Clark Griswold: Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse.
(from Christmas Vacation)
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Well, I survived - barely. This was the very last Christmas where we are going to the Keystone State for the actual holiday. From now on we'll either go up the weekend before or after for a _day_, but I'm not doing this again - ever. Sawyer & I were both miserable - for many reasons - and we both wanted to come home after about 3 hours.
There were plus sides, of course. I got to see my best friend from High School, and her 2 boys. We went to lunch (they treated! I'm spoiled!!), and Santa stopped by our table. (I'll get to the stories in a bit - I don't want to forget them.) Unfortunately, the pluses didn't quite out number the negatives. I sort of want to keep the negatives to myself, but since this is my blog, and it's fairly anonymous I may as well dive right on into them. I might need this for a reminder next year when we talk about going "home" for Christmas.
The first negative is that we had to go at all. I think Sawyer & I would have both preferred to stay home, but we waited too long to make that decision, and felt that we couldn't back out last minute (not that it would have mattered anyway). I wasn't "into" Christmas at all this year, and would have preferred to skip the whole thing, but that's not really an option.
Next - it was decided that we're no longer doing gifts for Sawyer's family (parents, sister, brother-in-law) as we're going on long weekend trips together instead. Well, every year Sawyer's sister has gotten gifts (small) for their parents. It pisses me off (and I think Sawyer would agree), because we talked about it, and decided we're not doing it anymore. This year I did get them (Sawyer's sister & brother-in-law) a small gift, as they got married and we didn't give them a wedding gift. (When Sawyer & I got married his sister gave us a beautiful custom gift, and I wanted to return the sentiment.) Luckily I did that as they got us a gift too. I should note that I don't give to receive - I give because the person means something to me, and I want them to know. Anyway - Sawyer's sister gave their parents small gifts and we gave them...nothing. I'm done not giving gifts because "we decided". If I see something that I think Sawyer's sister and brother-in-law and parents may like I'm going to get it - just because. (Also - I'm going to finish what I was going to give Sawyer's parents as a gift, and give it to them as a late Christmas gift.)
Next - Every time we're all together it becomes very apparent that we're kept out of the family loop since we live (OH.MY.GOD!) 2 hours away. Sawyer calls his parents every weekend, and they never discuss what's going on. Also - since we live (OH.MY.GOD!) 2 hours away we're never asked to bring anything - snacks, drinks, wine, etc. - yet Sawyer's sister and brother-in-law _ALWAYS_ bring stuff. We did finally address this, and Sawyer's Mom said she never asks us to bring anything because "we travel" (OH.MY.GOD! 2 hours by _CAR_!). Maybe I should explain that parenthetical (OH.MY.GOD!) - we live 2 hours away by _car_ we don't have to get on a plane or a bus or train. We have room to bring some (pardon the language) GOD DAMNED cheese and crackers! (That leads to another issue of - Sawyer's parents see his sister _a_ _lot_ [they live a bit closer, but still at least an hour by car] but rarely come to see us - because we're (OH.MY.GOD!) 2 hours away - that hurts, but we haven't figured out how to breach that subject yet.)
Next - we have cats not dogs. Our cats are _ALWAYS_ being kept in Sawyer's room because 3 dogs vs. 2 cats (with claws) is not my idea of fun. Our pets are always the ones to be locked up, but their dogs always get run of the upstairs. All the Dude and Princess want is to be with people, but since 2/3rds of the people aren't cat lovers they have to be kept in Sawyer's room. It's especially bad because none of the damn dogs are trained. (The Christmas Theme [between Sawyer & I] quickly became "TRAIN YOUR DAMN DOGS!" because _none_ of the 3 dogs are trained - one of the dogs even snapped at 2 (TWO!) different _CHILDREN_ and when she was disciplined by Sawyer - not her owner! - _SAWYER_ was yelled at!)
This Christmas had the unique (and hopefully _not_ repeated) hurdle of 4 small children in the house. I've mentioned Sawyer's little cousins before (and how awful the youngest boy is), but it's time to bring them up again! (Yay! NOT!!) They came over to Sawyer's parents house on Christmas Day for dinner (and coffee and dessert... it drug on!). Sawyer & I went to my Mom's house for dinner, and hoped to go back to his parents house, chat a bit with his family, scoop up the cats (without his cousins even knowing that there were cats there), and leave. Yeah - didn't happen. Not even close. We left for my Mom's right when the (loud, annoying) crew arrived, and the (GOD DAMNED - UNTRAINED) dogs went nuts. Then when we got back we got to witness the youngest boy bite one of his older brothers so hard he broke skin (and he was "punished" by being in "time out" for about a minute, _AND_ _THEN_ the same (youngest) boy cornered and _threatened_ his other older brother with a pen (his exact words to his cornered brother? "If I stab you in the head with this (ballpoint pen) you'll die." - SWEAR.TO.GOD!) That child is going to be a serial killer when he grows up (Oh - the pen thing? Brushed off with "he's so good at math!" - yeah...). He's a child (only 5 years old), but honestly? I'm afraid of him. I would NEVER let him alone with another child with no adult supervision. His mother is pretty worthless (she's the one who made the "he's good at math!" comment during the "I'll stab you!" incident), and his father is run ragged by having 4 (small - 7 years and younger) kids, and a child wife (because she _acts_ like a child, not because she's young.)
