The Christmas Story

I am sitting here at the computer when I should be cleaning my house of the post Christmas mess. I am such a procrastinator. It's so much more fun to blog than it is to clean I do have to admit. If you read the last blog, then you know that The DQ's dad spent Christmas with us. He drove down on Christmas Eve and arrived around 3 a.m. The DQ was unable to sleep while waiting for him to get here. Which meant that I was unable to sleep because she came in my room every few minutes to ask when her daddy would be here.

When he got here I showed him where to put his bag and all the stuff you do when someone comes to visit. By the time everyone got settled and we chatted for awhile, it was about 5 a.m. I have now been awake for 22 hours. I tried to sleep but I don't think I ever REALLY fell asleep.

At around ten I decided it was time to wake up the girls to open presents. I know, I know, I actually had to get them up. That's what happens when they get a little older. We opened presents and we drank coffee. There was a mountain of wrapping paper and gift boxes. I did get Sissy a new digital camera for Christmas. She was really excited about that. The DQ got her first cell phone. I know she is too young, however she does spend a good deal of time with her friends, and I like the idea of her having a phone while she is not here.

I really surprised both of them with these gifts. Neither one of them had any clue they were getting the camera or the phone. I kept repeatedly telling The DQ that she was too young for a cell phone. Sissy actually caught me with her camera a while back. So I devised a sneaky plan of epic proportions. I kept the camera she caught me with as my own, and told her it was mine. Then I secretly ordered another identical camera for her.

Brilliant plan I think. After all the presents were opened we got ready to go to my sister Marlette's house. Christmas for our family has turned into pandemonium. Everyone has a boyfriend or spouse now(except for me). We also have a new addition to the family. My sister Alicia's fiancee has a three year old son. Add to that my two daughters, my sisters two sons, and my sister-in-laws daughter.

There was pure noise and chaos at her house........and I have had NO sleep. The DQ's dad drove us there in his vehicle. He needed to make a run to the store. I panicked. My sister lives out in the sticks. I was afraid he was going to get lost and I would be stuck there. In all that noise and confusion. It would take him hours to find his way back. What would I do? I would probably have a nervous breakdown. Please, don't leave me here. Please God. No.

He didn't get lost and was back a short while later. By the time he got back, I was ready to hijack the nearest vehicle and run back to the city as fast as the car would take me. I have never in my life been so relieved to see my ex husband in all my life. Well, expect on our wedding day. Who doesn't wonder if the groom is going to show up?

We went back home kicked back for awhile. For some reason, I didn't sleep well that night either, and I had to work the next day. I also had everyone coming to my house the next day. My Maw-Maw (it's a southern expression for Grandma) was coming to my house to spend some quality time with us.

So here we go again. A house full of people and I am running on very little sleep. Everything was fine until about nine that evening. We had a wonderful visit with Maw-Maw Jackson, but by this time I was just.Ready. For.Everyone.To.Leave. Their respective children too. My nerves were frayed. My patience had reached the end of the rope. I know it was because of the lack of sleep. I pulled my sister Dejah aside. (If you have looked at any of the pictures on my blog, she is really pretty with the curly hair) I told her that I was ready to get everyone O-U-T. She being the wonderful sister she is, started the process.

I don't know if this happens in other families, but in our family when the first person leaves that signals that it's OK for everyone else to leave also. She rounded up her children and started the goodbyes. Which still took another thirty minutes. I was thinking that soon I would be in the clear and everyone else would get the heck out of dodge. It had worked the day before at Marlette's house. When the first person left her house the day before, everyone else cleared out of there like roaches running from a bug bomb.

No such luck at my house. My wonderful dad decided that he needed to hand wash all my dishes. I HAVE A DISHWASHER PEOPLE. I am doing everything I can to convince him that it is really not necessary for him to wash dishes. I have a dishwasher. I will ask Sissy to wash them tomorrow. His response to that was, "Honey, nobody wants to wake up to a sink full of dishes in the morning". In my head I was saying, YES, YES, I DO want to wake up to a sink full of dishes because I just want to go to bed. Then I told him that I would unload the clean dishes from the dishwasher for him and he could just load the dishwasher. That would save minutes. Minutes that I could be curled up in my bed, trying to sleep.

OH NOOOOOOO. He was having none of that. I had approximately fifteen people in my house that night, and Dad hand washed dishes for fifteen people. (I had no paper plates). It ended up taking nearly two hours for me to get everyone the h*ll out of my house. I love my family. I truly am so blessed to such a loving wonderful family. I have never been so happy to see them leave in all my life.

I know some of my family reads this blog. PLEASE do not be offended. You did nothing wrong. I was just exhausted from two nights in a row with little or no sleep. I am glad everyone came and we enjoyed a lovely visit. I wouldn't take back the precious time that was spent with Maw-Maw Jackson. I know it was just me. I think it was the first time in my life that I have been so cranky that I was ticked off by someone washing dishes for me.