Catching Up
After a 4 1/2 month absence the wayward blogger has returned. Summer went by too quickly but it was a good one. Fall is quickly shifting into Winter and Christmas is just 3 weeks away. I’m ready for the holidays because I get my shopping done long before the rush of “holiday sales.”
Each year we get closer and closer to doing away with gift-giving between the adults. Early this summer we agreed to do a Pollyanna. Each of us drew a name from a hat and we all agreed on a spending limit. Sure enough all two of three sons called me to ask for gift giving advice. They were frantic and clueless about their own brothers and what each would want. As if that wasn’t surprising enough, my nephew and his wife on a whim mentioned how they were looking forward to Christmas because they thought we’d love the gift they picked out.
Normally they don’t buy anything for us. We buy for them, our grand-nieces and grand-nephew each year. We’re happy that we receive the gift of their company each Christmas evening for games and holiday shenanigans. For me it’s about getting together and enjoying the company of family. You could have knocked us over with a feather when they talked about gift giving. They have 4 kids to buy for along with a large family on her side of things. Christmas shouldn’t make you go broke.
Once the holidays are over we’ll revisit gifting and see if changes should be made.Of course EVERYONE buys for kiddos.
Photo Credit: Tim Mossholder via Upsplash
Thanksgiving has come and gone. This year we had four new faces at the table celebrating with us. Let me start of by stating that my social anxiety can go off the rails in large crowds or when adding new folks to my tiny, social circle. I’m not the type of person that has 1000 people on my friends list. Just because I met you in passing does not a friend make. In my circle of family and friends I’m the one that’s throwing the parties, cooking tons of food and making sure everyone is happy, hydrated and having fun.
Son One called early in October to ask if it would be okay to invite two of his friends/co-workers to Thanksgiving. He felt bad because they weren’t going to make it to their Friendsgiving and had no plans with family. We all know that families can be our worst nightmares so we’ll leave it there. I agreed and so Heath and Samantha were invited. At 6:45 on Wednesday the 27th, Son Two called to ask if he could bring two people to dinner the next day. Son Two is able to pile guilt on me without even trying. At first I said no and we ended the conversation but within 20 minutes the guilt was so bad I conceded and two more were added to our dinner table. As a Christian I felt it was the right thing to do in keeping with the holiday spirit. Josh and his girlfriend Amber were invited.
The day started like any other Thanksgiving. Everyone gathers in our kitchen to sip wine, chat and lend a helping hand with carving. One of two things is guaranteed each holiday:
I burn the dinner rolls because I forget about them.
I forget to make the darn gravy.
This year I forgot to make the gravy but everyone laughed it off. My conversation with my Echo Dot was also a source of great laughter when I got into an argument with it. I asked it to play Jason’s playlist. My husband has a large playlist that assures we never hear the same song twice. Alexa insisted on playing Jason Mraz songs. I’d stop her and ask again. Four times I asked this silly device and finally gave up because apparently the spirits that be wanted me to listen to Jason Mraz.
Everyone was eating, conversing and having a great time and the day moved along as usual right into our regular rounds of board games. That’s when we began to notice that two of the newly invited guests were drinking a bit more than everyone else. They announced that they had to leave to pick up his son but they’d be right back. When they returned the day took a turn for the worse. Son Two noticed that an entire bottle of Jim Beam Peach was emptied and he knew he only made two drinks and poured two shots from it. At one point Amber fell off a chair for no reason other than being blitzed. Josh tanked a game we were playing by refusing to follow simple rules and everyone was getting frustrated.
Unfortunately it meant that Son Two, who had invited them to the dinner, decided to pack up his family and head out for the evening. As I entered the living room to say goodbye I was met with a falling-down-drunk Amber who was unable to get off the couch without major assistance. Josh took his kid out to the car with no socks on, no coat, and we questioned his sobriety. My son assured me he was okay to drive because we were prepared to drive them home. At this point my nephew, his wife and the grands arrived and were completely thrown by the state of things.
Our other guests Heath and Sam were amazing. They brought lasagna, mead and a bottle of Pinot for me because I love white wine. Their homemade mead was delicious and I make no apologies for killing the entire bottle. Yes, it was that good and I wasn’t drunk. I drank it over the course of seven hours.
We closed out the night quietly with a few hours of JackBoxTV games and tucked Thanksgiving 2019 away with mixed feelings.
Photo Credit: Brooke Lark via Unsplash
The family discussed the events for two days and I decided that Thanksgiving is closed to family members only, with the exception of Heath and Sam. We really enjoyed their company and they’re pretty much hardcore gamers like the rest of us. Josh and Amber are a different story. Son Two was so embarrassed by Amber’s behavior he had a man to man with Josh the next day. I did receive an apology via Facebook. I guess that’s how the younger generation does it. He initially wanted my son to apologize for him but my son said no fekkin’ way. I’ve yet to respond to the message because I’m torn over how to respond.
He’s been to our home one time and when he was here he diligently watched over his young son and though he had beer he was responsible. Something changed between the summer and Thanksgiving. It was Amber’s first time to our home and it will be her last visit. If she’s fine with her behavior that’s for her to decide. It’s her life to live how she chooses. I’m still stunned that she chose to introduce herself to everyone by getting blitzed to the point of being unable to stand. Son Two carried her to their car and put her in her seat belt. She didn’t remember anything the next day.
We’re not sure that the “FB apology” was sincere because shortly after sending it to me he posted something about not going to let people ruin his fun. That’s his choice. Just like it’s our choice when we decide who we invite into our home and our circle of family. My poor son is still livid and has, for now, severed ties with them. We’ve told him it’s not his fault and no one in the family is blaming him.
In 2019 I invited 6 new people into our lives. That’s a big deal for me. Thankfully I can say that we’re ending the year with a 66% success rate when it comes to new friends. I’m good with that.
