One of my favorite movies to watch around Christmas time is Serendipity starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. While not technically a Christmas movie, it begins by telling the story of how two people meet trying to buy the same pair of gloves for Christmas. They spend an enchanted evening together and then separate. Seven years later they are on a mad search to find each other. Yes it’s a romantic comedy and yes it’s a chick flick, but without giving away the story, a few of the best parts of the movie have to do with an ice skating rink.
The second thing accomplished on my “365 til 30” list is Ice Skating around the Christmas Tree in downtown Pittsburgh. This may sound like a pretty minute accomplishment because many people do it every day, every year, but for me, it was pretty big. One of the things that really gets me into the Christmas spirit is watching people bundled up skating around a Christmas Tree in December. Whether it’s the couples holding hands, little kids falling over themselves, or the Christmas songs played while skating round and round, this just does it for me. The only problem is that at 29-years-old, I’ve never gotten to experience the joy of the Christmas skate.
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| Christmas Tree At PPG Downtown Pittsburgh |
I have ice skated exactly twice in my life and I remember both experiences well. The first, when I was about 6-years-old, was during my tenure as a roller skater. It was 1988, so I’m talking old school roller skates, not blades. It was winter, I remember it was snowing, and we went to North Park Ice Skating rink. I was a pretty good roller skater so I remember thinking it would be a breeze, even though my mom warned me it was going to be much different.
My first slap in the face was when I received my rental skates. Ugly, brown, used. I had envisioned pretty white figure skates that would allow me to sore and show off my skills. Foiled. When I walked outside to the rink, the second reality hit. This wasn’t going to be like Shaler Skateland where it’s nice, cozy, and INSIDE. It was freezing, snowing, and I knew I was going to have to take my twelve layers of clothes off soon, to pee.
I stepped onto the ice and splat, down I went. This was going to be a long day. I remember slowly trying to move along, clutching anything that passed me, all while watching my beautiful cousin Jode in her white figure skates glide by me with her 12-year-old coolness and ease. I had only made it around maybe once, falling the entire way, when I decided to throw in the towel and give up. My bruised, frozen, 6-year-old body couldn’t take it anymore. I’ll stick with roller skating.
My next ice skating attempt came six years later. I had been roller blading pretty hardcore for about a year and decided I wanted to start playing hockey. (Thank you Mighty Ducks!) I figured that my skills as a roller blader would make me an awesome ice skater. Wrong again. I went to Blade Runners with a friend and was once again shafted by the rental skates. This time I wanted black hockey skates, once again, I get brown rentals.
No matter, my skills will outshine the crap skates I was wearing. Step on the ice, and then I’m down. How could this be?? I learned quickly, roller blading is NOTHING like ice-skating. We go around a few times and after falling and the pain of just trying to stand up exhausted us, we gave up.
So here we are, about 17 or so years later, and all I want to do is go ice-skating around the Christmas tree. I enlist my friend Maren after our Vatican expedition, to go with me. We both concede that our endeavor will last around 5 minutes, we will probably have to hold on the entire time, and surely if we make it around once, that will be an accomplishment.
Just walking up to the rink I started to get excited. I let go of any preconceived notions that I was going to be good and was just thrilled that I was going on the ice around the Christmas tree. We go to rent out skates, and alas, after 15 years, they have upgraded to blue ice skates. We held on to each other tightly and stepped onto the ice. I was afraid to move, but Maren bravely started on her own and into the flow of skaters. I screamed for her to come help me, but she made me skate to her, and I did!
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| Me Skating! |
Furthermore, I skated! And well! I didn’t go fast and I held on to Maren the entire time, but we skated around and around the tree. And we didn’t fall down once. I thought my heart was going to explode I was so happy and excited. And I truly felt like I was in the Christmas spirit.
The last few years, Christmas hasn’t gone the best for me. For one reason or another, I have allowed someone or something to ruin it. This year I was determined not to let that happen. I was determined to take back Christmas and experience it joyously, the way I had always done in the past. And you know what? I did!
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