Pretend Christmas...

December 29^th and Christmas has finally passed. It took a long time to get here, but I am glad it is over. The whole Christmas thing for our family started on the 23^rd. We went over to visit all of my Dad’s brothers and sisters. I was the youngest one there by 7 years, so it was a little hard to feel included, but I survived. I mostly sat and listened to people talk. And they are such great talkers. My dad likes his Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. And back in the day, so did my dad’s brother Steve. So they would sit and drink and talk and play card games. Now this was a regular thing when they were younger. And after tossing back a few, Steve would have troubles telling which can of PBR was his. But my dad always seemed to know. He would pick up both cans, swirl them around a bit and very definitively say which can was his. So here we are, years later, and Steve is still baffled and amazed that my dad could always tell which was his. Well to this my dad replies, “ I never knew which was which, Steve, I always just picked the can with the most beer left and told you it was mine.”

So after the 23^rd, I there was the 24^th. Which we watched miracle on 34^th street and then it’s a wonderful life on TV. Then on the 25^th we went to Granma’s and had lunch and then had what was left of lunch for dinner. The 26^th came and now, mom start to get the Christmas feeling she blasted Christmas music all day long. Why the hell she would wait till after Christmas to start played the appropriate music I’ll never know. We spent all day cleaning house. Then on the 27^th we went to C-bus to pick up my sister, Katie and her boyfriend Van, from the airport. They live in D.C. so it is difficult for them to always come home exactly on the holiday.

Now comes the 29^th. Pretend Christmas. My mom and Gran’ma are far more religious then me. They are both Christians and me, not so much. Around this time of year, I can buy into about half of all the holiday stuff… Santa, reindeer, Frosty, the Grinch…they all go down smooth, but all the stuff about Jesus’ birthday? That’s just ridiculous. And thusly I am a bit cynical about the holiday. So this year I’ve been calling it Santa’s birthday. Being cynical, and wanting to stir the pot a little bit, I asked mom, if celebrating my dad’s birthday (Dec. 22^nd) on the day that we were celebrating Christmas would take away from Jesus. Mom told me that the 28^th is only pretend Christmas, so it doesn’t really matter. So on pretend Christmas, we opened presents and had dinner her with Gran’ma and Gran’pa. It was fun. I enjoyed all the food and all the family that surrounded my on that day.

Now I’m off to enjoy the rest of my break, only 4 days till I go back to school. Better make them last.