Yes, dear reader, my wife and I lived through the heart-squeezing stress surrounding Christmas and I am here to tell the tale. As you recall from my previous entry, we were being pulled in all directions by various blood relations who all wanted to claim a chunk of our vacation time. We eventually had to give up the prospect of an entire Christmas Day at home and left for my father-in-law's house at noon. Lunch was pleasant and I received some fine gifts, including a replica of an 11th century Claymore that resides in a museum in Scotland. We also got a few pieces of sterling flatware to fill out our place settings.
The whole time, however, my tired brain was under constant stress due to my grandmother-in-law's consternation over our choice to stay at her estranged son's house. Usually we keep such visits a secret from her, but this time our choice of lodging got blabbed by dear old Granddaddy. Needless to say, Granny was pissed. Our phone call to her on Christmas Eve was very brief, answering everything with one-word responses like OK, yes, uh-huh, etc.
Around 6:00 we went to my parents' house for dinner and family togetherness. The evening was pleasant enough, though my poor put-upon brother, still in the middle of a nasty divorce, was upstairs for half the evening taking a much-needed nap. I did get to meet the parents of my sister's current suitor, who were pleasant company. Granny's disfavor continued to loom, and the mental strain was only exacerbated when they declined an invitation to come to my parents' house, claiming they were "too tired." We also heard that the grand luncheon at the Marriott was canceled; my wife's aunt made some sort of lame excuse to weasel out of it. I was expecting a class-5 shitstorm on our visit to her house the following day. If there was anything I needed that night, it was booze. My sister's suitor took us to one of the few watering holes open on Christmas, where I downed a few black & tans.
At least we had a lovely snowfall late that night. First white Christmas I've ever had in my life. The snow piled up overnight, and after breakfast with the in-laws we decided it would be best to pack up and leave from Granny's, rather than return for our things on the treacherous roads. Granny managed to cover up her displeasure and put on a brave front since we brought my sister and her beau along as a dirty trick to make sure she behaved herself, lest the word spread all over town that Granny was cross with her own granddaughter. It was nevertheless unmistakable that the Grande Dame was not amused when we opened our gifts, which consisted of a meager selection of goodies from Granny's favorite grocer, some other goodies that were probably re-gifts, and $100 in cash for each of us. Last year we each received $300 in cash. Granny was communicating her disapproval through the withholding of benefits. Such is the way of the Granny. She gradually seemed to get over it during our visit, as I worked my charms and social graces to amuse her with stories. We seemed to be on fairly good terms again by the time we departed for my parents' house.
After a quick last visit to my folks, we headed back home in the early afternoon to make sure we arrived before nightfall and the re-freezing of the streets. The drive home was the first time I felt truly relaxed in 3 or 4 days. The following day we sat in the living room and watched all 10 episodes of The Pacific.
Next year I am resolved to avoid any travel on Christmas Day. We won't leave our house and we'll stay in our bedclothes the entire day, and if there is a loving and just god above, the day will be spent in our sprawling mansion, which we will have constructed with a portion of our lottery winnings.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment