Moreso, I'm hoping that floor I'm supposed to be finishing up turns out alright. Last thing I need is a job to go sideways on me right before Christmas. Its one of those "we're not supposed to be even doing this one" kind of job where we kind of got roped into it. Not cool. Ah well. On to something more pleasant.
NOT SO LONG AGO
How I spent Christmas changed quite a bit one was a grown. My folks had divorced. My dad had remarried a wonderful woman. I lived with my Mom to help her out a bit. My stepmother is from Maryland so her and my Dad would go to see her family on Christmas, and since they had pets I would be the one to watch their house.Its amazing how differently I viewed Christmas. When I was a little kid I couldn't wait to get up and go open presents. As an adult with a physically demanding job I was more than happy to sleep in a bit. Nothing crazy like sleeping until noon, but I certainly wasn't in competition with the sun to see which of us would be up first. This was especially true if I had to work the night before at the bar. While I usually got out of there early if I had to work Christmas Eve it was typically still pretty late by the time I got into bed.
I'd tend to Dad's house and his pets. The first thing that got put on was TNT since they were showing A CHRISTMAS STORY over and over again all day. Even when I was dating my girlfriend who went on to be The Missus I still had the run of the place since she would typically be visiting her folks in Kansas. I'd grab a shower and get dressed to head over to Mom's for brunch.
Brunch at mom's was pretty much the big Christmas Day thing. I usually had seen everyone in the family before Christmas day as since we'd all grown up, the logistics of getting everyone together was much trickier. So the family Christmas gatherings were spread out. I didn't get much by way of gifts at the time. The things I wanted were pretty easy to come across. I'd maybe get a game for my Playstation 2. The food was always great as I love my mom's brunches. She makes a breakfast casserole that I always eat too much of.
After that I typically spent the afternoon at my father's watching movies, playing video games, and drinking whiskey. No binge drinking or trying to see how hammered I good get. I enjoy a nice whiskey from time to time, and knowing I wouldn't have to work the following day could allow myself the indulgence without having to worry about being fully on my game. Occasionally a buddy would come over seeking refuge from the holiday madness of his family, but mostly Christmas became, for me personally, a day quiet personal peace.
What was funny was one year every felt so bad that I typically spent the holidays alone that no one went anywhere that year. So I spent the day running around like a lunatic trying to get everywhere I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there. I couldn't very well say, "Its Christmas, why aren't you people leaving me alone?" Fortunately, the Missus also stayed in town that year, and helped me stay sane through it.
I think its that way for a lot of people once they grow up. The magic of the season and shininess gets a little difficult to enjoy when you have to worry about scheduling everything and making sure you're everywhere you need to be. When you're a kid, its a lot easier. Your parents take care of all that. You're just along for the ride. You can look at things through the wonderful lenses of youth. At an adult, you appreciate things like the end of A CHRISTMAS STORY when everything is done and the parents can sit quietly with a glass of wine and relax.
MUSIC!!
These guys who made this video are hilarious. My favorite Christmas parody song.That's all for me. Going to wrap up a bit of work and then start to enjoy my weekend. Don't expect a huge post this Sunday, but I'll have a little something for you. See y'all then.
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