Gefilte Fish Out of Water

After bowling, we got some grub at Karnaf, which was delicious and probably the closest I will come in Israel to experiencing my beloved and jonesed-for Chipotle.  Then, I dashed home to take Petey for a quick walk and set off on my bike to The Theatre Club in Jaffo for the Big Boys party.

You’ll see in my next iGoogled column when it comes out tomorrow that yesterday was a really significant anniversary for me.  One year ago on Christmas, I arrived in Israel for the very first time.  I was here for a two-week vacation, but we all know now that I wound up making Aliyah as soon as I returned home on January 9, and quickly returned as an Oleh Chadash (new immigrant) on March 1, 2009.

As I wrote the iGoogle piece yesterday, I was playing Xmas music.  I actually haven’t been missing “the holidays” (Xmas, New Years) as we typically celebrate them this time of year in the US.  I’ve been getting the holiday theme from American websites and blogs I read regularly, so it hasn’t flown under my radar.  And then, I also really enjoy the bizzaro aspect of life in Israel, meaning that – I really enjoy being part of the Majority, where the dominant holiday is not Christmas; it’s Hanukkah.  Token menorahs are not tacked onto ubiquitous Xmas displays; it’s Christmas trees that are the token inclusionary symbol.  In fact, I really didn’t see one at all in Israel the whole month of December.

But then, as I was writing yesterday, I one-eighty’d and suddenly wanted to hear all secular carols – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, The Christmas Song, Frosty the Snowman, etc.  And I really enjoyed singing them out loud on my bicycle as I passed by people on the sidewalk.  I was getting off on the contrarian aspect of it, as well as feeling a resurgence of my inner American, which of course I still am and will always be.

So, who does celebrate Christmas in Israel?  I don’t mean the birth of Jesus and all that shiz.  I mean the good secular, commercial, pagan stuff –  Santa, the North Pole, Rudolph, elves.

The Gays, that’s who !!!

Big Boys was completely done up with Christmas trees everywhere, Santa bartenders and red & white cap adorned GoGo Boys.  🙂  It was really fun, and I danced up a storm with my friends Russell, Shabi and all the other hot mens.

Here’s a few more shots from the dance floor:

I'll have a diet Red Bull, Santa.