Divisions and Precisions

Merry Christmas

Christmas 2001 is nearly over, for me at least. It's been a long, busy day, and even though it's not even 7pm, I'm ready to go to sleep.

It was a good day though, with all of the requisite family and food and fun. I spent the early part of the morning with my mom and stepfather, opening presents and watching the Today Show (one of my secret, shameful holiday traditions, I admit). Presents aren't an enormous deal in my family anymore. Mom asks what I want each year, and I get one precise thing I asked for, plus some clothes. There's usually not much in the way of surprises. This year was a little different. In addition to the one item (this year, a DVD player, yay!) and the clothes, I have a new unicorn music box, two in fact, because I got one at the family gathering as well. I've collected unicorns haphazardly for several years -- when someone collects something, it makes for an easy Christmas present, right? (Hm, should I let it be known that I've moved on to seals?) In any case, I haven't actually opened anything but the clothes. Since I'm moving in two weeks, there doesn't seem to be much point. Besides, I don't have any DVDs yet.

At about 10am, my mom and stepfather went to my stepsister's house to open presents there. I had some wonderful alone time, spent watching "A Christmas Story", one of the best Christmas movies ever made. Then about noon I went over to my aunt's house for the family dinner. Because we're all from hillbilly stock, dinner takes place at about 1 in the afternoon. This year was different from any year I can remember. Instead of my aunts and uncles and cousins, there were my aunt's and uncle's (and mom's) cousins. They're good people though. I got to know them when my grandma died back in August. Also present was my Uncle Elmer's daughter and her partner.

The fact that Elmer was married before he married my mom's sister Vera makes some folks in the family a little uncomfortable, even though his kids by that first wife are grandparents themselves by now. I'd never met Judy and Bill before, who are refreshingly un-redneck, to the point of being a little intimidating. Bill owns a book publishing company (I think he owns it -- don't think I didn't get a little antsy when mom told him I was a published writer) -- although the company tends to publish, as far as I can tell, big photography books on different aspects of Americana. They own an enormous, beautiful Southwestern home in New Mexico. I've seen the pictures numerous times. It's hard to picture someone that... well, wealthy, for one thing, but... cosmopolitan? connected to my family at all. I mean, Judy's father is the same uncle who has a tradition of wearing torn shirts to family reunions and who thinks weenies and homemade chili sauce is some powerful eatin'. (I tease because I love -- Elmer is without a doubt my favorite uncle. Always has been. He also is the only living person in the world that can get away with calling me "Wheezie". My dad was the other one.)

So we ate tons of unhealthy Southern cooking (someone made homemade pecan pie, oh my), opened what few presents were there, and then either played Rook, watched people playing Rook, watched home movies, or played with Bill's dog. Doesn't sound like much, writing it all out, but it was nice. I think we're all still missing Grandma, along with the aunts and uncle who've died. I miss Aunt Eula, passing out the presents every year and fussing over cleaning up the wrapping paper. I miss Uncle Eddie, just making everyone howl with funny stories (somewhere on videotape, I have him and my Uncle Elmer extolling the virtues of an electric letter opener my mom got Eddie that year -- to hear them tell it, that letter opener could do everything from mow the lawn to keep your beer cold). I miss Grandma, too. I miss her sitting in the corner, quietly watching over her family, and then being the one absolutely buried in Christmas presents -- no matter what, everybody got a present for Grandma.

I think it's going to take a couple of years for us to settle into new traditions and new ways of being a family, but I think we're off to a good start.

Posted by Lisa at December 25, 2001 06:42 PM