On the Second Day of Christmas

It’s the day after Christmas.  I’m tired.  The last two days were spent visiting my family out of town.  A task made more difficult because my parents are divorced and run in totally opposite circles.   Christmas Eve we visited my grandma, ate food, talked with cousins, second cousins, and I ate too many of grandmas pickles.  (Everything is from her garden except the vinegar).   I still have the afteraffects of eating too much salt. At least they live in the same town. We ate breakfast with my dad's family.  We watched "White Christmas" with my mom. 

After family, we visited a friend from out of town to go out for Chinese.  She's a nanny, has multicolored hair, and has more energy than a second grader at a birthday party. It’s always nice to catch up with her and listen her tell stories.  My kids love her.  Her (grown) kids were also present.  Her son I haven’t seen in years – and he lost that adolescent flicker inspiration of too many dreams to the glow of more focused wisdom.   Her daughter I've seen more often.  She's introspective, and has started to be able to tolerate others unlike her.  Tolerate isn't the right word, maybe more comfortable with who she is and what she has the ability to become.

We came back in the evening, changed into comfortable clothes and opened the presents of cooking implements (mostly replacements for items destroyed in the past year), Lego sets, and clothes.  Little man was most excited about an electric toothbrush, my eldest daughter by a sketch book.  My middle monster delighted by candy and fuzzy pajamas.  Nancy, our exchange student from South Korea, liked everything.  She is such a gracious guest in our home.  She leaves soon.  We are not looking forward to that.

Later in the evening, we went to the in-laws home for more merriment.  We played some games, I got over the “I told them I didn’t want anything and the cousins are giving the gifts to each other” we agree to that gets broken every year.  I got over my associated guilt of not getting presents for the adults.  I barely forgive the obligatory family photo – after all I’m crazy tired and am dressed in sweatpants and hoodie.  This is not a moment I want to capture.  But my brother in law is in from out of town.  

And now it’s December 26^th.  I’m dedicating this day to get back to my normal, and perhaps start a new normal.  I have so many irons in the fire right now, and I keep trying to pull back.  I fail.  I try again.  So, this is a new attempt, starting a few days too early to be a “New Year’s Resolution.”  It’s starting with cleaning up the house.  I hope it will end with playing a game with the family and then falling asleep in clean sheets.