Open to All: Holiday Vent Thread

[RootAnn]

If you just need to vent about stuff going on with relatives (including kids) or friends during this week or next, feel free to dump a post here. If you only want commiseration & no advice, I suggest starting with "JAWM" (Just Agree With Me). I also suggest not quoting just in case someone feels like coming back later & emptying their post. Tempers can run high with all these loving family members around!

[RootAnn]

Here's my JAWM:

 

Visited my lovely mother yesterday for a couple hours as we don't do a family get together on/around Christmas. One of the first things she does is turn on Sesame Street. My kids did not ask her to turn on the TV. We don't watch TV at our house and my mother knows this. In fact, she apparently felt more embarrassed by my two younger kids not knowing who Elmo or Big Bird were (in a Thanksgiving guess-the-person game at an extended family event) than I gave her credit for as she purposefully chose Sesame Street to turn on. We were there to visit her, not to watch TV.  :banghead:  I was successful in eventually getting her to turn it off.

She went on to ask in a really sad voice, "What are your children getting for Christmas? Seat covers?" (Seat Covers was her code name for underwear when we'd get it in front of the family growing up.) We choose to live a low(er) tech life with a decreased emphasis on material things and this must bug her, too.

Then, she insisted that dd#2 stand back-to-back with her in a full length mirror to see how tall she was. Dd#2 has worked very hard the last six months not to appear taller than my mother, (including bending her knees when hugging her) as my mother clearly states that she no longer loves those who are taller than she is -- and it is hard not to get taller than her by around 12 yrs old. Dd#2 loves Grandma very much and was very upset that she wouldn't be loved anymore. When I have confronted my mother on this, she has avoided owning up to her hideous behavior. One shouldn't feel guilty for growing in a normal & healthy fashion. :boxing_smiley:

Grandma Passive-Aggressive earned herself a shortened visit.  :zombie:

[Tsuga]

That is truly messed up. I am sorry. Withdrawing love, WTH.

[SarahW]

Ugh, that's terrible. I hate it when I go visit someone and they just want us all to sit and watch random TV. Umm, hello?

 

My only vent so far is that somehow it fell on my to set up the Christmas tree at church. The tree is an awful artificial thing that had been squished into a too-small box. And my choice of decorations were all a mish-mash of 70's vintage. I poked my fingers on those stupid needles for nearly an hour trying to straighten out the branches.

 

Fortunately everyone who said anything said it was a "lovely" tree. But really, it's the fugliest ever.  :cursing:

 

I have family coming in a few days. I'm sure there's more drama to come....

[prairiewindmomma]

My present, that was ordered in October, has not arrived. The shop owner was late placing her bulk order with the printer, the longshoreman's strike held it up on a boat for a bit, and bad weather delayed it over the weekend. Awesome. :(

[Mommy22alyns]

My current whines:

 

I hope like heck I am done having to get "one more thing."   NEVER make a grocery list from assorted online recipes when you have insomnia.  I screwed up 2 things on the list and DH screwed up one.  So I had  to send him out tonight to get these things.  I don't want to have to ask him to bring anything home tomorrow.

 

We went from a 39 degree high on Christmas Eve with a small chance of a little snow to a high of 50+ degrees and a bunch of icky rain tonight and all day tomorrow.   :glare:

[Mommy22alyns]

Here's my JAWM:

 

Visited my lovely mother yesterday for a couple hours as we don't do a family get together on/around Christmas. One of the first things she does is turn on Sesame Street. My kids did not ask her to turn on the TV. We don't watch TV at our house and my mother knows this. In fact, she apparently felt more embarrassed by my two younger kids not knowing who Elmo or Big Bird were (in a Thanksgiving guess-the-person game at an extended family event) than I gave her credit for as she purposefully chose Sesame Street to turn on. We were there to visit her, not to watch TV.  :banghead:  I was successful in eventually getting her to turn it off.

She went on to ask in a really sad voice, "What are your children getting for Christmas? Seat covers?" (Seat Covers was her code name for underwear when we'd get it in front of the family growing up.) We choose to live a low(er) tech life with a decreased emphasis on material things and this must bug her, too.

