Christmastime
What is it about Christmastime that brings out the worst in me?
Probably my family. On Christmas you see everybody again you've tried to avoid throughout the year. I mean, it's not like you can really choose your family so you just have to arrange yourself with them. But what about the family of my mum's boyfriend? He and my mom are not married, and they never will marry. I do live with part of his family in a house but interaction is cut to the least amount and we rarely run into each other and I like it that way.
But on Christmas it's like we're living in a fishbowl, every comes and looks at us and tries to make nice conversation and be civil to each other, although the usual dislike of each other is rather thinly veiled and on plain view for most people. I mean on any occasion that I have to meet the whole family of my mom's boyfriend again it's just about tolerating each other until we're out of sight and then the sniping and the gossiping starts again. I'M used to that and it's pretty common. But when we go to family meetings of the rather large family on my mother's side it's so different. And I like them so much better.
The worst though with meeting the family of my mom's boyfriend is meeting his father and his new wife. He is practically deaf and with one foot already in the grave because he won't quit smoking although his skin is already so dead that it's permanently dark-coloured so that he looks like one of those sun studio-victims. He's been in the hospital throughout the last year more often than not and to be honest he's loosing grip of reality more and more.
And his wife is even worth. She thinks so high of herself she's probably lost sight of common ground twenty years ago when she was still working. Her presents are about as well loved as stinky, old socks in this house ( she always gives me her old books that I'M not going to read anyway because they are always about things that don't interest me. She gave me a biography about a French woman in the 1968 Revolution, which sounds interesting in itself. But she gave it to me because that woman apparently dressed in black as well, wow thanks how considerate *shakes head* ).
In the end though I guess that's just family as we know it. Tolerating each other and pretending to be normal until we're alone again.
Also? God Christmas trying to stuff me like a turkey. I mean I love eating, but so much meat and so much heavy food in a matter of so few days.
And then the Left-Overs from which we can probably gorge ourselves into the next YEAR but thank god I'm gone the day after tomorrow. Means I won't have to deal with that issue so much. Also the day after tomorrow my parents are going to prepare ANOTHER dinner for 10 people with 4 courses and so much wine we could probably fill our enormous bathtub with. Well, thank God I'm at sanshin's place then.
On a happier note, now I have time to read a large amount of the 1000+ stories for Yuletide *boggles* yeah that's right 1000+ stories. That means I know have time to read minimum 1.000.000 words. *cheers*
Probably my family. On Christmas you see everybody again you've tried to avoid throughout the year. I mean, it's not like you can really choose your family so you just have to arrange yourself with them. But what about the family of my mum's boyfriend? He and my mom are not married, and they never will marry. I do live with part of his family in a house but interaction is cut to the least amount and we rarely run into each other and I like it that way.
But on Christmas it's like we're living in a fishbowl, every comes and looks at us and tries to make nice conversation and be civil to each other, although the usual dislike of each other is rather thinly veiled and on plain view for most people. I mean on any occasion that I have to meet the whole family of my mom's boyfriend again it's just about tolerating each other until we're out of sight and then the sniping and the gossiping starts again. I'M used to that and it's pretty common. But when we go to family meetings of the rather large family on my mother's side it's so different. And I like them so much better.
The worst though with meeting the family of my mom's boyfriend is meeting his father and his new wife. He is practically deaf and with one foot already in the grave because he won't quit smoking although his skin is already so dead that it's permanently dark-coloured so that he looks like one of those sun studio-victims. He's been in the hospital throughout the last year more often than not and to be honest he's loosing grip of reality more and more.
And his wife is even worth. She thinks so high of herself she's probably lost sight of common ground twenty years ago when she was still working. Her presents are about as well loved as stinky, old socks in this house ( she always gives me her old books that I'M not going to read anyway because they are always about things that don't interest me. She gave me a biography about a French woman in the 1968 Revolution, which sounds interesting in itself. But she gave it to me because that woman apparently dressed in black as well, wow thanks how considerate *shakes head* ).
In the end though I guess that's just family as we know it. Tolerating each other and pretending to be normal until we're alone again.
Also? God Christmas trying to stuff me like a turkey. I mean I love eating, but so much meat and so much heavy food in a matter of so few days.
And then the Left-Overs from which we can probably gorge ourselves into the next YEAR but thank god I'm gone the day after tomorrow. Means I won't have to deal with that issue so much. Also the day after tomorrow my parents are going to prepare ANOTHER dinner for 10 people with 4 courses and so much wine we could probably fill our enormous bathtub with. Well, thank God I'm at sanshin's place then.
On a happier note, now I have time to read a large amount of the 1000+ stories for Yuletide *boggles* yeah that's right 1000+ stories. That means I know have time to read minimum 1.000.000 words. *cheers*