The Holidays
Dax and I spent most of our Christmas Holiday traveling back and forth to one place or another. We first started our celebration by going over to my grandmothers to greet my aunt and uncle who had flown in from Maryland. A couple of days later we went to my brother in-laws house. Dax, my sister in-law, and his brother thought that it would be a good idea to all get together at their house, so that we could exchange gifts with their mom, that way she could have both of her boys together at once for Christmas.
Next we made our way south to meet up with Dax’s dad, granny and step-mother. We stayed a couple of nights and exchanged gifts. After that we made our way back home to spend time with my family for Christmas. Dax’s mother had never met my family, so we invited her over to spend the night and have Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas brunch. She accepted our invitation and met us later that day when we arrived back home. So that was basically our Christmas in a nutshell.
A couple of things bothered me over this holiday season; every year my family basically does the same thing, and you are expected to attend unless you are out of town. Trimming the tree at my grandmother’s house is one of those things, and you are expected to actually help with the trimming of the tree. My brother who is 22 years old announces that he and his girlfriend have plans and they have to leave promptly after I ask him to help hang the lights! However I must say he did stay to help me with the lights, I am not sure if he stayed to be nice or if he saw the nasty look on my face.
Another thing that has been on my mind is the condition that my great aunt and great uncle were in. They are getting older. My aunt said that she has been having seizers, and can’t remember some things from last Christmas. My uncle is having a hard time walking, and I think dementia has set in. He had trouble recognizing members of the family and he would often call out my aunt’s name as if she were in the room. My grandmother would have to explain to him that she went to the kitchen or she was doing something.
Also my great aunt on my father side is getting older, almost every time I contacted her over the holidays she would tell me that she is feeling bad, and is having a hard time getting around. She refused to take some of the medication that her doctors prescribe to her, because she is afraid that she will have a bad reaction to it.
Dax’s granny is getting older too, although she seems to be in good sprits every time I see her, I still worry.
Now, here comes the deepest part of my thoughts, the thoughts that I try to push back and ignore; how many more Holidays do I have with them? I often think to myself, am I being selfish? I want everything to go on forever like it has in the past. I know that some time down the road things are going to change, and I just wonder how I am going to handle that change.