Then, she insisted that dd#2 stand back-to-back with her in a full length mirror to see how tall she was. Dd#2 has worked very hard the last six months not to appear taller than my mother, (including bending her knees when hugging her) as my mother clearly states that she no longer loves those who are taller than she is -- and it is hard not to get taller than her by around 12 yrs old. Dd#2 loves Grandma very much and was very upset that she wouldn't be loved anymore. When I have confronted my mother on this, she has avoided owning up to her hideous behavior. One shouldn't feel guilty for growing in a normal & healthy fashion. :boxing_smiley:

Grandma Passive-Aggressive earned herself a shortened visit.  :zombie:

 

 

Wow, all the nasty relatives are crawling  out of the woodwork now, aren't they?  I'm so sorry and my heart breaks for your DD.

[Tsuga]

 

Fortunately everyone who said anything said it was a "lovely" tree. But really, it's the fugliest ever.

 

"I can see it too, you know."

[Murmer]

My present, that was ordered in October, has not arrived. The shop owner was late placing her bulk order with the printer, the longshoreman's strike held it up on a boat for a bit, and bad weather delayed it over the weekend. Awesome. :(

 

Did you order a planner too??  That is what happened to the company I preordered my planner through...I love my planners the last 2 years...but this is cutting it crazy close.

[Slache]

I'm sorry. My mother and mother in law are both very disapproving, negative people and I have several stories just like that. But they both live in other states and neither is coming for Christmas. I don't care that we don't have money to get the kids gifts (they're getting 10+ from everyone else), I don't care that we don't have a nice meal, I don't care that my workout shoes have holes in them because we gave our extra money to someone who didn't have money for a tree or gifts for his kids. All I care about is that this Christmas is the two kids, my husband, and I. And nobody else!! We're sleeping in, eating pancakes, and going for a hike. It's going to be wonderful. Merry Christmas. I hope it really is merry.

[prairiewindmomma]

Murmer, yes, that was my splurge for myself.

 

I did see, since my whine, that she posted on facebook a link to the January pdfs.  I am printing them off right now because I REALLY must get my planning done this Christmas week that we have off of school.

[WTMCassandra]

Well, I woke up this morning with a barking cough out of nowhere. Looks like I'm going to be a barking seal for Christmas! Grrrr.

[Luckymama]

'D'fil asked us weeks ago what the kids might like for Christmas. We gave him two pretty specific ideas for each kid, having learned in the past to either be specific or he'll buy the first thing he sees on display in a store.

 

Today at lunch he asked dh what he should buy. Would the girls like sweaters? Or maybe scarves? And what about ds?

 

Wtf?

 

I deliberately did not give those gift ideas to my sisters. I deliberately did not buy dd14 the amazon gift card she greatly desires to feed her kindle.

 

And then I started remembering how my parents, who are no longer alive, took delight in getting to know our kids' interests each year and then finding gifts that were just right.

 

(Please excuse me. I'm feverish and sad that I'll be sick for Christmas. I hope I can to the family events tomorrow night and Thursday.)

[Murmer]

Murmer, yes, that was my splurge for myself.

 

I did see, since my whine, that she posted on facebook a link to the January pdfs.  I am printing them off right now because I REALLY must get my planning done this Christmas week that we have off of school.

 

That's the same one I ordered from...hoping this is a one time blip because I really like the planner but I hate that I ordered it months ago (Oct too) and did it for Christmas for my sisters :(

[OnTheBrink]

Two things: One, I'm sick and my nose squeaks when I breathe. I can't take a decongestant because of my bp meds. I'm in the irritable stage of this cold/virus/whatever and squeaky breathing is really p*ssing me off. 

 

Two: my d*mn cat is all over me. I AM SICK. DO NOT TOUCH ME. Do not jump on my chair; do not lie by my feet when I'm reclined. Go. Away. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Murmer--I hope this is just the learning curve for a WAHM new small business owner.  Even if she couldn't carry the overhead of preordering a lot of stock, she really needed to have placed the October orders....at the end of October.  If I am reading between the lines, she made some last minute design changes, and then waited a long time to place orders with the printer. It's not cool to place an October order for delivery in early December when she promised on the website that delivery would be in early November.  Early November was 7-8 weeks ago.

[idnib]

Then, she insisted that dd#2 stand back-to-back with her in a full length mirror to see how tall she was. Dd#2 has worked very hard the last six months not to appear taller than my mother, (including bending her knees when hugging her) as my mother clearly states that she no longer loves those who are taller than she is -- and it is hard not to get taller than her by around 12 yrs old. Dd#2 loves Grandma very much and was very upset that she wouldn't be loved anymore. When I have confronted my mother on this, she has avoided owning up to her hideous behavior. One shouldn't feel guilty for growing in a normal & healthy fashion. :boxing_smiley:

Grandma Passive-Aggressive earned herself a shortened visit.  :zombie:

 

:banghead:  I'm sorry this happened.

