That's why I attempted to cook tonight ... I felt bad

All my childhood, I'd lay in bed every Dec. 5 with butterflies in my stomach. I'd fight to stay awake, kind of like on Christmas eve. After all, it was kind of like Santa Claus coming -- It was St. Nick's Day. Oh, yeah.

It was a pre-Christmas celebration, a chance to get some candy and maybe a small gift. And St. Nick just came no matter what in our house -- You didn't have to be good or anything. Mom never threatened to call St. Nick to tell him we weren't behaving.

Last year, I got Dave candy on St. Nick's Day as kind of a throw-back to being one of those little Catholic kids. Because we were, I suppose. It was cute, it was nice. Etc.

Last night on our way upstairs to bed, we passed our stockings hanging over the fireplace (read: our stair railing, as we have no fireplace). I stopped, turned around and said "We're not doing anything for St. Nick's Day, right?" Just checking.

He said no, he hadn't even thought about it being St. Nick's Day.

OK, fine, I thought. And I believed him because after I'm so tired, I'll believe anything.

So today, after doing my morning grumbling, scowling and other such daily unsociable behaviors that I allow myself from 7 to 8 a.m., Dave says "Aren't you even going to check your stocking?"

I stopped buttoning my coat and set down my purse on the table. I ran to the fireplace (stairs), and pulled out none other than Reese's Cups. Five or six of them. And a penguin gift card. And a Bright Eyes CD -- the newest one, "Noise Floor" (which is awesome, by the way).

And I was happy for about 2.3 seconds, 'til I remembered my manners and stopped reading the back of the CD case. "I didn't get you anything."

"I know. It's OK." And then he turned around and got the dog and went to sit on the couch; and he really wasn't disappointed. It was a good natured "I know, it's OK."

And that's why I like him. I can be utterly clueless about reading his signals; I can pretend to believe him when he says "I didn't even remember tomorrow was St. Nick's Day."

And I got a Bright Eyes CD that I was forcing myself to believe didn't exist so I wouldn't run out and buy it at midnight when it came out in October.