it’s been more than two weeks since i’ve posted anything. i feel as if it’s been months. there is so much NOT going on in my life that it seems silly to talk about it. it’s christmas eve morning. today is my favorite day of the year. i’m not wholly sure why. i think it honestly has to do with my family. i get to wake up and get ready and see my whole family all day. we exchange all of our friviolous gifts and we have a wonderfully delicious dinner and afterward we go to church. and, by all means, guffaw at the joy in my last sentiment. but going to church with my family on chrismas eve is akin to attending a comedy show. we sit in the very back, with all of the other CEO (Christmas and Easter Only) Catholics and we talk and goof off. we sit in the back and text each other and play on our phones and color with the boys, and try and prevent the regulars from glaring at us too angrily. the only reason we go, aside from the very obvious, is because my mom is the star of our little church choir. and every year she gets the big solo for christmas eve mass. it is so cute. she always gets so nervous. and every year she makes us tell her just how amazing it is, shes obviously the best; we’re related. it’s one of my favorite christmas traditions: feeding mom’s ego. like mother like son.

then comes christmas, my second favorite day of the year. again, we get to spend the entire day together. USUALLY, and i say usually only because this year it isn’t happening, we have holiday brunch. after brunch i usually take a nap, or on those very best holidays, we will play board games and watch some christmas movie and pretend like we say the lines better than the actors, which of course we do. then the extended family comes over. this year we’re having  like 30 people, and all of the hard work that my mom has done in the last 2 weeks comes to head in about 30 minutes of gorging on cannelloni and lasagna and potatoes and salad and greenbean casserole and spinach casserole and green jello and ham and cookies and caramel bars and pie and shtuff. then we (read:my brother mikey) do the dishes, where we will undoubtedly break out into song to the celine dion chrismas CD. full on harmony. we’re so gay. then we sit by the fire with the doggies and just spend time with each other. of course, a movie ALWAYS follows on christmas day night. this year will either be Nine or Sherlock Holmes; we’ve not yet decided.

so it may be cookie cutter or cliché, but it’s christmas and it’s all mine. and if i didn’t have it, or my family, i’m not quite sure how i’d spend december 24th and 25th. so i’m sending out red and green and lots of love. cheers this holiday and every day.

ho ho ho,

santa