29/11/2002 - 6:33 p.m.

Tis the gift to be simple

Erm, OK, eh, hi, can I go back home now? Oh, wait...I am home.

Thanksgiving was stupider than usual. Usually all four of my grandmother's son's bother to make an appearance, but this year, when they should feel really guilty because of the old lady's injury, it's my family, and my uncle, the one with whom my grandmother is staying, and my grandfather. Freddy went to Sherri's sister's house (again), and Paul "had" to work (lucky bastard). So, that was a whole lot of bother on my part.

I seriously don't want to come back for Christmas. Maybe just take a few days in passing, as it were, and spend the rest of the holiday someplace else. Oh, if I could.

Someday, I want to run Christmas my own way. My own Christmas just the way I want it. First of all: no travelling. Second of all: Christmas decorations go up the week before Christmas, and come down the first week of January. (Except outside lights, those go up amongst the last nice days of November or October to decrease the risk of death.) Third of all: nothing big, nothing Martha Stewart or Good Housekeeping extravagant. Three easy things to keep things quiet and friendly. Christmas shouldn't be such a huge big deal. Growing up every year with the holidays associated with family arguments, I don't want to go to a lot of trouble for "the best Christmas ever" when things can be simply done better.

I've got to write up my list for Christmas cards. I can't decide whether it's going to be long or not. I know that I havent' got enough money to send presents to more than one person (maybe two), but cards will definately be going out to everybody.