early to rise?
i have a love hate relationship with christmas.
i love seeing everyone, like my cousin whos been away for 8 years and my new cousin julliette whos is the greatest thing since the wheel seriously, but i hate the pretense of presents.
christmas eve: rush time
christmas eve is always fun. we go to my aunts and my grandmothers. my aunts is and always will be more "exciting" and by exciting i mean there will always be more 40+ year old women yelling bingo. this year they started the bingo thing, all the adults bring a $5 gift and play bingo, if your over 40 years of age and have had the Benka last name of high blood pressure excellence, you scream allot, if your married to a benka you sit in the other room and drink beer and talk about cars. or if your name is neil, you take a nap in the basement because vicadin made you sleep all the day before and you've been up since 2am.
over all i think its always great. i sit back and take in the cotrolled chirstmas huricane. biggest bonus this year, my cousin's girlfriend, really nice, really beautifull girl that makes you long for someone like her, but that doesnt inspire a sick empty feeling in your stumach, when she walks away from you, you feel greatfull that your cousin is so lucky.
after the grand specticle we head to the other side of the family, where everything is warm and the mood is set to full chill and you can sit back and relax and watch your new cousin julliete crawl around all night. juliete is possibly the greatest person under the age of 1 i have ever met. shes only 8 months old and shes almost walking already. shes one of those really observant babies that take everything in like everythings still new. makes me want to have kids soo bad. of course, thats not exactly a one person process.
after the two extravaganza-esque christmas eve gathersings we come home and open family presents. my parents bought me a record player and some pants and a new sweater. i havent gotten them anything because ive been sick all week and i had planned on getting everyone stuff last monday and then tuesday but i felt like shit. so i guess ill give them they're stuff on new years eve or whenever i can get everyone in the same room at once.
xmas day:
great grandma's. the old bird, my last surviving great grandparent, of the current ripe age of 92 years old. we're there for 6 hours waiting for my dad's cousins to show up with their kids so they can open presents. this is where i have the most mixed feelings. i see my fathers cousins and uncles and i see addiction, child abuse, numerous failed marrages, and the lowest common denominator. And then i see, my grandfather and great grandmother and i see bussiness tact, ambition, love, and a human richness. today im thankfull im my fathers son.
i love seeing everyone, like my cousin whos been away for 8 years and my new cousin julliette whos is the greatest thing since the wheel seriously, but i hate the pretense of presents.
christmas eve: rush time
christmas eve is always fun. we go to my aunts and my grandmothers. my aunts is and always will be more "exciting" and by exciting i mean there will always be more 40+ year old women yelling bingo. this year they started the bingo thing, all the adults bring a $5 gift and play bingo, if your over 40 years of age and have had the Benka last name of high blood pressure excellence, you scream allot, if your married to a benka you sit in the other room and drink beer and talk about cars. or if your name is neil, you take a nap in the basement because vicadin made you sleep all the day before and you've been up since 2am.
over all i think its always great. i sit back and take in the cotrolled chirstmas huricane. biggest bonus this year, my cousin's girlfriend, really nice, really beautifull girl that makes you long for someone like her, but that doesnt inspire a sick empty feeling in your stumach, when she walks away from you, you feel greatfull that your cousin is so lucky.
after the grand specticle we head to the other side of the family, where everything is warm and the mood is set to full chill and you can sit back and relax and watch your new cousin julliete crawl around all night. juliete is possibly the greatest person under the age of 1 i have ever met. shes only 8 months old and shes almost walking already. shes one of those really observant babies that take everything in like everythings still new. makes me want to have kids soo bad. of course, thats not exactly a one person process.
after the two extravaganza-esque christmas eve gathersings we come home and open family presents. my parents bought me a record player and some pants and a new sweater. i havent gotten them anything because ive been sick all week and i had planned on getting everyone stuff last monday and then tuesday but i felt like shit. so i guess ill give them they're stuff on new years eve or whenever i can get everyone in the same room at once.
xmas day:
great grandma's. the old bird, my last surviving great grandparent, of the current ripe age of 92 years old. we're there for 6 hours waiting for my dad's cousins to show up with their kids so they can open presents. this is where i have the most mixed feelings. i see my fathers cousins and uncles and i see addiction, child abuse, numerous failed marrages, and the lowest common denominator. And then i see, my grandfather and great grandmother and i see bussiness tact, ambition, love, and a human richness. today im thankfull im my fathers son.