 

Get you daughter a pair of heels for next year.  ;)

[Lady Marmalade]

'D'fil asked us weeks ago what the kids might like for Christmas. We gave him two pretty specific ideas for each kid, having learned in the past to either be specific or he'll buy the first thing he sees on display in a store.

 

Today at lunch he asked dh what he should buy. Would the girls like sweaters? Or maybe scarves? And what about ds?

 

Wtf?

 

I deliberately did not give those gift ideas to my sisters. I deliberately did not buy dd14 the amazon gift card she greatly desires to feed her kindle.

 

And then I started remembering how my parents, who are no longer alive, took delight in getting to know our kids' interests each year and then finding gifts that were just right.

 

(Please excuse me. I'm feverish and sad that I'll be sick for Christmas. I hope I can to the family events tomorrow night and Thursday.)

 

Hugs to you.  I completely understand.  There are two things that I count on from the IL's come gift-giving opportunities.  One is that they will never give anyone something from the gift suggestions that THEY asked for.  Two is that their gifts should be opened first, because they will likely be lame. 

 

Every year I hope I will be proved wrong.  I mean, I'm really, really hopeful that those boxes under the tree hold Amazon or Gamestop gift cards instead of the little mind-bending metal puzzles that they sound like...

[chiguirre]

I still don't know if my bil is coming tomorrow or not. Dude, it's Christmas Eve, it's not an impromptu get together. Make up your mind!!!

[Kathy in Richmond]

My son was supposed to be coming home tonight, but his connecting flight out of Chicago was *just* cancelled.

 

I haven't seen him since early July, and I just want.him.home.now.  Not feeling very charitable toward American Airlines at the moment :-(

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Oh, Root Ann, I'm so sorry.  It sounds like we have very similar mothers.  Just add substance abuse in mine's case.  After she totally ruined dd12's birthday celebration in November,  I banned them from visiting for xmas.  So, I'm the evil daughter, but I'm okay with that - I'm a Mama Bear!!!

[itsheresomewhere]

I ran out of tape. Crap

[AmyontheFarm]

Four funerals in the past 9 days.  I am so glad I had my Christmas shopping done and wrapped earlier this month.  Otherwise, I'd be crazy right now.

[Peaceful Isle]

My extended family hasn't bothered to see us for three years. The last Christmas with them, they forced me to come without dh (never again) I was guilted, and manipulated.

 

So, for the last three years my christmas days have been peaceful. It is still sad for me to be without my family, but it is so much more pleasant without all the drama.

[happi duck]

First off (hugs) to all!

 

Our precious kitty needed vet care and it cost twice as much as estimated!!

 

I'm so relieved she's okay but the bill...yikes!

[Meadowlark]

My gripe is that my mother is a shopping addict and once again, she went overboard. We had our family Christmas and we filled our van with gifts not once but twice. Each of my 5 kids got 5-6 presents and my DH and I got 5 or so. So now I have to sort, organize and put away these 35 gifts and I'm trying hard to de clutter in the first place. I'm so overwhelmed with the stuff and there's no way to ask my mom to give less without starting WW3. It also seems to be getting worse every year. Her heart is in the right place but I'm going nuts with it. Santa isn't really a big deal because the big event is grandmas house. GRR.

[WinsomeCreek]

Dh is working today, tomorrow, Christmas as well and beyond. We have no supportive family. I may get a text from my mom. My dad has never met or shown an interest in meeting my kids. He hasn't called or emailed in about 4 years. I can call him, but he won't care if I do or don't. FIl had a stroke and is now on par with a preschooler. Mil is crazy. So it's me and the kids. I'm lucky to have such great kids and love hanging out with them. Still, no matter how many years go by that we go through holidays like this, if I stop and think too much it gets me down.

 

Edited to correct obvious spelling error. Also to add that there is no animosity or drama with my parents. They just honestly are too involved in their own lives and not interested in their children or grandchildren.

[rmtzc2009]

We sent (by text) our kids Christmas lists on 12/10th.  My mom called me tonight at 9pm to say that Toys R' Us doesn't have any of the things they want in stock.  She has no plans to go to any other stores and sent me a text asking me to give her more options.  

