Some New Holiday Traditions

Wouldn't you know it? December is here! Holy crap did the year go by fast.. like.. seriously. And the people are already going holiday bonkers because let's be honest - it sort of drives yours truly a bit nutty when I see Christmas trees PRIOR to Thanksgiving. I'm just saying people.. overachieve much? Settle down already. Wait a day. Can't you? Apparently, they can't.

I'm not a Scrooge. I love the holidays. I just wish the songs playing everywhere weren't the the worst ones of the bunch. You know.. the really annoying ones by the people who can't sing or shouldn't sing.. or like five of them singing badly together. Because it's Christmas they think they should. Someone should really clear that up for them.

I also wish I hadn't seen like 134 diamond commercials letting me know that my boyfriend must not truly love me if he doesn't get me one or I don't love my mom if I don't get her one.. Obviously, a diamond, or eight, says everything words couldn't possibly say.. even tho.. um.. there are words I say.. and have said.. and could say.. but to the diamond people, I've missed the point. I think the diamond people should try saying 'I love you' without a box in hand that has something shiny in it. I bet it's hard for them. Poor saps. No, literally.. poor saps.

Maybe I'm just jealous because financially, life is a bit on the budgety side. And don't get me wrong, shiny and blingy things are lovely when you don't feel it's force-fed to you that you have to have one or get one for someone, etc. Personally, it just doesn't take a lot to make me happy. I love candles and scarves, books, magazine subscriptions cuz I never do that myself.. I don't need trips or electronics or gadgety things.. I like thoughtful things. I love stuff like high tea shared with one of my best girlfriends, which we still have to do together for our birthdays, Kari! A movie out with Boyfriend rather than another Daily Show (or as we've been doing lately, dinner with like four different ideas that don't really go together but are still very tasty all on one plate and catching up on season 5 of The West Wing.). Easy things like that.. except that finding the time is never that easy. Maybe that's what I want this year: Time. More of it. Santa? You hear me?

Actually, before that - I want to get rid of this cold. Can Santa bring me wellness and health early? I mean, please.. I've been more sick this year than ever before. What is the deal? I had the flu not once, but twice this year.. and the second time was the most miserable 10 days ever. I think since then I've had about 17 colds.. including one set of nasty sniffles over my birthday weekend. Hi. All sorts of lame that was. I think I'm just about out of sick days at work and that NEVER happens. I never use sick days in the first place but now I'm almost out?! And this one - man.. this 'almost-bronchitis' can go any day. The coughing is consistent enough to rattle my brain and sound like I'm close to dying, but not enough to keep me hacking away so much that I can't breathe - so hey, there's that bright spot. Yay! I won't crack any ribs it seems but I'm guessing the copious amounts of Airborne and Vitamin C I'm downing are attempting to strengthen this weeny immune system enough so I can at least continue to get paid at the cubefarm and still answer questions like, 'Wow.. you ok over there? Gonna live?' after a lovely sounding coughing spell.

So yes.. first health and then time. Got it? Um.. gift-wrapped please.

Really, I'm not all complaining. Thanksgiving was actually really lovely. Jake rolled his eyes a bit as I guess I might too when you're so used to spending time with your family - I mean, if it was my family, I understand that eye roll.. but they're not my family, they're his.. and I rather like them.

We had Thursday Thanksgiving with his aunt and uncle and 40 other people I'd say at their co-housing place. I'd never heard of co-housing, but it was très interesting. It's like a housing complex but with people who like and know each other and plus a huge sort of communal house for big dinners, weddings, festivities, whatever. Why don't more people do things like that?

The food was spectacular, there was heaps of wine, lots of chat with the family and everyone who's heard of Boyfriend's theatre and saw Arabian Nights.. I had a good time, tho Boyfriend seemed a wee bit distant.

The next day he got up early to go shopping for supplies so he could make biscuits from scratch to bring with us to dinner. I had leftover spinach dip from the office potluck that went over well too. The rest of his family and some of his parent's neighbors there, we dug in for our feast, played one round of Scrabble I confidently kicked serious ass on, devoured homemade cobbler and pie for dessert than I sneakily came from way behind to win the most exciting round of Apple To Apples ever! THEN.. and you won't even believe this.. THEN his DAD suggested we watch Love, Actually! Who's dad does that?! It was pretty great.

The review in the car was standard about the evening Boyfriend and I had just had with his family. And I don't even remember how it happened.. or who said what.. but it became very clear he was annoyed with me. Not angry, just.. irritated. And he didn't want to make a big deal about it, but I pushed because I'd felt it the night before too and as it came up, it's been happening more often that I'd noticed. He'd say I'm too loud or give me a look if he thought I misspoke or interrupted someone at the theatre. He couldn't be specific in his instances and I just said I was sorry if I made him uncomfortable, but I couldn't be sorry for being myself.

It came to light that even tho he seems comfortable and extroverted in every situation, maybe he's not or maybe he's a teensy bit quieter and calm about the whole thing whereas I'm a self-proclaimed hyper chihuahua about most things and have been accused of being from New York in other instances where I'm as honest and direct as I wish other passive-aggressive Seattlites would be more often. So there.

But I was honest about that direct person I've become. I know it can be brassy to some, but I was painfully shy when I was younger and it's taken me a lot of work to get past that. I was made to feel small all the time. I don't like feeling small in my grown up relationships - and he didn't realize he was doing that, but I was just relieved he didn't think it was something that would keep eating at him or cause him to end things. It seems it's the baggage from his past relationship where he often apologized for things she said or did and he wasn't treated well. And it was such a relief to get to that point of realization. I felt good that I'd stood up for myself, but wasn't defensive, asked questions that helped us find answers which enlightened us both, and after a few hugs and kisses to make up and maybe wiping a few errant tears away from my face, we understood the other a little better. Maybe we loved each other more.. I don't know. I love him quite a bit already.. I mean, his biscuits were pretty good.

And the next night we had a date. Dinner was about four different ideas all on one plate, we sat in front of The West Wing for hours while I coughed all the way thru, discussed politics, had great sex, and I fell asleep next to the most important thing.. the only thing I want for the holidays. 

Now.. what the hell am I going to get him for Hanukkah?