Holidays holidays Blahhh

[Roza marie]

I used to love holidays. Before marriage, before kids, just a whole lot of Before. Now it is like they stucked all the fun out of everything. Not really my kids or my husband I am talking about the joining of families. Mother's fathers, brothers sisters aunts and everything else. They all bitch, "I don't see you guys enough."

 

Every year it starts, planning out who i am going to spend thanksgiving with and how I will see people around christmas. For a few years now we've seen his mother for thanksgiving because she lives in nashville, and she is an awesome cook. This year I am spending it with my dad. They cook excellent too, i got a lot of great traits from them. One place I will never eat at ever again is his dad's house because his wife can't cook.

 

Here's what I hate though, the traveling, packing, the family gossip/drama and whatever else. I love the shopping sprees on black fridays with friends and family. Yes, I like being able to see them but when do you stamp your foot down and say enough? We are keeping it here, this year.

 

The pressures of pleasing everyone has just consumed me into a constant UGH! mode. lol.

[LM Preston]

I feel ya. We used to have that problem - but then...then, we purchased a timeshare (I know...it was resale for about $1K) and now we travel for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The extended family now knows not to expect us and I ... well now that we started cruising by booking 2 years in advance and paying on it monthy...now someone is pampering me and the kids are entertained. It's bliss.

[Roza marie]

Lm you're not supposed to make me feel jealous LOL. That is great though. My dad just called me today, "When are you getting in? Are you going out on black friday with me or are you leaving?" Of course i go shopping with my dad, he gets me things Helllo. lol. I am 27 and the youngest and a daddy's girl. So I love shopping with my dad

[LM Preston]

Oops! Sorry. Well when my family crashed at my house (my DH's family also) No one...I mean absolutely no one, ever gave me anything. But they left a big mess. Hence why I escape. Now I'm jealous that you still get spoiled by your daddy :-D

[Roza marie]

lol. I guess there is a win somewhere. I hate messes the other people leave. Grrrrs

[Michelle Anderson Picarella]

We used to do Christmas Eve with my in laws and Christmas with my family. Ever year, my sister in law seems to hide some disturbing illness until a couple of hours in of our visit. Last year, her second child (out of five) blew the whistle on the Christmas illness of the year....RIngworm. Massive huge ringworm. He even rubbed his hand all over it to emphasis it as he showed me. The sister in law and mother in law looked like they were upset with the poor kid for having an open honest bone in his body. I yelled for my husband, found him outside, and told him that I was about to go off on his sister. As I came back in to gather my children and leave, his sister was in the middle of a seizure that no one could "really notice"...

My heart goes out to people with real seizures, but real seizures come into play at random, the worst of times to get one. Never has she had one driving, (keep in mind she has a bus license to drive for the public schools) shopping, or when the times are fun...Only when she as done something crappy or if it is time to clean...

 

Just a few months earlier, she had one when her oldest child explained to me that she couldn't take her hat off because she had lice, and you can't spread lice with a hat on!! LOL. I called for the husband, and she had a seizure. 

This year, In law free. There is such thing as Christmas miracles... Just sayin'.

 

[LM Preston]

Lol! Don't I know it. We will be spending Christmas at the beach with our kids and another friend who has kids ours ages. My in laws are not too bad, its just a lot of them.

[Michelle Anderson Picarella]

Christmas on the beach? That sounds GRAND!!!! 

LM Preston said:

Lol! Don't I know it. We will be spending Christmas at the beach with our kids and another friend who has kids ours ages. My in laws are not too bad, its just a lot of them.

[LM Preston]

Yep, it's nice. It'll be cold, but the rooms are cheap.

[LM Preston]

This Christmas was full of surprises. We had to can our trip at the last minute, so I gave it to my girlfriend who was going to go with us and her family. So we chilled at home, and went to visit my dad who we haven't done Christmas with for about 5 years. Boy does absence make the heart grow fonder, it was one of the best Christmas times we've had with them since...uh the last one. Guess another 5 year break will make it all the more sweeter. I think the trick is, do something different every so often, then maybe people will appreciate the time spent together when they have it.