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dolariOriginally opsted tothe FAE board...oh...about thirty seconds ago, but it does belong here as well
I hates the Christmas Carols. I hates 'em, I do. Actually, the whole of Christmas grates on me. And, sadly, it's for completely the wrong reason. It's not the commercialism, it's not the selling out of the spirit. No, it's much worse than that.
It's my mom. (Key dramatic musical sting here )
When my mom was growing up, the first five years of her life were literally going with my grandparents on long migrant worker trips. They were very very very poor and Christmas was quite literally an apple, and orange and maybe a small little cheap toy. When they finally settled in San Antonio in the late mid 50s, Christmas was still hard to come by, and for most of my mom's life Christmas was very lean.
Now a days, Christmas for her is literally her "Golden Time." I love the complete wonder of Christmas she gets this time of year. She quite literally is a little five year old girl drinking in the wonder of a Sears Holiday Christmas.
Now while most of this would be a very good thing, and I'm often happy to see mom happy, I really hate Christmas because it is SUCH a production for her, and my sister and I get dragged into it. Even my father is happy once Christmas is over.
An example - this Christmas is a light one for us:
Our two Christmas trees are decorated in a Victorian style, red and gold, with millions of lights, ornaments, garland and tinsel. A third tree is on it's way. There is garland and lights on every bannsiter in the house. Multicolored lights draped EVERYWHERE. All the furniture have specific holiday doilies she's draped on them. Christmas music plays every moment she is here. Several Christmas playsets (many of them homemade...I get my creative side from her) take up every square inch of shelf space we have. The kitchen reeks of pine, mistletoe and cinnamon.
You should see it when we have money for Christmas (One year we had nine trees...one for every room in the house, two miniatures trees for the bathroom and one in the lawn).
While it sounds like a beautiful holiday wonderland (and it can be), she starts all this the DAY AFTER HALLOWE'EN. She usually won't stop until January 1st, and it all stays up until March. Christmas music and cheer 24 hours a day every day for that time.
My ex could never figure out why I never put up any Christmas decorations, or really enjoyed the season. Then he saw my mom's vision of Christmas. Beautiful for a day, annoying after two and downright creepy after three.
Mom means well, and for most of her life she's had crappy Christmases...so we let her have her holiday spirit as long as possible without completely going full tilt insane.
My only real joys of Christmas? The Christmas Song by Cheech and Chong, and The Mackenzie's Brother's song.
My holiday? Gimmie Day of the Dead any day.
One thing I did forget to mention was the parties. Every Friday and Sunday in December, my mom hosts a gingerbread house making party for the neighborhood kids, and for her family. And while I think it's a blast that she shares Christmas with them, I only have, maybe, one gingerbread house in me a year, not six.
However, one of the sweetest things to come out of her Christmas is the Christmas party. My dad dresses as Santa and gives out gifts for virtually every kid inthe neighborhood...usually their parents provide the gifts, but mom ALWAYS provides two things:
An apple and an orange. :)
I hates the Christmas Carols. I hates 'em, I do. Actually, the whole of Christmas grates on me. And, sadly, it's for completely the wrong reason. It's not the commercialism, it's not the selling out of the spirit. No, it's much worse than that.
It's my mom. (Key dramatic musical sting here )
When my mom was growing up, the first five years of her life were literally going with my grandparents on long migrant worker trips. They were very very very poor and Christmas was quite literally an apple, and orange and maybe a small little cheap toy. When they finally settled in San Antonio in the late mid 50s, Christmas was still hard to come by, and for most of my mom's life Christmas was very lean.
Now a days, Christmas for her is literally her "Golden Time." I love the complete wonder of Christmas she gets this time of year. She quite literally is a little five year old girl drinking in the wonder of a Sears Holiday Christmas.
Now while most of this would be a very good thing, and I'm often happy to see mom happy, I really hate Christmas because it is SUCH a production for her, and my sister and I get dragged into it. Even my father is happy once Christmas is over.
An example - this Christmas is a light one for us:
Our two Christmas trees are decorated in a Victorian style, red and gold, with millions of lights, ornaments, garland and tinsel. A third tree is on it's way. There is garland and lights on every bannsiter in the house. Multicolored lights draped EVERYWHERE. All the furniture have specific holiday doilies she's draped on them. Christmas music plays every moment she is here. Several Christmas playsets (many of them homemade...I get my creative side from her) take up every square inch of shelf space we have. The kitchen reeks of pine, mistletoe and cinnamon.
You should see it when we have money for Christmas (One year we had nine trees...one for every room in the house, two miniatures trees for the bathroom and one in the lawn).
While it sounds like a beautiful holiday wonderland (and it can be), she starts all this the DAY AFTER HALLOWE'EN. She usually won't stop until January 1st, and it all stays up until March. Christmas music and cheer 24 hours a day every day for that time.
My ex could never figure out why I never put up any Christmas decorations, or really enjoyed the season. Then he saw my mom's vision of Christmas. Beautiful for a day, annoying after two and downright creepy after three.
Mom means well, and for most of her life she's had crappy Christmases...so we let her have her holiday spirit as long as possible without completely going full tilt insane.
My only real joys of Christmas? The Christmas Song by Cheech and Chong, and The Mackenzie's Brother's song.
My holiday? Gimmie Day of the Dead any day.
One thing I did forget to mention was the parties. Every Friday and Sunday in December, my mom hosts a gingerbread house making party for the neighborhood kids, and for her family. And while I think it's a blast that she shares Christmas with them, I only have, maybe, one gingerbread house in me a year, not six.
However, one of the sweetest things to come out of her Christmas is the Christmas party. My dad dresses as Santa and gives out gifts for virtually every kid inthe neighborhood...usually their parents provide the gifts, but mom ALWAYS provides two things:
An apple and an orange. :)