 

I'm hyperventilating trying to scramble to find instock items for her to purchase (I'm looking online-and it's not easy!).  DH told me to text her back to get one DS a gift card (this will not make grandma happy)!  For her to shop today instead of Christmas Eve is an improvement....so I guess I'll focus on that  :glare:.  Update: Mom will not be buying a gift card but is willing to go shopping again tomorrow so she'd like an updated list.

 

Mom (my mom) communicated through DH last week that she needs to have a sit down with us to discuss issues.  When I called her to try to talk to her she got snippy and communicated that she is upset with me.   Mom is the type that you know when she's upset and she doesn't have it in her to put troubles aside and just enjoy the holiday.  I've tried several times to schedule this chat and was told there's no rush.  Umm, sorry but when you are angry & irritated enough to tell me we need to have a sit down it would be nice if you could be available to actually resolve the issue!

 

Every year my entire family gathers Christmas Day.  It's been that way all of my 11 years of married life.  We don't see DH family so we have Christmas Eve free and made plans this year.  1 1/2 weeks ago my sister texts me to say she isn't available Christmas day & can do it Christmas Eve.  I reply, asking if there's an alternative day that works since we already made plans.  My mom, again reaches out to my dh telling him we must celebrate Christmas Eve since that's what my niece wants.   Ton's of text's between my mom & sister fly.  I decide to not get involved in the texting and call my mom.   Suddenly, it's totally fine to do Christmas an alternative day.  Except, it's not fine.  Nope, behind the scenes my mom & sister are talking all kinds of trash about how awful it is that we aren't available to be with family Christmas Eve.  

 

Ugh....holidays are not exactly my favorite time of the year.

[Amber in SJ]

My ILs get me the most horrible presents ever.  I try not to get my feelings hurt but they are so careful with the presents for all the other members of the family.  I don't mean just the kids, but all the other adults, their own kids and spouses.  Everyone else gets something that fits their personality exactly and is not cheap.  I get presents from the dollar store, like Weight Watchers cookbooks with the dollar store tag on them.  Dollar store bar soap.  And this year a scarf that looks like a dead animal. 

 

Dh & I have been married longest.  They knew me for 5 years before we got married.  In fact I have been in this family longer than my FIL's wife.  We visit them the most out of all the kids & grandkids but they still act like they have no idea what I would like.

 

Amber in SJ

[MysteryJen]

JAWM, my mother for inexplicable reasons scheduled our Christmas Eve gathering for 2 pm. We have done Christmas Eve command performances for 16 years. It has always been for dinner and opening presents afterwards. Here are the reasons I am annoyed:

1. My kids swim in the morning and need the afternoon to nap....because we go to midnight mass...because that is when Dh sings and that is when he wants us to go.

2. It is not dark and therefore not an eve.

3. Now I have to make another dinner, because we will eat at 2pm.

4. Our own family tradition is to drive around after dinner at my mom's to see Christmas lights and now it won't be dark enough when we drive home.

5. I resent being told what to do like a child.

6. Manipulation using Christmas gifts is still manipulation. And the wrong way to be a parent,

[momacacia]

3. Now I have to make another dinner, because we will eat at 2pm.

 

Whaaaat?! Take home leftovers from her place! (I'm assuming it's at her place and she's cooking?)

[momacacia]

We will have a delightful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at home. My mom will come for Christmas Eve lunch (I know, it's not eve ;)) and then she'll pop back in Christmas Day to ooh and ahh over the kids' gifts. We'll open her gifts on Eve (as was traditional when I was growing up to open about half the gifts then).

 

Then we head to my in-laws. Somehow after driving 9 hours, over the course of 3 days we will celebrate 2 large family Christmases (as in 20 grandchildren so far! and the other is a Christmas with DH's grandparents on his mom's side--I know maybe 2 names), 1 young cousin birthday, and baby showers for 2 SILs. I'm tired thinking about it all! We've gift exchanged with the cousins and male/female gift exchange with DH's siblings (all adults), but then we have to gift exchange STILL with DH's cousins, who are all over 25 years old. We all have credit cards, just go get your own stuff. So silly. And then I get notice about the cousin birthday while prepping food today and having to think of a gift for that. That just put me over the edge. It's just too much. And these are "Jesus is the reason for the season" people and I'd like to say, "If that's the case, let's give up on the gift giving or only do it for the kids and let it go on forever and ever."

