Home ain't where the heart is anymore
I joined the boxing day shopping madness today. In New Brunswick the 26th (Boxing Day) is a holiday and stores are closed, so the insanity began today. I first went downtown to the not-very-busy mall there and picked up the Hallmark Superman ornament (squeeee!) and then walked home to check on my mail (nothing yet).
Then off to the main mall here, which was packed. I discovered I was in an irritable mood (probably due to lack of sleep and the inevitable Christmas family dramas), which made for a very pleasant shopping experience on this fine day. I picked up more Hallmark ornaments (this time after standing in line for a while): the Lucy-entering-the-closet Narnia one (see, my geek tree is pan-fandom; I have not seen the movie nor read the books but aesthetically it's pretty and I love the fantasy symbolism of through-the-looking-glass) and an I Love Lucy ornament as a tribute to my grandmother who passed away this summer (we had a tradition of going Boxing Day shopping together, usually looking for Hallmark bargains).
I got some fantastic TV on DVD deals:
Gilmore Girls S6 ($30; bought with X-mas gift money) Weeds S1 ($32; X-mas money) Brokeback Mountain ($6; X-mas money) Arrested Development S1 and S2 ($17 each; my present to myself for completing Nano) Arrested Development S3 ($17; X-mas gift card)
*hugs her new DVDs* I'm definitely going to watch a few Weeds episodes today and tomorrow before I leave for Ottawa. I'm also really into the book Red Mars, and I'm hoping to finish that so I can take the next book, Blue Mars, on my trip.
I was very proud to finish all my shopping (and a lot more browsing) by 1:10 p.m. Then I waited for what seemed like an eternity for a cab, and it finally came at 2:30 p.m. Crap. But I am home now (housesitting), and I am happy.
My Christmas was pretty good. In some ways great, in some ways fraught with family drama like always, but better than last year, which is pretty much all I likely can expect. Reading my flist yesterday, though, someone's entry title struck me: Home ain't where the heart is anymore. That describes my feelings perfectly this Christmas. I love my family, my brothers, and I would miss our traditions for sure, but I just kept thinking "I'm getting too old to make all these compromises." I fucking hate not being able to have Christmas (or any holiday I suppose) the way I like it, the way I want it. It's not like I have anyone else to celebrate it with, but at least it's nice to have decided that I have a choice in this. I'll look into alternatives for next year, and see if there's a better way I can honour myself and my own traditions while also doing some family stuff. Let me know if you have any ingenious suggestions. :)
Then off to the main mall here, which was packed. I discovered I was in an irritable mood (probably due to lack of sleep and the inevitable Christmas family dramas), which made for a very pleasant shopping experience on this fine day. I picked up more Hallmark ornaments (this time after standing in line for a while): the Lucy-entering-the-closet Narnia one (see, my geek tree is pan-fandom; I have not seen the movie nor read the books but aesthetically it's pretty and I love the fantasy symbolism of through-the-looking-glass) and an I Love Lucy ornament as a tribute to my grandmother who passed away this summer (we had a tradition of going Boxing Day shopping together, usually looking for Hallmark bargains).
I got some fantastic TV on DVD deals:
*hugs her new DVDs* I'm definitely going to watch a few Weeds episodes today and tomorrow before I leave for Ottawa. I'm also really into the book Red Mars, and I'm hoping to finish that so I can take the next book, Blue Mars, on my trip.
I was very proud to finish all my shopping (and a lot more browsing) by 1:10 p.m. Then I waited for what seemed like an eternity for a cab, and it finally came at 2:30 p.m. Crap. But I am home now (housesitting), and I am happy.
My Christmas was pretty good. In some ways great, in some ways fraught with family drama like always, but better than last year, which is pretty much all I likely can expect. Reading my flist yesterday, though, someone's entry title struck me: Home ain't where the heart is anymore. That describes my feelings perfectly this Christmas. I love my family, my brothers, and I would miss our traditions for sure, but I just kept thinking "I'm getting too old to make all these compromises." I fucking hate not being able to have Christmas (or any holiday I suppose) the way I like it, the way I want it. It's not like I have anyone else to celebrate it with, but at least it's nice to have decided that I have a choice in this. I'll look into alternatives for next year, and see if there's a better way I can honour myself and my own traditions while also doing some family stuff. Let me know if you have any ingenious suggestions. :)