A Conversation
Me: Does brother have a **insert gift idea here**?
Mom: No, I don’t think so. That would be a nice gift. You should get him something nice because you short changed him last year.
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Mom: My big Christmas party is going to be on the 29th.
Me: The boys are with their dad that weekend.
Mom: Well, just tell X you need to switch!
Me: I don’t know that I want to have to negotiate that with him right now.
Mom: Well, that’s when Brother’s step-son is on leave and they will be here. You just need to tell X that he needs to give up that day. (yes, she actually said that.)
Me: Uh. Why do you just assume that X is going to roll over for this? And why do you just assume that I even want to bring up the subject? Maybe, I already have plans for that weekend. This is the first I’ve heard about this.
Mom: Well, that’s the only time that Brother’s step-son can be here, so that’s when we have to have the party and open presents.
(where apparently our gifts to each other are weighed and evaluated to be sure that each party has met some arbitrary obligation.)
Me: Well, what are we doing on Christmas Eve then?
Mom: oh, we’ll just open little token gifts that night. By the way, Grandma will out of the nursing home and so I’ll have to host because she can’t do the stairs at your house.
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I really wish that was a fictional conversation. But it’s pretty much a verbatim account from Friday evening. She also scolded me for not having “wish lists” prepared for the boys and for myself because “I need to have a list. My back hurts and I can’t be just wandering around W*lM!rt for hours. I need to know what I’m shopping for.”
She was not amused when I suggested she send money to World Hunger or Heifer International.
Holiday spirit? Yeah, I’ll get right on that.
sigh.
— — —
A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…
December 9th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Oh dear. That kinda sucks. I just sent all of my relatives the kid’s wishlist. I included all crazy gifts like: mini-fridge, fish bowl with fish, and radar gun. It’s hectic trying to get everyone situated on what to get. I feel your pain.
December 9th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
I loathe when people arbitrarily think I can switch times with my ex for visitation. It’s a favor I am rare to ask and I do not like that assumptions are made for any of our time.
I feel for ya. Holidays are about a complete lack of control.
Now go buy some good presents for heaven’s sake. j/k
December 9th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
See? That’s the kind of stuff that make holidays stressful when they don’t need to be.
December 11th, 2007 at 12:21 am
[...] is the lovely warm and “functional” relationships with my family of origin. (See here, for instance, for my latest whiny-assed rant against my [...]