Christmas Rocked!!

Hey all. First, WHEW!!! I had a wonderful Christmas. But let me tell you, I ran around like a crazy lady down to the last second. I realized that my gift idea would be quite an undertaking, but man I sure underestimated how much time I needed.

My kitchen still looks like a cyclone hit it. And I have so much sweet goodness left over it’s not funny. I think I’m having a thing at my place on Thursday or Friday night. Maybe both. Come, one and all. Eat, drink … and listen to my new tunes!!! I got this for Christmas. Santa was so good and generous this year. I felt so much love it wasn’t even funny. Last Christmas I was so cynical and frustrated and bitter and angry and bitchy. This year was light years away from that. My family is so weird and quirky, but I love those peeps to pieces.

Do you know what my brother and sister-in-law are trying to make me believe? They said that last year I told them that I got the short end of the stick in the gift giving deal with them because they are three (including my wonderfully adorable nephew) and I am only one. They gave me a gift from the fam last year, while I bought them individual gifts. Now, mind you, their gift was freaking exactly what I wanted and I have used the hell out of it (since it is so perfect) and will continue to use it forever. But, c’mon guys? Do you believe I said that?? I honestly don’t remember saying it, and I would own up to it if I did. But, I can’t discount the possibility that I just forgot this one. I know I can be obnoxious at times, but c’mon. Cut me some slack. Please tell me I didn’t say that (out loud)! ;)

Granny was thrilled that we all obeyed and came to dinner at her house (well, except for my brother). Dinner was delish, as usual. I have a pic for you if someone [nudge, nudge] would send it to me. I can’t explain dinner without the photo. So look for it. I have a couple of other photos too, if someone else would go ahead and send them, as promised [nudge, nudge, freaking elbow blow to the rib cage]. You’ll get to see all of my fun from the party on Friday to Christmas Eve gift opening to Christmas dinner, but must have pics first. Sorry. But this is not my fault. I do have one pic, but I refuse to post it in isolation. It needs others to buffer it.

OK, funniest story of Christmas. We’re at my apartment Christmas Eve, opening presents. This goes against all I love about Christmas morning, but there was just no way to get us all in the room that day, so, we did the next best thing. Here’s the scene: mom, dad, brother and sister-in-law, femfriend 1, femfriend2 and manfriend, and their two kids-- 11yoB, 9yoG. We’re all packed in my living room, a couple of us nice and happily filled with spiked sorrel. We’re opening presents. I got a stereo that I asked for (actually I got 2 of them, but that’s another story) and 11yoB is putting it together for me. He is seated almost directly in front of my linen closet working away. He needs 3 AA batteries. No problem. There are AA batteries in the bottom drawer inside the linen closet. I go to closet, open drawer and start searching for batteries. Well, there is also a bag of personal goodies in same drawer. I had taken them out of the drawer under the bed because femfriend1’s 3 and 4 yo girls are sleeping in there. Wouldn’t want them to go exploring, right? As I’m searching for batteries, the bag lights up and starts vibrating. Yup, lights up. Who knew? 11yoB is so close to me I could flick my hair and smack him. I grab the batteries, slam the drawer shut and hand them to him. I’m standing there going, I know damn well he hears that, and I wonder what the hell I’m going to say when he asks what that noise is. My brother who is sitting on the far side of the room sees my face and instantly busts out laughing and leans into his wife to tell her (his assumption) that I took the batteries OUT of the device to give him for the stereo. Oh how I wish I were so smart.

So, drawer still vibrating and lit up (because it’s a plastic caddy in a dark closet), I go back to try to turn things off. Damn it if I don’t hit the FASTER and ROTATE buttons on the dang thing, so now it’s louder and spinning around. I’m about to pee on myself, because you know how I get when I can’t laugh out loud. And so to avoid wetting them right in front of everyone, I grab the bag, hug it to my chest and run into the bathroom to shut the dang things off. I laughed so hard and so loud I know my guests thought I was nuts. I shoved the bag under the bathroom sink and just hoped nobody ran out of toilet paper. I will scar a child for life, do you hear me?? I’m the best reason, all by myself, for not having children. And, it’s not so much that I had the goods that would scar the kids, it’s that I can’t handle the situation any better than to laugh my ass off. I’m skill-less in the “protecting your child’s innocence” department. 9 and 11yo are pretty used to my potty mouth, but this was too much.

Other holiday goodness: I watched Akeelah and the Bee last night and I cried my eyeballs out. I LOVE that movie. It was so empowering. We can learn so much from kids, I tell you. I was so moved by how the pure genuine innocence of the hearts of children crumbled race and class walls that adults build to keep us divided. It was so beautiful. It spoke to the strength and challenges of community. At first I thought it would propel me into a full-blown celebration of Kwanzaa (an idea I’ve been kicking around for a couple of days), but true to form for Lexi, the picture was so much bigger. I’m all for the Black community unifying and valuing each other more than we do, but the bigger picture requires all people to unify and engage with our community as a whole, in all of our diversity. I loved this movie and I will watch it a million times more. See it if you haven’t.

I leave you with a quote from the film, which is but one of its myriad messages:

"Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'who am I to be so brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?' Actually, who are we not to be? You are a child of God: Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
~Marianne Williamson

(widely mis-attributed to Nelson Mandela )

How was your Christmas?