Lest you think that I was being smug when I chose the URL for my blog, I will put your mind at rest right now. While we are, for the most part, a happy family, we have our days. Like everyone does, I suppose. If you had been a fly on our wall last week, you would've witnessed Ben and I having our Annual Christmas Argument. (Yes, I've titled it.)
My husband can be a grouchy seventy-something trapped in a twenty-somethings body when it comes to holiday functions. Every year since we've moved back to the area where we grew up, this has been a fight. Ok, who am I kidding. It's always been a fight. But when we lived too far away to go, Ben was off the hook. He doesn't like to go to family parties, you see. I'm not exactly sure why, either. And then, to add insult to injury, he says agrivating things to me in regards to the parties, just because he can. For instance: Both of my parents' sides of the family have a Christmas party. So rather than saying "no I won't go" or (my personal favorite) "yes I will go and I will have fun! And I'll even be my wonderfully jovial self that everyone knows and loves just because I love you soverymuch!" Ben says, "I'll go to one party. I'll flip a coin to decide, even! You know, because I'm all about being fair." So it's come down to he's not going, and I am going... alone. And nothin' says Christmas like being alone. It makes me so completely sad. It's so hard for me to undersand why he equates a family party with being stabbed with hot pokers. There will be yummy food, and family that may ACTUALLY WANT TO TALK TO HIM, and ohmygosh, GAMES. Not those! And WHAT IF PEOPLE SING SONGS??? What will he do then? There will be presents (for him, even!) and general holiday cheer. I hate that part the most, myself. When people are all hollidayish and cheery.
I wish with all of my heart that he would just go! So I'm not looking forward to the 12th and the 21st, when I get to go to parties that I would normally be looking forward to, but instead get to go as a lonely holiday widow who's husband just couldn't stomach going for her. Merry Christmas to me.Yeah, yeah, cry me a river.