 

I'm taking books and sneaking off to read. :hat: 

[Beaniemom]

JAWM, My MIL, she of the passive aggressive boots and (according to my dh) extreme offense taking if gifts she gives are returned sent a second box containing 4 identical sized boxes (i call them shirt boxes). I have 3 children. Yep! 2 for most favored (by my dh and his mom) eldest dd8, one for ds6, and one for dd4. I know they shouldn't but my kids especially ds8 keeps track of who has the most of anything from peas to turns being first. My dh doesn't see the problem since after I asked if we were expecting another box from MIL and told him why I asked he called and was reassured that they were all just the same. When I then asked if maybe ds8's didn't fit into one, trying to find a reasonable explaination, he avoided the ?

Glad MIL is not here for Christmas but she invades after the forst for my dh's birthday. Her trip and inflexibility in the Fall means my parents won't be able to visit till Summer which makes a year since I've seen them and 3 times we've seen MIL. Bitter, a little. Annoyed, a lot. Deep breath and on with Christmas.

[Hen]

Amber,

 

I vote that you go to the mall a few days before gathering with your in-laws and buy yourself something you want but would probably put off buying because you don't "need" it.   Then, wrap it nicely and put it aside.  The night you get home from your in-laws' celebration, sit down with your favorite dessert and open up your present.  and throw away whatever they got you and don't feel guilty. 

[momto10blessings]

My ILs get me the most horrible presents ever. I

My inlaws gift me an OnHealth subscription every year.

http://com-sub.info/Consumer-Reports-On-Health/Welcome

I can't believe anyone would pay $24 for this paper.

[violamama]

Things are going fairly well (48 hours in to a 5 day visit) with my in-laws who were pretty passive aggressive... or maybe just plain aggressive last week on the phone with my husband about all my many flaws. He and I have crammed the Boundaries book in the interim. It's been good for us, actually. 

 

My MIL knows I'm a vegetarian and that I have no problem making something for myself so she never has to go out of her way... but she has asked me no less than 8 times in long drawn-out conversations on the same day if I couldn't just go ahead and eat the chicken-broth based soup she wanted to make. She also jokes about slipping me some meat based food to see if I would notice. She also asks every.single.time if I can eat the things I'm anaphylactic-shock-style allergic to "as long as they're cooked in" even though she has similar allergies. She was going to make her customary meat with meat and meat on top pizza when we arrived, but my husband practically handed her the toppings for mine and I got my own veggie corner of the pie. (Yay, husband!) She asks if she can give one of my children something, then microanalyses or flat out argues with my answer. 

 

My MIL is unintentionally passive aggressive in so many ways. It's very difficult because she is abrasive and rude but doesn't really mean to be. It's exhausting to keep answering the same thing politely while letting go of any feelings of overwhelm or frustration... it's a bit like dealing with a child, frankly.  

[Elisabet1]

every year, at this time, I panic that I have not gotten enough for everyone. And I cannot wrap because there are always small children around me. So tomorrow night, I will beg everyone to go to bed and probably be up half the night waiting for everyone to go to bed so I can wrap.

[Ravin]

We were going to do stockings on the Solstice, but Amazon didn't deliver everything on time. So, I revised the plan to do them on Christmas. Except Girlfriend and DSS won't be here, they're going to her mom's. So now I'm debating holding off until 12th Night (falls on new year's eve on our religious calendar), because they're the only ones who actually celebrate Christmas.

 

My kids are allowed to open one gift per day during Yule (assuming there are enough gifts to keep going 12 days). This morning they opened gifts from MIL. DH reminded me not to post pictures of them doing this until the 25th, because MIL didn't want them open until then.

[ksr5377]

Dear MIL, do not be surprised by the fact that my children don't seem excited about their gifts when you tell them "Oh, they're for decoration, not to play with."  Who buys fancy decorative puppets instead of real ones for a 4, 6 and 8 year old?

[Mama Geek]

Four funerals in the past 9 days.  I am so glad I had my Christmas shopping done and wrapped earlier this month.  Otherwise, I'd be crazy right now.

:grouphug:

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

BTW, if I "liked" one of your posts, it actually means that it was a really "good" awful post.  Not that I actually LIKE the described situations!  lol.  

