Holidays are stressful, man. Sleeping in a strange bed (well, it was my bed for my first 23 years, but it is mine no longer, and my body doesn't remember how to be comfortable in it), so many people around (25 at dinner last night; it required two turkeys), lots to do in terms of cleaning & cooking (and I hardly did anything, compared to my mom), and just general not normal-ness all around. Hence, I am glad that it's the 27th and I can chill. However, there were many things that I loved about Christmas this year, and being my first Christmas as an adult not living with my parents, how much I was going to enjoy it was a bit in question. The list of enjoyable things, I think, deserves a bullet list, not the least because I'm tired and don't feel like forming actual paragraphs:
- New tradition: stockings on Christmas Eve. I get to indulge my greedy impatience without ruining the surprise of opening real presents on Christmas Day. No, I did not receive a proper engagement ring in my stocking, which I admit I did have some fantasies about, but I'm sure the hubby will be much more creative than that when the time comes.
- Cousin present exchange: we used to do it so that all of the grownups would buy every kid something, and there are two problems with that. Well, three, really. 1) we're not exactly kids anymore (the youngest, James, is 18); 2) there are a lot of us; 3) our numbers keep multiplying exponentially as we all get attached and starting bringing significant others to Christmas. This year, the cousins all drew names, and we did quite well for ourselves. Liz & Greg, who are a couple, got the hubby and I, who are obviously also a couple, and so they went in together and bought us a whole bunch of really neat and creative books. Sweet! Books from smart people who have good ideas and think of interesting things to get. How can you go wrong? Oh...I've run out of bookshelf space. But a trip to IKEA this week will solve that.
- Boxing Day shopping: I have to admit, although I come from a totally shopaholic family, I've never really done the Boxing Day shopping thing. This year, Hayley, Michelle, the hubby and I hit up Square One right when it opened, and it was amazing! I got a $50 sweater for $10, and shoes for $12. In my world, finding shoes that fit me at all is a huge challenge (11 wide. I know, I'm an Amazon), but weirdly enough, Old Navy has started making size 11s that fit me perfectly, and they were half price. We went out again today with my mom & aunt Colleen, and I got a pair of jeans for $12. Tall jeans (pants from normal stores don't fit me, because again, I'm an Amazon with freakishly long legs), which were a major score. I was in heaven!
- My cousin James' girlfriend, Melissa: it's always a gamble, bringing boyfriends/ girlfriends/ fiances to the family dos. My uncles can be harsh, and I had some baaaaad experiences with a previous boyfriend. However, Melissa got off easy, and totally got the thumbs up. However, we're now into another "how do we distinguish between people with the same name" situation, as I've got two aunts named Pat, and at one point there were two Kims. Our solution with the Pats was to have a Big Pat (she's 6') and a Little Pat (she's about 4'11"), which works well, and I think we're going to have to go for that with the Melissas. Of course, I get stuck being Big Melissa, which is no fun, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Gotta stick by my fellow Mel and make sure she feels welcome.
- Turkey sandwiches with lots of stuffing and mashed potatoes. Needs no explanation. And the one time of the year when a bread and bread sandwich makes sense.
- Sweaters: this year was sweater bonanza, and I'm thrilled. Work is definitely more of a sweater place than a jacket place, and I was feeling constrained by my lack of sweater-age, which has been more than adequately remedied. I even now have a sweater vest!
- Being home: I missed my little, cozy, homey, just big enough for the two of us apartment. And I missed being able to do whatever I wanted, like go to the movies in a t-shirt, just because I can and I don't have to walk outside to get there. We just saw Juno, and I'm in love. I'm buying it the minute it comes out on DVD, and I might have to go see it again fore then. But first I need to see Atonement, Sweeney Todd, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Movie week!
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2 comments:
Do you double-stack your books?
MotivatedTea would probably suggest an alternative to the Big and Little Mel. He has the same problem at his lab, so they're MotivatedTea1 and MotivatedTea2. (Ok, they aren't both actually called MotivatedTea, but you know what I mean.) Then you'd be Mel 1, 'cause you were there first.
I can't double stack my books because my bookshelves aren't deep enough. We did have enough room, but we're currently using one of the shelves as a pantry in the kitchen, so the only books on it are cookbooks. The dining room has a bulkhead at the end which makes it look like a nook perfectly suited for bookshelves, so we'll do that. We've got P&B's car for the week while they're in Florida/Dominican, so it's easy enough to hit IKEA.
I like the Mel1 and Mel2 idea. I'll have to suggest that. She's not really all that much shorter than me, so Little Melissa isn't quite right.
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