So this is Christmas
Christmas this year was, well, different. Before it even started I thought it was going to be a bad different, but last night when I went to bed exhausted from this holiday season, I realized that I actually think it was my favorite.
No, it didn't snow. And maybe if I was a little kid I would have cried and boycotted Christmas, but I dealt with it. I was driving around Dallas running last minute errands in my car with the windows down in the fifty degree weather. I had to ask myself if it was Easter Sunday or Christmas Eve. But I like fifty degree weather, and I like driving with the windows down, so it worked out well.
Christmas Eve night was spent differently this year as well, at my Uncle Jack's house in Dupont. We had dinner there and I spent a good amount of time catching up with Mollie and planning her week long sleepover that will hopefully begin tomorrow. We opened presents and ate seafood and talked about Christmases at my grandparents' house in Plains when they were alive, and it was nice. It really was.
We woke Christmas morning at 9 and gathered around our tree and watched Parker and Cyder annihilate their wrapped bones and stuffed animals. I gave my mom her leather-bound address book filled with numbers I transferred over from her pathetic collection of old, tattered pieces of paper. I gave my dad his American Eagle leather wallet he wanted for his credit cards, and he was thankful. I got the usual: books, clothes, aerie underwear, Victoria Secret pajamas. I also got a booster cushion for my car (ha), a white fluffy down comforter, a Polaroid camera, and gift certificates.
My mom walked in the kitchen and almost fainted when she saw this oak piece of furniture the Amish made that fits snuggly in the upper part of our kitchen. And my dad was already planning on where he'd put his grouse he's getting stuffed. Then, we went over to the O'Brien's around 10:30 for a massive Christmas brunch. We exchanged there and sat around and talked until almost three. Mandy got a pay-as-you-go cellphone, and we all laughed until we were in tears when my mother took it in her hands and said, "Wow! It looks just like a real cell phone...Where do you insert the coins?" I seriously almost peed my pants. Leave it up to my mother to think pay-as-you-go phones need coin slots. I really love that woman.
When we left there we came back to shower, then headed over to the Cannon's house where we exchanged with them and sat and bullshitted until they were ready to eat dinner. I can't believe how much Eric has grown up. I've known the kid since he was born, and we've always been close. He's now taller than me and his voice got so deep and he really looks so much more mature than the last time I saw him. I remember being little and dreading going over to their house because he always made me play power rangers, and here we are, only four years apart now, planning skiing trips and laughing about all the memories we have of the yearly Cannon-Nichols beach vacations.
After we left there we went to the Duddy household, which was buzzing with life and lit up and festive and my Uncle Joe was blaring Christmas songs from his new intercom-stereo system and it just felt homey and right. And we had turkey and ham and homemade kielbasa. Jessy and I went into the family room and I looked at all she got and we ended up sitting on the couch talking for two and a half hours. It was so nice to just sit with her and talk about the days when Christmas Day nights were spent upstairs in her pink room playing Mellany's Mall for hours. We talked about friends and life and guys and I felt like I hadn't talked to her in years, even though I saw her only a few weeks ago when we were both home for my Aunt's funeral. But it was nice, and I really love that girl.
We got home after ten, so we didn't get to have our seafood dinner with the O'Briens as planned, but I think we have rescheduled it to tonight. I went straight to Sarah's house where we exchanged for God knows the twelfth or so time. We both got each other boxer shorts from AE (I swear we're twins) and she got me a scrapbook with stickers and filler paper to remember my Seton Hill days when I leave for Boston. It was really a good idea. Besides her shorts, I got her a picture frame with three pictures of us "over the years" - one of us at Halloween when we were in second grade, another of us at the beach in seventh grade, and a recent one of us at Nichol's house. She really liked it, and even though Cyder jumped on it days before and smashed the glass, it didn't look to bad.
We were planning on going out, but ended up sitting in her newly finished sunroom with the Christmas tree like old women on rockers with blankets and talked until after midnight. We talked about everything from sex to homemade potato salad and it was nice and just what I needed I think. I really love that girl. She's not only my best friend, she's the only person I've ever met who I laugh until I'm crying several times while we're together. As I drove the 30 seconds back to my house, I felt so blessed to be able to have so many people in my life I can reminisce about the "old days" with; to have people that once played Barbies and took bubble bathes with me.
I got home and my mom was still up, sitting on the couch looking at the tree, no television on, and it broke my heart. I knew she was thinking about her sister, and my little cousin who spent his first Christmas without a mother today. I stayed with her for awhile, then we both went up to sleep and I passed out as soon as I got into bed. The holidays are absolutely exhausting.
I plan on after Christmas shopping this week. Mollie should be coming today or tomorrow and that's always a good time. I'm not sure what's going on for New Years Eve yet, but the party that my parents always have is going to be at the Duddy's this year, so Jess and I may make an appearance at that and the go out. My friend Nick who goes to school with me, who happens to live in Forty Fort and graduated from O'Reilly, is in a band and they are playing in Scranton that night, so I'm thinking of going to that, too. Jordan keeps bugging me to come down, so if there's nothing too exciting going on in NEPA, I might venture down to Gettysburg.
This week I have to go for more tests because since I never ovulate, they think I will either have a very hard time getting pregnant, or be infertile altogether. It really scares me. You really don't even know. Having children is what I want to do more than anything, and I'm petrified to find out it may not work out for me. I guess I shouldn't get too worked up until I know for sure, but it's still nerve-racking.
