I was going to write a post about the first divorced Christmas and how it sucked. How I had no decorations. How the memories were flowing around. How it was tough to get Christmas cards from people wishing me a much better 2007 (and making me remember how shitty this year actually was).
But, I’m not going to.
Instead, I’m going to write about my Christmas, what I got, what I did and leave it at that. None of you are stupid. You all know or can imagine that a divorced Christmas is neither easy nor fun. So why dwell on it?
So here goes.
Christmas eve was nice. Jess and I went to my parents for dinner before mass. It was a low key sort of deal. Pork tenderloin, roasted potatoes, salad. I did have a couple beers and a glass or two of wine. Just to relax. Of course, once I got to mass, those “relaxing agents” tended to work against me.
It was rather warm in the church and we were there 40 minutes early. So, there was a lot of sitting and waiting. Combine the drinks with the warmth and the soft Christmas music playing and I was hard pressed to not fall asleep. The yawn machine was in full effect.
The actual service was really nice. For one, it wasn’t at midnight, so that was a plus. Not to mention, that it wasn’t the “childeren’s” service either, so there weren’t a ton of screaming kids. The priest who said mass is an old favorite of mine from when I went to church in college. He was assigned to the Vatican for a while but apparently is now back. He is the type of guy who will slap kids ‘five’ as he’s walking down the aisle. Plus, he is a great speaker. So, it was nice all the way around.
After church, Jess and I went to her parents house where her family was getting together for drinks. Ironically enough, her parents live exactly 1 block away from where I used to live when married. Needless to say, its not always easy to be in that neck of the woods, but once we were in the house I was ok. We sat around, shot the shit, and had some more booze. Eventually, we broke out the Pictionary and Jess and I proceeded to wipe the floor with the rest of them. The game only ended when Goldy (Jess’s lab) somehow escaped the yard and was found after a short search munching on the neighbors trash. It was almost midnight and so we called it a night.
We spent Christmas day with our respective families. My family didn’t start the festivities until 10:30, so I had plenty of time to make it to my parents house. I stopped at Starbucks for a peppermint mocha and took my sweet time getting over there. I always find it interesting to be out on the streets when they are so empty.
Once I got there, we had brunch and chatted. It was interesting that we have apparently all grown up enough that nobody was chomping at the bit to get to the goods. Zach, my nephew, is only 2 and a half, so he didn’t have the pull to get us going earlier. Besides, he had already opened presents at his house! Speaking of Zach, he is the airplane freak of the world. He has dozens and dozens of “ae-panes”. The most fun ones are the ones that make a tremendous racket. (Sarcasm there…) He spent the day playing with all his new ones. He is obsessed.
So, after a leisurely meal, we got the show on the road. Stockings first. A couple years ago, we decided to split the stocking duties amongst the group. Each person in the family chooses a category from a hat, and buys stuffers for everyone to fit that theme. Mine was ‘sports & games’, so I got travel board and card games, and Boise State basketball tickets for my sis’s family. I got the usual gadgets, movie tickets, candy, and beef stick… all the things I like.
Then, we got into the gifts, proper. I got the one thing I really wanted, which was a Kitchenaid stand mixer. I like to cook, and when I had access to one of these devices (in the previous life) I really liked it. So, that was what I wanted. I got one in black. It is really cool, and works like a champ. We broke it out to make the mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner!
I also got all the kitchenaid accouterments (scraper, bowl, wisk, etc.). I also got a original one of a kind painting from my sis the artist to go in my bedroom. Her fiancee made the frame for it. It is very cool. From my nephew, I got a Boise State 3′ x 5′ flag (the only BSU item I received, remarkably enough). The funniest gift I got was the “Holiday 5 Pack”… which if you haven’t seen the commercial is a 6 pack of Heineken wrapped up with one missing. Classic.
Spent the rest of the day eating, drinking and generally feeling exhausted. I did break up the day by whipping my sister at Othello (the board game) twice in a row. I demoralized her to the point where she was looking to play my other sister to redeem herself. So that was fun.
Dinner was amazing. Beef tenderloin which was cooked to perfection. Vast expanses of medium rare in the middle. Unbelievable. It was so juicy and tender, you could literally cut it with the fork.
By the time dinner was over, I was absolutely spent. Exhausted. Done. Kaput. I came home and hauled my loot up to my apartment. I will admit that it was a little tough coming home to an empty place on Christmas night. But, what can ya do?
That was my Christmas in a nutshell. Now, I’m just getting ready for my adventure to Phoenix and the Fiesta Bowl. Keep watching this space, for I will have a number of stories to tell upon my return Jan 2nd.
Happy New Year, everyone.