Quick notes from this "Griswold Family Christmas" - Sister-in-law's dog pissed on the manger scene (minus baby Jesus), and then the tree (minus the manager scene). I'm going to see The Lion King on Broadway, and the Bears vs. Norfolk Admirals and vs. Binghamton Senators. Sawyer & I received matching Snuggies. Sawyer's brother-in-law's grandfather was hospitalized (hopefully he's better now). My Big Brother's girlfriend's mother was killed on Christmas Eve. I was spoiled rotten by friends and family (and my boss!). I tried to find things to enjoy, but they were few and far between. This was the 5th Christmas without my Dad, and that made things hard. I did get to see a good friend, family, and my Big Brother - so that was nice. Sawyer & I started our own traditions (fondue on Christmas Eve, and bagel breakfast sandwiches on Christmas Day). I narrowly avoided being barfed on by Princess while opening Christmas gifts. Sawyer gave me another beautiful handmade box (he also made one for my Mom - she loved it and bragged on it to my Big Brother).
(Before I forget - the Santa that came to our table at lunch with my high school best friend and her boys was GREAT! He was on the ball, polite, and firm with the boys about being good. When he first came over my friends oldest boy said "Are we still on the naughty list?" and Santa said "Yep, but there's still time!". It was cute. [I guess Santa told them they're on the naughty list in a previous encounter with them.] He told them that he's _not_ bringing them 4 wheelers because they are dangerous "and if it was up to Santa, nobody under the age of 18 would have one!" He told the boys that if they are in bed by 8 they would get gifts, and when the youngest told Santa that his dad said he'd shoot Santa's reindeer [he was then corrected to explain that his dad said that because the boys were naughty, and the dad didn't think the boys deserved gifts] Santa told him that his dad doesn't have to shoot his reindeer because Santa _knows_ if you've been bad! It was really cute, and I really think the boys believed he's the real deal [I would!].)
The first negative is that we had to go at all. I think Sawyer & I would have both preferred to stay home, but we waited too long to make that decision, and felt that we couldn't back out last minute (not that it would have mattered anyway). I wasn't "into" Christmas at all this year, and would have preferred to skip the whole thing, but that's not really an option.
Next - it was decided that we're no longer doing gifts for Sawyer's family (parents, sister, brother-in-law) as we're going on long weekend trips together instead. Well, every year Sawyer's sister has gotten gifts (small) for their parents. It pisses me off (and I think Sawyer would agree), because we talked about it, and decided we're not doing it anymore. This year I did get them (Sawyer's sister & brother-in-law) a small gift, as they got married and we didn't give them a wedding gift. (When Sawyer & I got married his sister gave us a beautiful custom gift, and I wanted to return the sentiment.) Luckily I did that as they got us a gift too. I should note that I don't give to receive - I give because the person means something to me, and I want them to know. Anyway - Sawyer's sister gave their parents small gifts and we gave them...nothing. I'm done not giving gifts because "we decided". If I see something that I think Sawyer's sister and brother-in-law and parents may like I'm going to get it - just because. (Also - I'm going to finish what I was going to give Sawyer's parents as a gift, and give it to them as a late Christmas gift.)
Next - Every time we're all together it becomes very apparent that we're kept out of the family loop since we live (OH.MY.GOD!) 2 hours away. Sawyer calls his parents every weekend, and they never discuss what's going on. Also - since we live (OH.MY.GOD!) 2 hours away we're never asked to bring anything - snacks, drinks, wine, etc. - yet Sawyer's sister and brother-in-law _ALWAYS_ bring stuff. We did finally address this, and Sawyer's Mom said she never asks us to bring anything because "we travel" (OH.MY.GOD! 2 hours by _CAR_!). Maybe I should explain that parenthetical (OH.MY.GOD!) - we live 2 hours away by _car_ we don't have to get on a plane or a bus or train. We have room to bring some (pardon the language) GOD DAMNED cheese and crackers! (That leads to another issue of - Sawyer's parents see his sister _a_ _lot_ [they live a bit closer, but still at least an hour by car] but rarely come to see us - because we're (OH.MY.GOD!) 2 hours away - that hurts, but we haven't figured out how to breach that subject yet.)
Next - we have cats not dogs. Our cats are _ALWAYS_ being kept in Sawyer's room because 3 dogs vs. 2 cats (with claws) is not my idea of fun. Our pets are always the ones to be locked up, but their dogs always get run of the upstairs. All the Dude and Princess want is to be with people, but since 2/3rds of the people aren't cat lovers they have to be kept in Sawyer's room. It's especially bad because none of the damn dogs are trained. (The Christmas Theme [between Sawyer & I] quickly became "TRAIN YOUR DAMN DOGS!" because _none_ of the 3 dogs are trained - one of the dogs even snapped at 2 (TWO!) different _CHILDREN_ and when she was disciplined by Sawyer - not her owner! - _SAWYER_ was yelled at!)
