Election Eve Excitement: We Wish You A Merry Democracy

I love Election Day Eve, Modern Philosophers!  I thought I’d rewrite an old post from the early days of the blog, and share it with you to celebrate!

I’ve got a roaring fire going in the hearth, fueled by the abundance of campaign materials stuffed in my mailbox over the past month.  I’ve got the traditional cherry tree (the same kind Washington chopped down) up in the living room and have just finished decorating it.

This year’s cherry tree decorations are the best yet.  I’ve strung my usual Presidential Head Lights on the branches, but this year’s lights have a slight modification: I’ve removed the heads of some of our “less impressive” former Commanders in Chief (you know who you are!) and replaced them with extra Lincoln, Washington, FDR, and Reagan heads taken from other sets.  It’s a perfect balance!  I’ve also tinkered with the lights so that they blink.

Red, white, and blue tinsel adds more color to the tree’s sturdy branches.

Then there are the ornaments, and I’m really proud of these.  I’ve collected them over the years by going to antique stores, visiting  gift shops in every state capital, trading with fellow collectors over the internet, and by going to estate sales.

There are ornaments depicting various state flags, polling locations, and famous campaign buttons.  I’ve got my infamous set of hanging chads that I have to place high on the tree because the cat is always trying to get to them.  I am very proud to have ornaments of almost every Presidential Election loser from the 20th Century (still haven’t been able to find an elusive Walter Mondale one…I’ll pay a reward for any solid lead!).

This year’s tree topper is a first.  I usually go with the Mount Rushmore one simply because I love that the “heads” serenade me with the National Anthem when I rub Teddy Roosevelt’s mustache, but this year I needed a change (do you think voters will be thinking the same thing when they head out to their polling places tomorrow???).  I went with my US Capitol tree topper this year.  It was a little expensive (can you really put a price on celebrating democracy?), but it was just too pretty not to buy.

The tree is a true monument to truth, justice, and the American way.  I’d post a picture of it, but the darn camera is acting up again (think it’s time to stop buying ornaments and finally purchase a new camera!).

My famous Election Eve cookies are baking in the oven and filling the house with the delicious scent of independence, freedom, and chocolate.    As some of you know, I bake cookies in the shape of all the states and then use red, white, and blue icing to write the state’s corresponding number of Electoral Votes atop the cookie.  The California cookies usually go first (people tell me size really does matter when it comes to dessert), but this year I think the New York and New Jersey cookies are going to be sentimental favorites.

Once the cookies are done, my friend Gary, leader of Maine’s largest Werewolf pack, will come over in his Benjamin Franklin costume (yes, he knows Ben wasn’t a President, but who’s going to tell a Werewolf that???) to grace us with a dramatic reading of The Declaration of Independence.

After that, we have a little wine, watch some election coverage, and try to guess what gift the voting process will bring us tomorrow.  Will it be something shiny and new, or something familiar and slightly used?

Once we get bored with that, we bust out the Guitar Hero and break up into a game of American bands vs British bands.  Since it is Election Day Eve, the American team ALWAYS manages to win.

We really know how to do the holiday right here.  How do you celebrate the big day,  Modern Philosophers?

No matter how to choose to spend your Election Day, please remember to vote.

Happy Election Day!