019t to be delivered under the tree but in front of the garage. \u201cI want something that goes from zero to 150 in three seconds\u201d this woman had trilled to her non-responsive hubby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cZero to 150\u201d she repeated each day leading up to December 25. \u201cNo need to wrap it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That Christmas morning- we were told- this woman rushed out to her driveway and looked to her right and then to her left, turning in a complete circle. As our raconteur told this part of the tale, she exaggerated the head turns, and then our performer looked straight ahead at us with a bewildered gaze. Our jokester twirled around. Imitating the woman in her story, she searched for her zero to 150 surprise! And then she looked down at her feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said, \u201cThere set a digital scale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We all howled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mature women like jokes that resonate. Women of a certain age understand the scenario of a nagging wife, an unresponsive partner, her desire for something extravagant and sporty and his answer to her wish – something frugal and practical. A literal answer. A comical twist. And the glaring truth of the joke which most of us accept – we gain weight as we age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We related to her joke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So many women in their fifties and sixties complain about husbands\u2019 habits as though they\u2019ve just discovered these things about their partners, despite four decades of marriage. I always elicit a stare from my pals when I declare: \u201cIt\u2019s too bad my husband was so dang good looking when he was a young man.\u201d Ears perk up. Brows raise. Smiles form. \u201cIf he hadn\u2019t been so handsome, I\u2019d have noticed how odd he was.\u201d Then everyone guffaws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People laugh because we\u2019re all alike. We marry when we\u2019re young and pretty and then as the years go on and our faces sag along with our bellies, we start noticing traits of our partners we didn\u2019t see in the heady days of youth. Suddenly, it seems the smitten groom you married is morphing into your grumpy father-in-law or you are accused of turning into your husband\u2019s critical mother-in-law. We start noticing DNA we hadn\u2019t considered when blinded by attractive looks and springtime. C\u2019est la vie. With age, we notice chinks in our armor, but we also laugh about those chinks and do not take the world or each other too seriously. We appreciate truths we\u2019ve discovered along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, with many Christmases behind us, we enjoy listening to songs more than opening presents. We appreciate a good joke more than a good cup of wassail. And the camaraderie of friends and acquaintances over a pleasant meal in a pleasant setting entertained by pleasant folks who \u201cget us\u201d is a merry way to celebrate the season, to celebrate life.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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