This Christmas had the unique (and hopefully _not_ repeated) hurdle of 4 small children in the house. I've mentioned Sawyer's little cousins before (and how awful the youngest boy is), but it's time to bring them up again! (Yay! NOT!!) They came over to Sawyer's parents house on Christmas Day for dinner (and coffee and dessert... it drug on!). Sawyer & I went to my Mom's house for dinner, and hoped to go back to his parents house, chat a bit with his family, scoop up the cats (without his cousins even knowing that there were cats there), and leave. Yeah - didn't happen. Not even close. We left for my Mom's right when the (loud, annoying) crew arrived, and the (GOD DAMNED - UNTRAINED) dogs went nuts. Then when we got back we got to witness the youngest boy bite one of his older brothers so hard he broke skin (and he was "punished" by being in "time out" for about a minute, _AND_ _THEN_ the same (youngest) boy cornered and _threatened_ his other older brother with a pen (his exact words to his cornered brother? "If I stab you in the head with this (ballpoint pen) you'll die." - SWEAR.TO.GOD!) That child is going to be a serial killer when he grows up (Oh - the pen thing? Brushed off with "he's so good at math!" - yeah...). He's a child (only 5 years old), but honestly? I'm afraid of him. I would NEVER let him alone with another child with no adult supervision. His mother is pretty worthless (she's the one who made the "he's good at math!" comment during the "I'll stab you!" incident), and his father is run ragged by having 4 (small - 7 years and younger) kids, and a child wife (because she _acts_ like a child, not because she's young.)
Quick notes from this "Griswold Family Christmas" - Sister-in-law's dog pissed on the manger scene (minus baby Jesus), and then the tree (minus the manager scene). I'm going to see The Lion King on Broadway, and the Bears vs. Norfolk Admirals and vs. Binghamton Senators. Sawyer & I received matching Snuggies. Sawyer's brother-in-law's grandfather was hospitalized (hopefully he's better now). My Big Brother's girlfriend's mother was killed on Christmas Eve. I was spoiled rotten by friends and family (and my boss!). I tried to find things to enjoy, but they were few and far between. This was the 5th Christmas without my Dad, and that made things hard. I did get to see a good friend, family, and my Big Brother - so that was nice. Sawyer & I started our own traditions (fondue on Christmas Eve, and bagel breakfast sandwiches on Christmas Day). I narrowly avoided being barfed on by Princess while opening Christmas gifts. Sawyer gave me another beautiful handmade box (he also made one for my Mom - she loved it and bragged on it to my Big Brother).
(Before I forget - the Santa that came to our table at lunch with my high school best friend and her boys was GREAT! He was on the ball, polite, and firm with the boys about being good. When he first came over my friends oldest boy said "Are we still on the naughty list?" and Santa said "Yep, but there's still time!". It was cute. [I guess Santa told them they're on the naughty list in a previous encounter with them.] He told them that he's _not_ bringing them 4 wheelers because they are dangerous "and if it was up to Santa, nobody under the age of 18 would have one!" He told the boys that if they are in bed by 8 they would get gifts, and when the youngest told Santa that his dad said he'd shoot Santa's reindeer [he was then corrected to explain that his dad said that because the boys were naughty, and the dad didn't think the boys deserved gifts] Santa told him that his dad doesn't have to shoot his reindeer because Santa _knows_ if you've been bad! It was really cute, and I really think the boys believed he's the real deal [I would!].)
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I'm definitely ready for 2013. I'm excited to use the Charley Harper Engagement Calendar I bought at Birdwatchers General Store when we were in Cape Cod (it has this Puffin artwork on the cover - that's why I bought it). I want to be more organized this year, and I'm hoping the Engagement Calendar will be helpful. I've already added birthdays and Bears' games to it, the wedding we're going to in October, and the only doctor appointment I have scheduled so far (in freaking _June_!). I have 3 more appointments to make, so I'll have more to add soon.
In 2013 I'd like to participate in an ornament and secret Santa exchange. I don't know where to find that / set that up, but I need a community, someplace to make friends.
In 2013 I'd like to participate in an ornament and secret Santa exchange. I don't know where to find that / set that up, but I need a community, someplace to make friends.
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My Psoriasis is still pretty bad. Sawyer has been helping me with the steroid cream (on the spots I can't reach). I don't really think it's getting better. The original spots are getting better, but I'm getting more spots every day. It's tedious, annoying, and frustrating. I need / want to make an appointment with a Dermatologist. I want to know if there is more I can / should do for it.
Well, it's time to leave work, so I'll end here and post this baby.
Well, it's time to leave work, so I'll end here and post this baby.
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