Winter Triple Crown

I can sense the pressure building not even close to a boil but as the friction of the holidays gets closer the heat will create an intense boil. I was wondering what the irritation I kept feeling all week then realized that Thanksgiving is next week—the first of the majors in what I call the winter Triple Crown. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New years! I could throw in Hanukkah and probably anywhere but the Intermountain, United States Hanukkah is right up there with the other big three. But for me and my life they are T.C.&N. which actually sounds like a railroad

We are going to my brother’s this Thanksgiving; actually that is where we go every Thanksgiving. His house is not accessible and I have to be drug up the steps of his porch and pulled into his house. The bathroom is not on the main floor but the main floor is where I will stay the entire time while I am there. I have a bottle for #1 and I just have to pray against having to do a #2—if I have to do a 2 I am going home. My ancient mom will be there and frankly that is the main reason I am going. My brother is incredible. He drives a hour South and back again to bring mom up for dinner then reversed the process. This allows me to spend some equality time with her and not make the drive myself. Again, I would do this drive willingly but the home she lives is not accessible either so I see my mom when I have the opportunity so I am doing the Fam Thanksgiving dinner.

Like every other family in America these days we are a blended family; add to this that our kids are old enough to have spouses which means families and extended families which means they have to be at dinners everywhere throughout the valley. This also means parts of the family do not feel comfortable with other segments of the family so there seems to be some familial territorialzation. I try to minimize the tension as best as I can. So, even though we are not having a giant Thanksgiving feast at out house, it looks as if we WILL prepare a turkey and pies ( we have to bring one pecan and rolls to the gathering) and have something to eat on later in the Thanksgiving evening and plenty of left over the remainder of the weekend.

The tension seems to ebb as I float through the last week of November, knowing I should be diligently doing my Christmas shopping but diligently putting the effort off—which is stupid but adds to holiday tension. Add to this the Christmas plays, parties obligatory church and family get-togethers, heating expenses , eating expenses visa and mastercard payments and on top of everything else…tithing settlement! The friction n has caused enough heat to generate a rolling boil. Spousal arguments increase as does the personal guilt for providing less then a stellar Christmas. But I must pause to regain my composure. Luckily I am from a family and dogmatic background which never understood how to celebrate New Years, the last of the Holiday Triple Crown. I am too old to really do any serious drinking for the event and even if I did or could stand the “morning after” I hate loosing the whole day trying to recover—when I was younger this was not a problem it is now.

Just thinking about the Holidays