So This is Christmas

On the Second Day of Christmas, God separated the gifts wanted from those that needed to be exchanged and He called the ones kept, "good," and those given back with reciepts, "tacky." And so there were gifts wanted and gifts exchanged, the second day.

Happy Boxing Day, Everybody!

We are now officially in the Christmas Season, there are two more weeks of Christmas. NOW I am comfortable with Christmas music playing and Christmas decoration. Of course, not everybody is with me. I call these people, "wrong." And, speaking about wrong...

There is a backstory beginning Christmas Eve, but, it's not nearly as entertaining...

My Christmas began with me reciprocating to the priest in the confessional a "Merry Christmas." I was able to find a seat during Midnight Mass, which was celebrated by a bishop, and lasted 2 hours. No complaints, though. Traffic was good going and coming from the Mass. I got home by 0300. I woke up at 1100. My mom asked what time did I get in and go to bed. I told her I got in at 0300 and she joked to me go back to bed.

I sat in one of the few availible seats, easily accessable because there's not as many things to move off of it, my mom's chair, in the living room and sat down. My dad, in his chair, told me that we've been invited to my mom's cousin's. "So, it's possible that we get so see both Molly ~and~ Cinnamon, today?!! :D " I don't remember if my mom or my dad said it's possible, but, not probable. Molly is a golden retriever and Cinnamon is a...I'm not sure. But, anyway, Molly belongs to our cousin, Cinnamon belongs to the friend of the family's pivotal to this narration. My dad says one of the parties is at 1400 and the other one isn't until 1700.

I'm tired, I go back to bed, thinking I have until 1700 to nap. (I agreed to go to my cousin's.)

No, I got maybe a 45 minute nap because my cousin's thing is the 1400 one. Alright. I decide to ride with my parent's because my windshield wipers weren't working and I'm due for an oil change.

My dad has his car a bluetooth and so we call my cousin, and ask,
Mom: Is dinner still at two?
Cousin: What? [Because the car bluetooth is like speaker phone for your car, and not that great. Duh.]
Mom: We're on our way, is dinner still at two?
Cousin: No. We're eating now. I need to eat, I haven't eaten all day.
Mom: Oh. Well, YOUR daughter was supposed to call me if plans changed. Alright, we're on our way, we just left, we'll see you shortly.

Let me tell you all what I found out later. As I understand it, my cousin's daughter called my mom at 1000 on 12/25 to invite her to dinner at two at her mom's place. My mom said yes, and possibly requested the cousin's daughter (also our cousin) to call her should plans change. I don't know if my mom really asked, or, she only thought she asked, or my cousin didn't hear her, or after taking two trains with boyfriend and two children, didn't remember, but, there was a failure to communicate.

After being invited, though, my mom frantically called around places to bring a desert. No place was open except for a family restaurant who typically doesn't sell cakes fully but by the slice, but, they had pity on my mom and sold her a carrot cake. We took the carrot cake with us to my cousin's.

I was getting motion sick on the way to my cousin's. I don't know if it was me being over heated alone or that combined with my dad's driving, but, I was not feeling well by the time we pulled in to my cousin's subdivision.

My mom told us, a few times on the way there, after we found out that we weren't eating at 1400, "Don't expect to eat." I hear these words, I think, 'The hostess probably will not offer food.' I had a few handfulls of chocolate covered carmel corn before we leave, so, I'm hungry, but, that's ballanced by my nausia from my dad's driving.

My mom's last words before we left the car, was, "Don't bring in the cake."

I take a few moments with the door open to let the fresh air in to the car to compose myself before I get up.

I walk inside the house and am greeted by Molly. I give her attention, and I plan to make myself comfortable and take off my coat and such, but, I am not more than three feet from the door the entire time. My mom is not more than 3' away from me, and the way the room is set up, she's blocking me from further entry, and she's not moving. My dad is by the table full of food.

I hug my cousin (the daugher) and wave to her kids and boyfriend. I'm not even sure if I was introduced to him, I was so dizzy and it went by so fast. My cousin, her mother, comes out in pink pj's (top and bottoms) and says she's been so busy, she hasn't had a chance to shower. "We've been hearing that all morning." -- Daughter. Regardless of appearance at 1400, Cousin (mother) invites us to eat. The food is still on the table and they ~just~ finished. "No, that's okay, we're leaving." -- My mom. "You're leaving?" -- My Cousins "Yes, we have somewhere else to be, we just stopped to drop these off." -- Mom "But, you have to open your gifts here, so we can see. It's Christmas." -- Daugher Cousin. "No, we'll open them at home. We have somewhere else to be." -- Mom.

Food was offered a few more times. Damnit, I wanted the food. I didn't see WHY my mom was being so proud about it (at one point, my cousin, the daughter, asks my mom, "And what do you mean, 'You're daughter was supposed to call if there was any changes'?" I don't recall the reply). I don't think it was intended to slight her intentionally in any way. My cousins all seemed really surprised and off put by her reception to the party. She called asking when dinner was, cheerfully, and now she's saying we cannot stay...

My dad said he was going to grab an appetiser, but, Molly was resting her head on the table, and her breath (and tongue, probably) was in reach of the food.

I am out the door now, and I turn to my cousin (mother) and say, "We'll, I'm glad I got to see you before I moved."
"MOVED?!!!?"
"Yeah."
"Where?"
"Oklahoma."
"Permanently?!!?"
*nods*
*Stunned*
"I'll e-mail you. *wink*"

This is the cousin who my mom is always on the phone to about the job my mom quit because she hated it so much. She's long gone from the job, but, my cousin still works there, and my cousin keeps her updated on all the gossip. For all the information my mom pumps out of my cousin, and for all she tells her, it surprised me that my mom didn't tell her this....

Anyway, as I walk back to the car, I ask my mom if I can sit in the front. My dad says he'll take the Interstate (not stop and go). I sit in the back.

I need to roll down the window, though, about 15 minutes later. My mom wants me to roll my window up. I tell her I'm getting sick. She asks me, "Well why didn't you ask me to switch?"

It is for this reason I cannot say with certainty what happened between my mom and our cousin concerning the hour.

My dad explains to her the deal he had and also, that it's for the best we didn't stay because he couldn't stand all the smoke in the house and apparently he was suffocating from not being able to breathe...

I went home and went to bed until my dad woke me up so I could follow him to our friend's house, where we ended up bringing the carrot cake.

Here it is, Boxing Day, and I have yet to open any presents, which is fine with me, because I'm just looking at all the stuff I have to haul down there, now.

I hope to post pictures of the house I'm leaving, the house I'm going to when I first move in, and the house I am going to after I *ME* it.

I'll call you if there's any changes.