Christmas Eve Sushi! You Become Part of Our Tradition.

 Dear Luca,

    For about 30 years now, we have been celebrating your Daddy's birthday--December 24, 1977--with a sushi dinner.  This year, when he turned 45, was your first year to join us. I hope you like sushi, and I'm pretty sure you will.

    The pictures below were taken at HAPA in Boulder. Over the years, we have frequented many sushi places. Let me tell you about your father's birth-day and how this tradition started.

 

 

Grandpa Richard, Legend, Daddy, Mommy, Luca

Daddy, Mommy, Luca, Grandpa Doug, Uncle Steven

     

    Your daddy, André, was born on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1977, in Cabin #23, Chautaqua Park in Boulder, Colorado. It was a cold, clear day, and I had a wonderful midwife. It was a fairly easy birth, but I did have to do a lot of hard work to get him here. Your Grandpa Richard was there, along with my good friend Ellen, who held your dad while I went to get some stitches. Ellen had never held a newborn before, so, I learned later, that she prayed your dad would keep breathing--which he did. I remember staying up all night in awe of his birth.

    It's both a blessing and a curse to be born on Christmas Eve, but I think your dad has been quite proud of his birth date.  But from the beginning, we wanted to make it a real birthday and not a Christmas celebration. Also, from the beginning, his birthday has always been about family, although when he was in elementary school, we would celebrate his "fake birthday" with his schoolmates before school let out for the holidays.

    When he was about 15, we decided that we wanted to start a tradition of eating out for his birthday.  We began to search for places that would be open on Christmas Eve, but in 1992, Boulder was pretty much shut down. There were two sushi places open, Sushi Tora and Sushi Zan Mai. Actually, sushi was just beginning to be popular in Boulder, and I didn't know much about it, but we booked Sushi Tora just to have a place to celebrate.  And that's how it began. It turns out your dad loves sushi as do all his friends and your mom and your brother Legend. 

    Welcome to the birthday tradition, Luca!