Ugh, on that note, I really really hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.
No, it didn't snow. And maybe if I was a little kid I would have cried and boycotted Christmas, but I dealt with it. I was driving around Dallas running last minute errands in my car with the windows down in the fifty degree weather. I had to ask myself if it was Easter Sunday or Christmas Eve. But I like fifty degree weather, and I like driving with the windows down, so it worked out well.
Christmas Eve night was spent differently this year as well, at my Uncle Jack's house in Dupont. We had dinner there and I spent a good amount of time catching up with Mollie and planning her week long sleepover that will hopefully begin tomorrow. We opened presents and ate seafood and talked about Christmases at my grandparents' house in Plains when they were alive, and it was nice. It really was.
We woke Christmas morning at 9 and gathered around our tree and watched Parker and Cyder annihilate their wrapped bones and stuffed animals. I gave my mom her leather-bound address book filled with numbers I transferred over from her pathetic collection of old, tattered pieces of paper. I gave my dad his American Eagle leather wallet he wanted for his credit cards, and he was thankful. I got the usual: books, clothes, aerie underwear, Victoria Secret pajamas. I also got a booster cushion for my car (ha), a white fluffy down comforter, a Polaroid camera, and gift certificates.
My mom walked in the kitchen and almost fainted when she saw this oak piece of furniture the Amish made that fits snuggly in the upper part of our kitchen. And my dad was already planning on where he'd put his grouse he's getting stuffed. Then, we went over to the O'Brien's around 10:30 for a massive Christmas brunch. We exchanged there and sat around and talked until almost three. Mandy got a pay-as-you-go cellphone, and we all laughed until we were in tears when my mother took it in her hands and said, "Wow! It looks just like a real cell phone...Where do you insert the coins?" I seriously almost peed my pants. Leave it up to my mother to think pay-as-you-go phones need coin slots. I really love that woman.
When we left there we came back to shower, then headed over to the Cannon's house where we exchanged with them and sat and bullshitted until they were ready to eat dinner. I can't believe how much Eric has grown up. I've known the kid since he was born, and we've always been close. He's now taller than me and his voice got so deep and he really looks so much more mature than the last time I saw him. I remember being little and dreading going over to their house because he always made me play power rangers, and here we are, only four years apart now, planning skiing trips and laughing about all the memories we have of the yearly Cannon-Nichols beach vacations.
After we left there we went to the Duddy household, which was buzzing with life and lit up and festive and my Uncle Joe was blaring Christmas songs from his new intercom-stereo system and it just felt homey and right. And we had turkey and ham and homemade kielbasa. Jessy and I went into the family room and I looked at all she got and we ended up sitting on the couch talking for two and a half hours. It was so nice to just sit with her and talk about the days when Christmas Day nights were spent upstairs in her pink room playing Mellany's Mall for hours. We talked about friends and life and guys and I felt like I hadn't talked to her in years, even though I saw her only a few weeks ago when we were both home for my Aunt's funeral. But it was nice, and I really love that girl.
We got home after ten, so we didn't get to have our seafood dinner with the O'Briens as planned, but I think we have rescheduled it to tonight. I went straight to Sarah's house where we exchanged for God knows the twelfth or so time. We both got each other boxer shorts from AE (I swear we're twins) and she got me a scrapbook with stickers and filler paper to remember my Seton Hill days when I leave for Boston. It was really a good idea. Besides her shorts, I got her a picture frame with three pictures of us "over the years" - one of us at Halloween when we were in second grade, another of us at the beach in seventh grade, and a recent one of us at Nichol's house. She really liked it, and even though Cyder jumped on it days before and smashed the glass, it didn't look to bad.
We were planning on going out, but ended up sitting in her newly finished sunroom with the Christmas tree like old women on rockers with blankets and talked until after midnight. We talked about everything from sex to homemade potato salad and it was nice and just what I needed I think. I really love that girl. She's not only my best friend, she's the only person I've ever met who I laugh until I'm crying several times while we're together. As I drove the 30 seconds back to my house, I felt so blessed to be able to have so many people in my life I can reminisce about the "old days" with; to have people that once played Barbies and took bubble bathes with me.
I got home and my mom was still up, sitting on the couch looking at the tree, no television on, and it broke my heart. I knew she was thinking about her sister, and my little cousin who spent his first Christmas without a mother today. I stayed with her for awhile, then we both went up to sleep and I passed out as soon as I got into bed. The holidays are absolutely exhausting.
I plan on after Christmas shopping this week. Mollie should be coming today or tomorrow and that's always a good time. I'm not sure what's going on for New Years Eve yet, but the party that my parents always have is going to be at the Duddy's this year, so Jess and I may make an appearance at that and the go out. My friend Nick who goes to school with me, who happens to live in Forty Fort and graduated from O'Reilly, is in a band and they are playing in Scranton that night, so I'm thinking of going to that, too. Jordan keeps bugging me to come down, so if there's nothing too exciting going on in NEPA, I might venture down to Gettysburg.
This week I have to go for more tests because since I never ovulate, they think I will either have a very hard time getting pregnant, or be infertile altogether. It really scares me. You really don't even know. Having children is what I want to do more than anything, and I'm petrified to find out it may not work out for me. I guess I shouldn't get too worked up until I know for sure, but it's still nerve-racking.
Ugh, on that note, I really really hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.