Friday, November 03, 2006

Tis the season

With the advent of November, my thoughts have instantly fastforwarded to the upcoming holidays. While Christmas has its definite perks, as I’m getting older, Thanksgiving is becoming my favorite holiday. It has the benefits of Christmas without all the spending of money. The largest perk of Thanksgiving is getting to spend time with my family. While I was banished to the outer realm known as Kansas City, time spent with my family became more and more precious. I’ve managed to maintain this appreciation even since moving back and being smothered at every possible moment by them (and I mean that in the nicest way, seriously). Now when I say “family” I feel the need to clarify. I am NOT one of those people that thinks that if you share blood, you’re family. In my mind, I have already detached most of my blood relatives from my family. I don’t like them as people and really don’t feel the need to pretend to in order to keep up appearances. I’d rather not invite them to functions and enjoy the festivities, but that’s just me (I try not to be a horrendous bitch around these people for the sake of those who DO have to deal with them. I’m not totally heartless.).
On the flip side of things, as my siblings and I have gotten older, we’re expanding the group of people I DO consider family. They are people that I may not be related to directly but I like them genuinely and have no qualms inviting them into our quirky little group. Some are the significant others of my siblings, some are the families of their significant others, and some are just random stragglers that get invited to functions wholeheartedly. I’m more apt to consider these people my real family, people who choose to be around rather than are forced into it by social norm.
So going into this holiday season, I would like to extend my warmest fuzziest feelings towards those I consider family. May this season find you happy and healthy and hopefully sitting across from me at the table. And to those I don’t consider family…I hear Denny’s has a lovely holiday menu.

2 comments:

Rio Vista Boy said...

Happy Warm Fuzzies and Season's Feelings to you and those you consider your family-ish like tribe from me and those I consider my family-ish like tribe...

sue said...

I just wish I had the guts to tell the blood relatives I don't want to see to go to Denny's, too. Unfortunately, I have to "live" in their cycle of influence for awhile longer. *sigh* I'm with you, though... the "non-blood" family is always welcome! (Too bad some of them live so far away... Vin, ya listening, buddy?)