It was Christmas! Did you hear? Yeah….love that time of year when you have to discuss about whose family you are going to go visit…
About 1 month ago:
Mar: So, are we going to your folks for Christmas? It is their year since we did my folks last year…
Fritz: I don’t know. Driving to West Virginia…it might snow.
Mar: Well next year there is the baby, so if we blow off your folks on their year then we have to drive 6 hours to West VA next year. Instead of 4 hours to mine?
Fritz: Uh – huh…
Mar: With a baby…and a crib…and diapers…and all that other stuff they come with.
Fritz: Like hats?
Mar: Yeh, hats.
Fritz: I’ll think about it.
(If you ever watched WEST WING – then you might get the hats reference – ‘cause babies come with hats)
2 weeks before Xmas:
Mar: So what’s the plan for x-mas?
Fritz: I guess we can go to your mom’s… what are her plans?
Mar: The usual. You know, decorate tree on Christmas Eve, eat Chinese food, light the menorah, alcohol is allowed and you can smoke. Movie on Christmas day…The usual Greene Family event of loud Italians and Jews…
Fritz: Hmmmm
Mar: I need to know ASAP, ‘cause I have presents to finish and I need to know who’s get finished first – yours or mine?
Fritz: So West Virginia this year? How about we have Christmas at our place next year?
Mar: With both families?
Fritz: Yeh….
Mar :………………..( many many minutes later) we’ll have to get a tree? And they might not be into the Chinese food….does your family go to movies?
Fritz: Ha! Ha! Maybe not. Well, we’ve got a year to figure it out.
It is so easy to be a married couple without kids – because then you can bounce around and not have to stick to any real traditions. Not ever be xpected to host. That is coming to an end my friends...
Fritz’s family is definitely Christian (like New Testament all the way baby!)– And my family? Well, they are mostly lapsed Catholics with a few Jews thrown into the mix – so we truly have our own traditions – oh! and an Atheist or two – so the winter holiday season is more about just getting together and getting crazy, eating lots, trying to steal the cookie dough before it becomes cookies and the nieces and nephews. And fighting over what movie we will see on Christmas Day. Last year it was SYRIANA – good movie, but not really a “holiday movie.”
So we went to West Virginia – as per my usual standard – I left my SIL’s present back in Maryland (2 years ago, I forgot the grandmother-in-law’s present). And it was a lovely time had by all. My MIL is quite sweet – she even remembered no pork in any of the dishes – which for southerners is not easy to do (just ask my husband – or any Bavarian :) for that matter). And had a lovely time…(well until I stuck my liberal foot in my mouth about politics...I will never learn)
FYI – I am taller than all those people! (nephew, niece, Fritz, sil, fil, mil, bil)
2 comments:
sounds so familiar... "your family or mine?"
"......."
"why can´t they just come to our place like my family does?"
"you have to understand..."
*sigh*
in the end we have a nice christmas anyways :)
seems you had a good time at your in-laws. hope you did invite them already for next year!?! in-laws need longer to get over being somewhere else for christmas ;)
Better than the inlaws being close enough that they expect you (who has the kids) to come when they want you too, but far away enough (NJ) to make traveling a major pain in the tuchus.
Merry Christmas/Hanukkah to you & your family, old friend.
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