 

My gripe is small- I'm on mommy burnout, my kids are driving me crazy even though they are overall very good kids.  It's just cabin fever.  I'm of course then feeling guilty that all I want for Christmas is for my kids to GO OUTSIDE!!!!  FOR THE LOVE OF YOUR MOTHER JUST GO OUTSIDE!!!  YES IN THE COLD!!! for a few hours so I can drink a coke and watch reruns of Downton Abbey or Big Bang Theory and eat cheesecake.  

 

Blah.  I miss my family in California, where a little family craziness is just enough to liven things up without becoming too dramatic or traumatic.  

 

Also, I'm out of coke.   :crying:

 

 

[happypamama]

Wow, some of you have truly horrible relatives! Who ARE these people, and what is wrong with them? Do they like seeing their grandchildren unhappy? And why are the MILs not bending over backward to be nice to their DILs -- don't they realize that their DILs are the only other people who share the same level of affection for their precious little boys??? Hugs and yummy cookies for all of you!

 

My vent is stupid, but it's annoying. Our tree lights disappeared. Annoying. But okay, I buy another set at WalMart on Sunday. Last night the kids went to put them on the tree -- and only one color is working. UGH! I'm not going to replace them before Christmas -- WM is almost half an hour away, and we have too much to do today before my ILs arrive.

[El...]

We have fourteen people in the house and one of our two toilets has decided not to function correctly.  Thankfully, we rent; sadly, it is Christmas Eve.  I really hope the handyman can fix it at some point TODAY!

[Amira]

My son was supposed to be coming home tonight, but his connecting flight out of Chicago was *just* cancelled.

 

I haven't seen him since early July, and I just want.him.home.now. Not feeling very charitable toward American Airlines at the moment :-(

:grouphug: Is he there yet?

[I talk to the trees]

First off (hugs) to all!

 

Our precious kitty needed vet care and it cost twice as much as estimated!!

 

I'm so relieved she's okay but the bill...yikes!

 

No, I didn't "like" your post because it made me happy, but because I understand vet bills at Christmas- and worse. The little guy in my avatar had his liver levels checked yesterday for the 4th time in 3 months. ALT has skyrocketed, despite antibiotics and supplements. We're going back for a needle aspiration next week. Not good. Not good at all. :crying:

[MomtoCandJ]

It's freaking raining!!!! It's supposed to be snowing, we live in MI for pete's sake. Other wise Im content

[happi duck]

No, I didn't "like" your post because it made me happy, but because I understand vet bills at Christmas- and worse. The little guy in my avatar had his liver levels checked yesterday for the 4th time in 3 months. ALT has skyrocketed, despite antibiotics and supplements. We're going back for a needle aspiration next week. Not good. Not good at all. :crying:

(Hugs)

[stephanier.1765]

Well, I woke up this morning with a barking cough out of nowhere. Looks like I'm going to be a barking seal for Christmas! Grrrr.

 

I woke up feeling sick this morning too. My head is probably going to explode before the day is out. There only a few days out of the year that I dread getting sick and today and tomorrow are 2 of them. Matter of fact, I dread getting sick on these 2 days that when my older son came over last week with a nasty hacking cough and sneezing I ran him out of the house with Lysol.  :leaving:

 

Here's hoping that the two of us feel better sooner rather than later.

 

ETA: After reading this thread, I'm not feeling as stressed and overwhelmed as I was before I read it. I'm truly thankful that I don't have crazy or passive aggressive folks to deal with on the holidays.  :grouphug:  Hugs to all of you who do. My mouth dropped open over several of your stories.

[MEmama]

Re allergies: my MIL and FIL forget that DH-- their own son-- is extremely allergic to coconut. It's a total surprise to them every.single.time. It's a miracle they didn't kill him when he was growing up.

 

Re crazy grandparent gifts: my mother sent DS a technical book on how to grow micro greens. For his eighth birthday. ?? Her gifts are notoriously off the mark. It's tradition that he opens her gift on Christmas Eve, but he's so used to disappointment by now that it's become something of a joke. He can't wait for tonight--will it be random newspaper clippings from their small town newspaper? Ancient travel brochures from 60 years ago? A collage of pictures of herself vacationing in our state (where she tries to avoid us)? At least the expectations are low! :(

[Caclcoca]

I love getting to see all of my dh's family and my family on Christmas Day.  It is a long day, we all have our crazy quirks, but it is worth the effort.  We have to stay home this year because two of my kids have the flu.  My oldest ds tested positive yesterday and now ds8 has a high fever.  I know we will make the most of it, and that we are blessed to all be together.  I am still bummed though.