Hosting the Holidays

Many things happen as you grow older. You get your driver’s license; your folks help you get your first car. You graduate from High School, go off to college, get your first job, buy your first car on your own, get your first apartment on your own, and so on. There is a huge list. Some of these mile stones stick out more than others. Graduating college, and getting married for instance. Others sneak up on you and the realization that something has happened plays around in the back of your mind before moving its way into the thoughts that you pay attention too. This year both certainly happened to me. The easy milestone, and the most life changing was getting married to the most incredible person I have ever met. The other milestone, the one that snuck up on me, well that one was entirely different. My folks, my brother, and my sister came, stayed over, and celebrated both Thanksgiving and Christmas at my house.

For as log as I can remember we have either gone to one of the grandparents houses or my parents house for these two holidays. Sometimes we take side ventures to Aunt and Uncle’s houses but the main events are at one of those places. But I didn’t realize what had happen until just recently. Maybe my life is moving faster than my thoughts and my own brain hasn’t caught up with itself lately. It is true that I have been traveling the world and handling a more than full time job plus taking care of my house and at times friends and family. So as I was saying I didn’t realize what had happened. In November has it does every year, Thanksgiving came around. Then in December the big man’s birthday came around and the Christmas holiday was on us. Both times it just seemed so natural to be around family.

But this was different. I had three people staying in my house. Mom still cooked the wonderful dinners; Dad still said his reflective blessings. This year though I spent a couple days cleaning before and after the events – though it probably didn’t seem so to the rest of my family. On top of that I got a tree, did a little decorating, and purchased supplies. Of course I didn’t get or take care of everything or offer all the niceties I should have. My mom and sister did need to the grocery store to pick up supplies, and when parents first showed up for Thanksgiving I didn’t offer them any to eat or drink though I was in the middle of lunch, something my dad did not hesitate to bring to my attention, and rightly so (a bit of rudeness on my part, though I did think they were coming in 5 hours later than they showed up). It really is too bad RG was in Moscow, she is much better at this stuff than I am. I think I get too focused on work and projects around the house when I should relax. She tends to make me slow down a little when I need to.

I don’t think that I was the only one though that felt a little out of order or place, though I don’t any of us realized it. My dad was certainly restless and more so than normal. I think a few days in my house without his own projects to do drove him a little nutz. Additionally, while my parents did go see their friends back in PL they were not busy at all and so they just really hung around the house and watched movies, maybe did a little shopping, and such but certainly they were not as busy as they are at home. For the trip around Christmas my dad had even tried to arrange a couple activities, but because they came in and left so close to Christmas day nothing was really open. Next I will certainly have to come up with some more things to do. Of course none of this ruined the holidays at all. I thought everything was a great success and I very much enjoyed having my family over at my house. I assume this will be a reoccurrence for the next several years. Unless my brother buys a house then maybe we will rotate. I can smile about this though because he doesn’t know what he is in for.