Everyone's got their Christmas traditions. From the traditional turkey to the alternative sushi, staying home or going away for the holidays, there are some things that never change.
Me, I've got three families at the moment. Four, counting me, Mrs. M and little Baby M as a "new" family who have to start our own traditions.
Every Christmas, we juggle/negotiate/contractually obligate ourselves to these three families: My mom, Marci's parents, and my dad.
Christmas with mom is always on the 24th, Christmas Eve. We get together for supper and beverages and camaraderie, and open our gifts to each other at that time.
Mom's a fun traditionalist with some flexibility; although she enjoys a turkey dinner, this year we had a whole passel of finger foods from M&M Meat Shops. Delicious, filling, and EASY TO PREPARE AND CLEAN UP, the hallmark of a very positive Christmas.
Mom and I are on the same page: Christmas is to be ENJOYED. Christmas is to be FUN. If there's stress involved it can just get its ass kicked RIGHT out the door, thank you very much. So when we had her sister, my aunt Darlene in from New Brunswick, in town for Christmas we determined to make everything as easy as possible. And it was! We, my brother, my cousin and her beau, my mom and my Aunt had a wonderful Christmas eve, thank you very much.
And to show the coolness that is my mom, for Christmas we repainted her apartment. I began the concept by Queer Eyeing it and saying I saw it as a Spanish Cantina sort of theme; antiquey and rustic but --y'know, muy caliente at the same time.
So my aunt and I bought the paint and glaze, my aunt had the whole place painted in two days (the women on Mom's side of the family being utterly obsessively crazy when they have a project to do) and I came in one evening to do the faux-finishing. Voila! Color gold and distressed-- beautiful.
Sorry I don't have any "before" pics-- the apartment used to be TAUPE-- but my Aunt started painting before either mom or I expected it. It's now Stuart Gold, and looks fabulous. Pictures to follow.
Christmas Day is traditionally for Marci's family. They're the polite family. The ones who never know quite what to make of her freaky actor husband with his New Brunswick background and alternative lifestyle references. They're a large bunch of Germanic descent, cousins and aunts and uncles everywhere, who get together in large groups necessitating lots of casseroles.
They're mostly Christian and soft-spoken and I tend to doubt they even know any dirty words. Needless to say, I kind of stick out in that crowd. The cartoon at left-- brought to you by the fine minds at Penny Arcade-- is the best description of how I feel when trying to explain my life to Marci's family. And look-- there's even a red-headed chick with glasses admonishing her two-tone-headed husband for his fabrications. Totally illustrative of a Marci family gathering.
Boxing Day is for my Dad. It's far less "traditional family" and more "yuppie brunch." Which is great, because can you imagine three days of turkey? Lord.
For the past three years we've gone to see Lord of the Rings as our tradition; now I'm sad because the trilogy is over, and I really enjoyed making that our "Christmas movie." I think next year we'll just have to pick another movie, because going to the cinema at Christmas just feels so much more FUN than merely renting a DVD.
Finally, Marci and I belatedly realized that we have a child now, and therefore we are OUR OWN family and need to start our own traditions. We stole time out of Christmas Day for just us, and I think it's going to continue that way-- we like things quiet, magical. Not for us the hullabaloo. We like to spend time admiring the tree and quietly sitting in each other's company, enjoying a mug of hot chocolate or a juicy mandarin orange.
I like each of these traditions. I enjoy the diversity, and most of all the CELEBRATION of the holiday. Because, after all, it is a celebration. Find the joy in your Christmas and, god forbid, if there isn't any-- MAKE some.
Happy Holidays to everyone.
Posted by Agent M at December 31, 2003 12:12 PMChristmas is to be FUN. If there's stress involved it can just get its ass kicked RIGHT out the door, thank you very much.
...
And to show the coolness that is my mom, for Christmas we repainted her apartment.
See, right there, those two statements are diametrically opposed... may I say, perhaps, mutually exclusive?
Posted by: Rook on December 31, 2003 12:45 PMWell, they are if you're a lazy-ass bastard! :)
I think it's because it was a fun, voluntary project. I mean, otherwise no, I'd say that painting your apartment when you have guests for Christmas is just utter madness.
But when you have a mother and aunt that seem to thrive on challenges of this nature, then...well, happy Christmas!
Posted by: Agent M on December 31, 2003 01:57 PMIf Christmas was intended to be fun then I wouldn't spend it with my in-laws, now, would I.
I didn't think so.
Posted by: Sean on January 3, 2004 03:14 PM