The Monotony of Christmas....Oh Joy!

In about a month from now, we will have a new president inaugurated, much to my chagrin. I could not believe that the election was a total landslide! GRRRRR! Anyhow, the historymaking event will occur and I have to deal with it. November embarks the arrival of the holiday season. Hopefully, the holidays shed its gleeful light on cold, heartless people. I love the holiday season! Relatives cram at Grandma's house or some other residence like a pack of sardines, sharing narratives about the past year, reminiscing past memorable holidays, creating chaos after one tiny, innocent conversation that offends a family member, all while scarfing a delicious holiday feast! As the years have gone, however, the purity of the annual season drained, almost abjected. The holidays to me are sentimental, rather than another ordinary day. The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade lost its luster many moons ago and many of the big-time television networks rarely view the classics. (I am sorry, but A Christmas Story does not count!) Classics such as It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Santa Clause, White Christmas have a special place for us. I have watched A Christmas Story every year on TBS, but it has quickly became stale. The classics have a common message. They communicate that we must value life as it stands and help the unfortunate in any way possible. Thanksgiving allows us to give thanks to our pinnacles and downfalls. The holiday also allows us to eat an enormous amounts of food like turkey, yams, stuffing, and pumpkin pie for dessert. Thanksgiving also allows us to pass out on the couch with our belts open while watching football, for example. These are some of the events that make our holiday seasons worthwhile. I can tolerate Thanksgiving's monotony, but dinner at Christmas should be rotated; ham, turkey, chicken, whatever the main entree may be. I have had spent Christmas Dinner at my Aunt Candy's house for the past decade. The atmosphere at 107 Colonial Drive, Irwin, PA, remains constant every year, which is good in many circumstances, but not like this.





I have been open to conversation at Christmas during adolescence, but now the conversations seem to be stale. I am not certain if it is my duty as a communicator to spark topics to talk about. My topics are mainly centered around Pittsburgh sports and what I think how they are playing thus far. However, talking about sports is not the only subject I know. I try to keep afloat with current events. American politics are archaic to me, but I educate myself by reading the latest news and injecting an unbiased opinion. However, how can I inject an unbiased opinion if the news is twisted to an news organization' s benefit? I think I need to be more aggressive to spark a conversation. The US Constitution might become almost obsolete, if one does not stick to their fundamental beliefs. Christmas at my Aunt Candy's house has been pleasurable; catching up with the family of what has been happening in our lives.



My dad's side family loves one another unconditionally, for the most part. My mom's side, on the contrary, well, the family is characterized in a caste system. There are two groups, snobbish and "ghetto", a term coined by Mom. Almost 75% of mom's side is characterized as snobbish. They may not act snobbish, but their environment and their life style makes them snobbish. They have job security, some clout, and think they are on top of the world. The "ghetto" side, which my immediate is unfortunately chracterized as, is the family that works but struggles at times to make it ends meet. We do not live in a furbished house. We do not buy namebrand items. We do not wear the latest style of clothing, but we do show respect to others that are less fortunate than us. I beieve that in the spirit of Christmas that we should appreciate the presence of family. Appreciate the quality time together because as we age, that time becomes even more precious and vauable. I truly appreciate the notion of my Aunt Candy getting me awesome presents every year, but I feel that there is a catch with each gift. She means well, but the gift symbolizes an underground communication of feeling sorry for us. And she wishes we turned out different. The gift acts as encouragement after she publicly points out our flaws. I am not certain if she uses public criticism as a means of motivation, but this tactic does offend people. My younger brother, Justin, has ballooned in size over the years, thanks to a grease-licking diet of pizza, burgers, steak, and any red meat imaginable. All washed down with Mountain Dew. He lives a sententiary lifestyle and has no motivation whatsoever about life. What Aunt Candy does is she publicly compares myself and Justin. She compliments how I have a leveled head and I make good decisions. She bashes Justin, meanwhile, about his controversial decisions and comments about his smoking and weight. She also compares our cousins, Nina and Jenna, the same way. Since Jenna is a former cheerleader and captain, she receives "extra special" treatment. Extra Special meaning better gifts, default accolades, and she is a woman. It infuriates me because I am not better than they are, nor they are any better than me. I am not better than anyone. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, just like anyone else. What Justin needs is support and encouragement from us, his family. However, we have given him a lot of support, but he just does not care. Aunt Candy should appreciate Nina for being her self, and not amulating Jenna. Justin and I are two totally different people. So, what is the big deal? Not every family member, especially the children, will turn out the same as you want them to.

Once family members arrive to the house, they are seated at the gigantic kitchen for conversation, or catch-up time. Aunt Candy, and her husband, Chuck, has this beautiful glass table top with a chandelier hanging overhead. The majority of the family seats there, while others are spread either at the breakfast bar or picnic tables. One picnic table, though, sits in the corner of the kitchen, adjacent to the vibrant Christmas tree. You read right, a Christmas tree in the kitchen. The table sits my Grandpap, along with his longtime girlfriend, Phyllis. These two just patiently sit at the table, not hurting anyone. I get the feeling, though, they are not welcomed at the party. I am not certain if they are because of their age, but it does not seem right. Their "banishment" reminds me of a story entiled, "The Wise Old Woman", where a Japanese woman was banished from her village and ordered to the mountains simply because she was too old. Even though they sit clear across the room, I sit with them first. I sit to show my appreciation of their eldership. A couple who frequently dances at a hall on a weekly basis at a tender age of 84 deserves any accolade imaginable! The strength of family is determined by its unconditional love for one another no matter how we look or what they do. If the love is superficial, then that love loses the true meaning of family.



The food at Christmas can be monotous, only if the food tastes good. Well, the food at Aunt Candy's house did taste good, but slowly has deterioriated in taste. Every year since my family returned full-time from Japan, we have the same damn thing for dinner, stuffed shells, roast beef, along with a bowl of salad. Seems to be a harmless dinner, right? Let me explain in great detail. The stuffed shells are most of the time undercooked, as the watery sauce deters my appetite. I thought the appetizers were homemade. Wrong! They are packaged and possessed. I always thought the bacon and cheese bangels and were baked by her. Nope. Ahhh! The roast beef. Its aroma greets you first thing when you walk through the doors. The scent is very misleading. When you walk up to the stove, pull the lid from the pan, I guarantee you will scratch your head. My Aunt Candy's roast beef resembles Alpo dog food. Chunks of cubed meat with a moderate thick soup broth and pine needles for flavor. I am sorry, but I do not want pine needles in my freakin' food! My mom is comtemplating about bringing good ol' ham to the party. Hmmmm. I think the ham will be gone way before the stuffed shells and the roast beef.

I can go on and on about the disappeciation and lack of creavitity of the annual Christmas dinner, but this is tradition. I do throughly enjoy the company of family, no matter how messed up it might get. All I ask to change up the main course, please! I do have the strength to eat the dinner this year, but I do not know how long my stomach can tolerate it. A diversed family makes it unique and unforgettable. I will let you know how this dinner goes.